Little+Rock,+Arkansas

=Little Rock, Arkansas= ==September 4th 1957==

//The Little Rock High School incident of 1957 in Arkansas brought international attention to the civil rights movement.//

In 1954, the U.S Supreme Court had declared the segregation to be unconstitutional and soon later, they called for desegregation of public schools.

It was Labor Day, September 2, 1957 when the nine students who had been selected to enter Central High Shcool - a previously all-white school, Carlotta Walls, Jefferson Thomas, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Ernest Green, Terrance Roberts, Gloria Ray and Minnijean Brown were preparing for their first day of school. The nine students also known as the Little Rock Nine, started out as 517 students eligible to attend Central High, though only 80 expressed an interest in doing so. 17 were then selected for the first year of intergration at Central, 8 of which later decided to remain at the all-black Horace Mann High School.

The trouble begun for the Little Rock Nine when the govenor of Arkansas, Orval Eugene Faubus denied them entry into Central high on his vote against desegregation, by ordering the National Guard to stop any African Americans from entering the school. Then, thanks to the intervention of President Eisenhower they later attended escorted in by the Little Rock Police Department. Hundreds of protesters, mainly the parents of white students attending Central High remained deep-rooted out the front of the school. Then on September 23rd the nine students were quietly slipped inside the school, however once the mobs had learned that the nine black students were inside, they begun to riot and so the students were then escorted out of the school. It was only on the 25th September were the students safely accompanied in to the school by federal troops, deployed by President Eisenhower by request of the Mayor of Little Rock, Woodrow Mann.

By the end of September 1957, the Little Rock Nine had been admitted to Central High under the protection of the US Army, but they were still subject to a year of physical and verbal abuse by many of the white students. They were told that they would have to take alot and were warned not to fight back.

Central High School, Arkansas In ’57, nine stood tall Teenagers, they led the way In the face of hatred, they changed our fate They chose to be there, did what’s right Challenged the system, non-violent fight Facing the standard of segregation They shaped the future, changed the nation The Little Rock Nine Outside in the school yard ‘liz faced the mobs Governor, militia said “do not cross” Prez called the airborne, to let ‘em pass Assigned an escort to get to class The Little Rock Nine They were harassed everyday Inspiring bravery, they turned away Heads held high, walked the halls Minni walked, like she belonged The Little Rock Nine Time is now for you to cross that line Cross that line like the Little Rock Nine Stand up tall and get involved The future is up to you so please be strong …like the Little Rock Nine Ordinary people do extraordinary things Don’t be silent, don’t be afraid Ordinary people do extraordinary things You might be someone’s hope someday – A. Gray
 * Song in Commemoration to the Little Rock Nine[[image:http://www.tavarestaylor.com/EM_Archive/March/LittleRock1957.gif width="300" height="161" align="right" caption="escorted in by US Federal troops. Sep 1957."]]**

//__On 9 December 2008 the Little Rock Nine were invited to attend the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, the first African-American elected President.__//