EDF 2085 Reflection Paper #6

Jackie Lawrence
EDF 2085
Reflection Paper #6

On May 17th, 1954, the United States Supreme Court finally ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional and must be integrated. Although Brown vs. Board of Education was a momentous occasion in the African American Civil Rights Movement, it surely did not magically mend the racist attitude of our country at the time.
On September 5th, 1957, nine African American students impacted history by entering Little Rock Central High School to obtain an equal education. However, President Eisenhower was forced to call for help from the United States Army and the Arkansas National Guard in order for this to happen. Segregationist councils protested outside the school, and even Arkansas’ governor, Orval Faubus, promoted the segregation of Little Rock to “preserve the peace and avert violence.” These nine children endured horrendous treatment as they were spat on, taunted, tormented, and abused. Outside school, angry parents of the white children initiated riots. Inside school, teachers treated them unequally and fellow students acted cruelly. One child even threw acid into Melba Pattillo’s eyes. These young children were subjected to such incredible cruelty; it probably took almost a lifetime to psychologically heal their wounds.
I’ve been through a lot in life, and I don’t think there’s any way I could have dealt with that type of overwhelming mistreatment and vindictiveness. High school was, by far, the most difficult time of my life. I always felt different, lost, scared, and alone. To be one of nine in a mob of thousands that are against you is inconceivable to me. The courage and inner-strength those kids demonstrated on a daily basis is one of the most inspirational things I’ve learned about in a long time. A runner at heart, I highly doubt I would have made it to graduation at Central High. I myself left one high school for another because I couldn’t cope with my problems. And the majority of those problems I inflicted upon myself. Those children were ostracized because of their skin color, and they still showed their face the next day. Most likely, I would’ve run away crying before I even made it to the front door.
It took fifteen more years for Little Rock public schools to reopen and become fully integrated, only eleven years before I was born. When I was taught about diversity and racism in the classroom, my teachers spoke of slavery as if it happened 10,000 years ago. And because I grew up around so many different types of people that seemed to get along on the surface, I truly believed prejudice to be ancient history. It wasn’t until I reached high school that I learned how cruel people could actually be. In 1999, the “Little Rock Nine” were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, and in 2007, a silver dollar was made by the US Mint to acknowledge their strength. They absolutely deserve every single piece of publicity and honor they’ve received, and they probably deserve a lot more. It’s not every day that nine courageous children influence a country and shape history.