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"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

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The 14th Amendment Explained Simply for Black History.Deeper Than Read (Ep. 3)[close caption]📚 🤓

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On the morning of September 4, 1957, Elizabeth Eckford went to school alone because her family lacked a telephone, and therefore, could not communicate with the other students regarding where they would meet up. The photo of Ms. Eckford walking through the mob alone has become the symbolic image of the quiet, dignified determination of the Little Rock Nine and the non-violence beliefs of the Civil Rights heroes. Ms. Eckford did not graduate from Central High because the schools were closed her senior year. Instead she earned enough credits to attend Central State University in Ohio, where she graduated with a degree in history. Ms. Eckford has received the Army Good Conduct Medal, and together with the Little Rock Nine, she is the recipient of the Springarn Medal, the NAACP’s most prestigious award, and the Congressional Gold Medal. Ms. Eckford, who is an army veteran and a probation officer, still lives in Little Rock. She continues to challenge students to be active participants in standing up for despised minorities, stating, “true reconciliation can occur when we honestly acknowledge our painful but shared past.”

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Part III- Images of Elizabeth Eckford (9/4/1957)

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Part III- Images of Elizabeth Eckford (9/4/1957)

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Part III- Image of Elizabeth Eckford (9/4/1957)

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Part III- Image of Elizabeth Eckford (9/4/1957)

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In Elizabeth Eckford's Words | Facing History and Ourselves

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"In the spring of 1957, students at Horace Mann High School—the segregated school I attended—were asked to sign up if they were interested in transferring to Central High School the next year. Well, I signed the sheet of paper. I was aware that the Brown decision represented a fundamental change occurring in the South. It meant expanded opportunities, better jobs. I was aware of the Montgomery bus boycott and the role that Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King played. And I was taking a course in Negro history in 11th grade at Horace Mann. We talked about slave insurrections, protests. We talked about Jackie Robinson breaking into baseball. So I had some consciousness that things didn’t have to be the way they were.  The other thing that always struck me was that change was only going to occur if the African-American community was willing to step forward, that it wasn’t going to be handed to you. And I saw Central High School as an educational institution. They had more courses, more reference books, more science labs than we had at Horace Mann. I saw this as an enhancement for my own personal education. The first day we went to school with the phalanx of paratroopers surrounding us, the morning of the 25th, I felt absolutely exhilarated. This was the first time I could remember that the U.S. government was supporting the interests of African Americans. I felt protected. Initially, the most avid of the segregationists boycotted class and that really was a breath of fresh air. There were students who attempted to speak to us and befriend us. A few tried to eat lunch with us. They came to the table and introduced themselves. But as the soldiers were withdrawn, the segregationists—I guess they figured that we weren’t going to leave—began to trickle back into the school. That’s when the harassment and the intimidation towards us, as well as towards white students who tried to befriend us, increased—and it increased significantly. Our lockers were continually broken into. I’m sure the Little Rock school board spent thousands of dollars replacing our books. They were stolen, broken, vandalized. But each time they moved us to a different locker—supposedly a secret locker—in about five minutes that locker was broken into. So we learned very early never put your homework in your locker. Anything you didn’t want destroyed you had to carry around. In my classes, I participated as much as I could. There was only one teacher that I felt simply didn’t want me in the class. That was the physics teacher. He was very hostile toward me. I was having great difficulty in the course and had a couple of tutors, located through the NAACP, who worked with me. One was a biophysicist from the University of Arkansas. He was white, Dr. Robert L. Wixom. I spent Saturdays at his house being tutored. I wouldn’t have gotten through the course without his help. There was some apprehension on the part of the school about my going to the graduation ceremony. There were some threats. Some individuals in Little Rock had indicated that they would harm me if I showed up. And of course I was laser focused on going because of the toil and tribulations we went through that year. So there were 600-plus students graduating with me. They went through the list of students alphabetically. When they got to my name there was this silence: No one clapped except my family. As I walked across the stage I thought to myself that I really didn’t need anyone to clap. The moment, the achievement was recognition enough. It turned out that Dr. King attended my graduation. I didn’t know he was coming and didn’t know he was in the audience. He sat with my family. We spoke briefly at the end of the ceremony. I was honored that he appeared. I’m proud to have been part of the Nine. Fifty years later to see your name in a history book or have a teacher come up to you and say they use Eyes on the Prize (a documentary on the Civil Rights struggle) as a teaching tool for young people, it makes you feel good. What Little Rock represents is trying to be prepared to take advantage of a moment. It’s about us pursuing what most people would think an admirable goal: a decent education.

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The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. They were Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Pattillo Beals.

The Supreme Court on May 17, 1954, with the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, ruled that all laws establishing segregated schools were unconstitutional, and that all schools must be desegregated throughout the nation. In Little Rock, Arkansas, the school board agreed to comply with the court ruling and Superintendent Virgil Blossom, in 1955, submitted a plan of gradual integration. The Blossom Plan was to be implemented in September, 1957 for the start of the school year.

By 1957, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People registered nine African American students to attend the previously all-white school. At the beginning of the school year, several segregationist protested Central High and physically blocked the black students from entering the building. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to support the segregationists on September 4, 1957.

Eventually Woodrow Wilson Mann, the mayor of Little Rock, asked President Eisenhower to send federal troops to enforce the integration and to protect the Little Rock Nine. On September 24, the President sent the 101 Airborne Division to federalize the Arkansas National Guard, removing Faubus' authority.

By the end of September, the nine were admitted to the Little Rock Central High with the protection of the 101 Airborne. Despite their protection, they were subject to verbal and physical abuse. Melba Patillo Beals had acid thrown in her eyes and on a separate occasion was trapped in a restroom stall and had burning pieces of paper dropped on her. Minnijean Brown was harassed by a group of male students in December and dropped her lunch onto them. She was suspended for six days. Two months later, after a second altercation, Brown was suspended for the rest of the year. She eventually transferred to New Lincoln High School in New York City.

Governor Orval Faubus, after this turbulent year, petitioned the Supreme Court case and attempted to postpone the desegregation of Little Rock public schools. Faubus eventually signed legislation that allowed him to shut down the public high schools. After the "Lost Year," the public schools opened the integrated students could resume their long and steady march towards equality.

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24 Photographs of Civil Rights Pioneers The Little Rock Nine

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The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. They were Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Pattillo Beals.

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24 Photographs of Civil Rights Pioneers The Little Rock Nine (historycollection.com)

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The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. They were Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Pattillo Beals.

The Supreme Court on May 17, 1954, with the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, ruled that all laws establishing segregated schools were unconstitutional, and that all schools must be desegregated throughout the nation. In Little Rock, Arkansas, the school board agreed to comply with the court ruling and Superintendent Virgil Blossom, in 1955, submitted a plan of gradual integration. The Blossom Plan was to be implemented in September, 1957 for the start of the school year.

By 1957, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People registered nine African American students to attend the previously all-white school. At the beginning of the school year, several segregationist protested Central High and physically blocked the black students from entering the building. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to support the segregationists on September 4, 1957.

Eventually Woodrow Wilson Mann, the mayor of Little Rock, asked President Eisenhower to send federal troops to enforce the integration and to protect the Little Rock Nine. On September 24, the President sent the 101 Airborne Division to federalize the Arkansas National Guard, removing Faubus' authority.

By the end of September, the nine were admitted to the Little Rock Central High with the protection of the 101 Airborne. Despite their protection, they were subject to verbal and physical abuse. Melba Patillo Beals had acid thrown in her eyes and on a separate occasion was trapped in a restroom stall and had burning pieces of paper dropped on her. Minnijean Brown was harassed by a group of male students in December and dropped her lunch onto them. She was suspended for six days. Two months later, after a second altercation, Brown was suspended for the rest of the year. She eventually transferred to New Lincoln High School in New York City.

Governor Orval Faubus, after this turbulent year, petitioned the Supreme Court case and attempted to postpone the desegregation of Little Rock public schools. Faubus eventually signed legislation that allowed him to shut down the public high schools. After the "Lost Year," the public schools opened the integrated students could resume their long and steady march towards equality.

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24 Photographs of Civil Rights Pioneers The Little Rock Nine

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The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. They were Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Pattillo Beals.