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The little rock nine were a group of young African Americans who were the first to enter an all white school "little rock central high school" in 1957 They walked into the school with national guards as white people and parents of the students who attended the school yelled slurs and harassed them just for attending the school.

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The little rock nine were a group of young African Americans who were the first to enter an all white school "little rock central high school" in 1957 They walked into the school with national guards as white people and parents of the students who attended the school yelled slurs and harassed them just for attending the school.

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The impact the little rock nine had on other african american children in the world who had to go to schools that weren't as great as schools that white kids attended.

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The impact the little rock nine had on other african american children in the world who had to go to schools that weren't as great as schools that white kids attended.

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The goals they achived were going to the littlerock highschool and getting an education even though the white people constantly harassed them throughout the school year.

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The goals they achived were going to the littlerock highschool and getting an education even though the white people constantly harassed them throughout the school year.

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Yes, I believe in the change they're trying to make because during those times I think segregation shouldve existed, everyone is equal and the color of your skin shouldn't determine the type of education you get.

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Yes, I believe in the change they're trying to make because during those times I think segregation shouldve existed, everyone is equal and the color of your skin shouldn't determine the type of education you get.

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 I think they are personally responsible because they just wanted to get a good education despite all the racism

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 I think they are personally responsible because they just wanted to get a good education despite all the racism

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60 Years On, A Look Back at the Little Rock Nine

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Yes, after time their activism was successful because now black,white, or any race can all go to the same schools without being judged.

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Yes, after time their activism was successful because now black,white, or any race can all go to the same schools without being judged.

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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In 1954 the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were illegal. The case, Brown v. The Board of Education, has become iconic for Americans because it marked the formal beginning of the end of segregation.

But the gears of change grind slowly. It wasn't until September 1957 when nine teens would become symbols, much like the landmark decision we know as Brown v. The Board of Education, of all that was in store for our nation in the years to come.

The "Little Rock Nine," as the nine teens came to be known, were to be the first African American students to enter Little Rock's Central High School. Three years earlier, following the Supreme Court ruling, the Little Rock school board pledged to voluntarily desegregate its schools. This idea was explosive for the community and, like much of the South, it was fraught with anger and bitterness.

On September 2, 1957 the night prior to what was to be the teens' first day in Central High classrooms, Arkansas governor Orval Faubus ordered the state's National Guard to block their entrance. Faubus said it was for the safety of the nine students.

On September 4, just 24 hours after a federal judge ordered the Little Rock Nine to begin attending Central High immediately, a belligerent mob, along with the National Guard, again prevented the teens from entering the school.

Sixteen days later a federal judge ordered the National Guard removed. Once again on September 23, the Little Rock Nine attempted to enter the school. Though escorted by Little Rock police into a side door, another angry crowd gathered and tried to rush into Central High. Fearing for the lives of the nine students, school officials sent the teens home. They did, however, manage to attend classes for about three hours.

Finally, 52 years ago today, on September 25, 1957, following a plea from Little Rock's mayor, Woodrow Mann, President Dwight Eisenhower federalized the National Guard and sent U.S. Army troops to the scene. Personally guarded by soldiers from the National Guard soldiers and the Army's 101st Airborne, the Little Rock Nine began regular class attendance at Central High.

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In 1954 the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were illegal. The case, Brown v. The Board of Education, has become iconic for Americans because it marked the formal beginning of the end of segregation.

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" Nine Courageous African Americans
to Attend a Public High School"

John T. Bledsoe [Public domain] As The Little Rock Nine drove toward their school, they already knew they had angry white protesters waiting for them. A few weeks before, the nine African Americans had walked past the angry crowd to the high school's entrance. That same morning the Arkansas National Guardsmen had turned the nine students away and, along with the angry crowd and police, they had pelted the African Americans' cars with stones, assaulted them and threatened their lives. As much as they were scared, the nine African Americans didn't give up. Like many schools in Arkansas, Little Rock Central High School had been segregated. That meant that only white students were allowed to attend. Later on the Supreme Court ruled that segregation, or the legal separation of blacks and whites in public facilities, was illegal. The Little Rock Nine had the law behind them.

However, a crisis erupted when the Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, called the National Guard on September 4 to prevent The Little Rock Nine from attending high school. The following year Faubus closed all the high schools, forcing African American students to take correspondence courses or to go to out-of-state schools. The school board reopened the school in 1959.

The Little Rock Nine included these courageous students: Ernest Green who was the first black student to graduate from Central High School (class of 1958); Carlotta Walls Lanier who graduated from Central in 1959; Minnijean Brown Trickey who was expelled from Central High in February 1958 after several incidents; Jefferson Thomas who graduated from Central in 1960; Elizabeth Eckford who is the only one of the nine still living in Little Rock; and Dr. Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed-Wair and Melba Pattillo Beals. These last four students did not graduate from Central. They went to another high school and on to college to pursue their careers.

US Army [Public domain] These particular nine African Americans are my heroes because of their courage. They stood up for themselves, never gave up, and did not stop until they got what they wanted. Nowadays, high school students will just give up too easily. They would never fight for their rights like The Little Rock Nine. In their struggle to attend school, The Little Rock Nine faced verbal and physical assaults from white students, as well as death threats against themselves, their families and the black community. The nine determined students never gave up and remained focused on their education. The following May, Ernest Green became the first African American student ever to graduate from Central High School. Ernest helped other African Americans graduate and attend school. Now the doors were open for African American students to pursue their education.
The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

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" Nine Courageous African Americans to Attend a Public High School" John T. Bledsoe [Public domain] As The Little Rock Nine drove toward their school, they already knew they had angry white protesters waiting for them. A few weeks before, the nine African Americans had walked past the angry crowd to the high school's entrance.