In 1957, a group of nine African American students were admitted to the Little Creek Central High School. The events that followed their enrollment in the racially segregated school were termed as the Little Rock Crisis. The nine students were denied entry into the school by the then Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus. The students were able to access the school only after the intervention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. These events followed the delivery of the landmark ruling of the United States’ Supreme Court that ordered the desegregation of all schools in the country. This landmark ruling led to the enrollment of African American students in previously all white schools. It marked the beginning of integration of African American students in schools.
The enrollment of the nine African American students marked the beginning of the segregation process and a fight for civil rights. The segregation process had an immense impact on America’s educational system. It meant that for the first time, African American and white students would study in the same school. Chief Justice’s Earl Warren ruling on the famous Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka put to an end close to sixty years of forced segregation in most of American schools (Beals, 1994). This ruling ended the ‘separate but equal’ policy on schools. Justice Warren declared that separating students merely on the basis of their race would result in a feeling of inferiority that can never be eliminated.
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Various reform initiatives were put in place in order to implement the segregation process. In Little Rock high school, the school superintendent, Mr. Virgil Blossom came up with the Blossom plan. This plan involved substantial integration beginning quickly and being implemented to other grades in a couple of years (Freyer, 2007). However, this proposal was abandoned and replaced with another that observed the minimum standards set by Justice Richard McCulloch. The plan involved three major phases: one, the integration of Little Rock High School in 1957 followed by opening up of a number of junior schools to African American children and finally controlled desegregation of the grade schools (Freyer, 2007).
After the events of 1957, the Little Rock Nine Foundation was created to offer equal educational opportunities for all children. This initiative advocated for the ideas of justice and equal opportunities for all. The Little Rock Foundation provides scholarships to students to aid them in attaining their educational goals.
Desegregation in Little Rock was not as easy as first anticipated. Governor Faubus of Arkansas posed a major threat to the implementation of Justice’s Warren ruling. The governor defied the federal authority and deployed the National Guard to the Little Rock high school (Freyer, 2004). The deployment resulted in a three week long confrontation between the governor, the president, the NAACP, the school board and the local black community. The governor’s actions were both politically and racially motivated.
The Little Rock Nine played an important role in the disaggregation process. However, the students faced a lot of challenges including harassment by a group of segregationist-supported youths and their fellow students. The abuse that was meted against them was both physical and emotional. Although the students faced a lot of challenges, they faced the situation with grace, dignity and courage. According to Fitzgerald, (2007), the students initiated the way for equality in all American schools. Today, students of all races attend school together without being discriminated.
References
Beals M. Pattillo. (1994). Warriors Don’t Cry. Washington Square Press .
Fitzgerald Stephanie. (2007). The Little Rock Nine: Struggle for Integration. Books.Google.com
Freyer Tony. (2004). Enforcing Brown in the Little Rock Crisis . The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process, 6:1, 68-78.
Freyer Tony. (2007). Politics and Law in the Little Rock Crisis. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly.
