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Feature: Little Rock NineBack

Little Rock Nine Celebrates Its Victory 50 Years Later

Following the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that school segregation is illegal, school systems in Arkansas took steps to comply. In Little Rock, in 1957, nine black teenagers volunteered to enroll at all-white Central High School, home to 2,000 students and renowned for its academics. Despite a progressive racial climate in Little Rock, the teenagers were met at Central by a hostile mob and by state National Guard troops ordered by the governor to bar their entry, an act that triggered a constitutional crisis. The dignity of the “Little Rock Nine” as they stood up for their rights woke the world to the civil rights movement in the United States.
  • Minnijean Brown Trickey

    Minnijean Brown Trickey

    Minnijean Brown Trickey became a focus of racist bullies at Central, who succeeded in getting her to react to their mistreatment. That got her into trouble with school administrators. 

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  • Jefferson Thomas

    Jefferson Thomas

    Jefferson Thomas was an athlete who excelled at running. But at Central, he and the others were barred from extracurricular activities. Once he enrolled in 1957, he never ran track again. Audio

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  • Terrence Roberts

    Terrence Roberts

    Terrence Roberts is now a psychologist. Although he has distanced himself from the integration crisis of 1957, he works with police to help them understand and overcome racial bias.

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  • Ernest Green

    Ernest Green

    Ernest Green is the member of the Little Rock Nine who enrolled as a senior at Central High School in 1957. It meant he would be the first black to graduate from Central. Audio

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  • Gloria Ray Karlmark

    Gloria Ray Karlmark

    Gloria Ray Karlmark keeps in touch with other members of the Little Rock Nine despite living in the Netherlands. She sees resolution of the Little Rock crisis as affirming a strong U.S. Constitution. Audio

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  • Carlotta Walls LaNier

    Carlotta Walls LaNier

    Carlotta Walls LaNier, did not talk about her experience as one of the Little Rock Nine for 30 years. When she finally did speak out, she found dealing with some of the memories difficult. Audio

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  • Melba Pattillo Beals

    Melba Pattillo Beals

    Melba Pattillo Beals kept diaries while at Central and published a newspaper article as a teen about her experiences. Fascinated by reporters covering the crisis, she later became a journalist. Audio

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  • Thelma Mothershed Wair

    Thelma Mothershed Wair

    Thelma Mothershed Wair did not suffer physical harm at Central, but remembers poor treatment from teachers. She later became a teacher and was careful to be fair. Audio

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  • Elizabeth Eckford

    Elizabeth Eckford

    Elizabeth Eckford, captured by news cameras walking alone to her first day of school flanked by a jeering mob, became a catalyst for worldwide sympathy for a growing civil rights movement. Audio

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