The Little Rock Nine

The Little Rock Nine — page 3 — Hundreds gather outside Central High School to protest against integration Arkansas along with eight other African-American students Until then the schools in Little Rock were segregated The African-American school in Little Rock was not as good as the school for whites because the African-American school got less money from the city These nine students would be the first African-American students to go to Central High Many people in Little Rock and around the country were upset They did not want African-American and white students to go to the same school As Elizabeth ate breakfast a television news reporter described large crowds gathering around 6

The Little Rock Nine — page 4 — CIVIL RIGHTS VOICES Elizabeth Eckford I turned back to the guards but their faces told me I wouldn’t get help from them Then I looked down the block and saw a bench at the bus stop I thought If I can only get there I will be safe Elizabeth Eckford became a lasting image of the fight for school integration A picture of her walking alone as she tried to enter Central High was printed around the world All of Little Rock’s high schools were closed the next year so Eckford did not graduate from Central High School She joined the US Army and earned a certificate equal to a high school degree She later earned a history degree from Central State University in Wilberforce Ohio 7 Central High Elizabeth’s mother told her to turn it off She warned Elizabeth that people might say bad things to her on her way into school She said Elizabeth should pretend not to hear them Elizabeth rode a city bus to within two blocks of Central High When she got off the bus she noticed that there were many cars and people on the street As she got closer to the school Elizabeth saw Arkansas National Guard soldiers She saw the soldiers allow white students into the

The Little Rock Nine — page 5 — Elizabeth Eckford is directed away from Central High School She was the first of the nine African-American students to arrive school building She thought the guards were there to help her get into the school safely Elizabeth approached the guards as she had seen the white students do But the National Guardsmen stopped her They told her to move to the other side of the street Elizabeth walked farther down the line of guards A crowd formed behind her Her knees shook in fear She tried to pass through the line again The guards 8

The Little Rock Nine — page 6 — Grace Lorch Grace Lorch was one of the few who helped Elizabeth Eckford as she retreated from the angry mob Lorch was a white woman who supported integration She went to Central High that day to support the African-American students Her husband Lee was an official with the Arkansas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP He accompanied some of the African-American students to school The Lorchs actions made their family a target Someone burned crosses on their lawn Their daughter was bullied at school Someone even put dynamite in their garage 9 crossed their guns and blocked her Elizabeth kept walking down the street People from the crowd followed her Some yelled for her to be lynched Many called her names They shouted at her to go home One woman spat in her face Elizabeth walked to the bus stop to go home She did not know what else to do She sat there a long time before the bus came A white woman named Grace Lorch stayed with Elizabeth The crowd screamed insults and death threats Lorch

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