Political Quotes

“I rise to mark an important occasion in my home State of Arkansas and our country. In September of 1957, nine young African-American teens who were determined to receive the same education that had only been available to their White peers became the focus of an event that had repercussions throughout the Nation. When the Supreme Court ruled that the racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, it paved the way for integration of public schools across the country. Although the highest Court in the land had spoken, the process of desegregating the public schools was complex and still faced incredible opposition. Civil rights groups worked with citizens to help them enroll students of color in traditionally all-White schools. The Little Rock Nine were beneficiaries of such assistance from Daisy Bates and the Arkansas NAACP, among others. On the first day of class in the fall of 1957, Little Rock Central High School became ground zero in the movement for public school integration. Governor Orval Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard amid threats from pro-segregationists to hold protests at Central High and prevent any African-American students from entering the school.…”