Political Quotes

“Mr. President, in honor of the National Park Service's 100th birthday year, I want to recognize one of Arkansas' most recognized and historic sites: Little Rock Central High School. As one of the most well-known high schools in the United States, Little Rock Central's story is an important one in the history of our Nation. Central High School played a pivotal role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States. On September 23, 1957, following the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, nine African-American students attempted to attend class at Little Rock Central High School. Now known as the Little Rock Nine, these students were met with heavy public disapproval by an angry mob. President Eisenhower ultimately ordered Federal troops into Little Rock to escort the students into the school for their first day of class on September 25, 1957. These courageous nine students changed the course of history. They showed us that we should always pursue what is just, no matter how hard the journey is. Former President and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton signed legislation in 1998 designating the school a national historic site. To this day, Little Rock Central High School is the only functioning secondary school in the United States to have this distinction. Preserving Little Rock Central High School and presenting its history so that others might learn from it is an important mission, one that we should never abandon.…”