The Little Rock Nine

Carlotta Walls LaNier woke up on September 4, 1957, with the typical first-day-of-school jitters. Questions raced through the 14-year-old’s mind as she put on her brand-new dress and prepared to walk over to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Would she make new friends? Would she get lost looking for her classes? Would she have a lot of homework?

But when LaNier, who was then just Carlotta Walls, approached the school that day, she came face-to-face with something far more upsetting than anything she’d ever imagined: a vicious mob.

LaNier was part of a small group of Black students who’d been selected, based on their academic records, to integrate Central High. But a crowd of more than 1,000 angry segregationists—including many White students and their parents—had gathered outside the school that morning to try and stop them. They chanted, “Two, four, six, eight, we ain’t gonna integrate!” They spat on the Black students, hurled racist epithets at them, and threatened to lynch them.

Carlotta Walls LaNier woke up on September 4, 1957, with the typical first-day-of-school jitters. She got up and prepared to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Questions raced through the 14-year-old’s mind as she put on her brand-new dress. Would she make new friends? Would she get lost looking for her classes? Would she have a lot of homework?

Back then, LaNier was just Carlotta Walls. And her first day of school was far more upsetting than anything she’d ever imagined. In fact, when she approached the school that day, she came face-to-face with a vicious mob.

LaNier was part of a small group of Black students chosen to integrate Central High. They had been selected based on their academic records. But a crowd of more than 1,000 angry segregationists had gathered outside the school that morning to try and stop them. Many White students and their parents were part of the group. They chanted, “Two, four, six, eight, we ain’t gonna integrate!” They also spat on the Black students, hurled racist insults at them, and threatened to lynch them.

With her heart racing, LaNier tried not to let the crowd get to her as she and some of the other Black students marched together toward the school.

“I just ignored it,” LaNier, now 79, says. “I just figured these were a bunch of ignorant people. And they were.”

Up ahead, at the school entrance, LaNier was relieved to see Arkansas National Guard troops with rifles slung across their chests. She thought the soldiers had come to protect the Black students, but little did she know, the guardsmen had been ordered to prevent them from entering.

Though they didn’t make it into school that day, LaNier and eight other Black students, who became known as the Little Rock Nine, refused to back down. Their efforts to integrate Central High—three years after the Supreme Court had ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated public schools were unconstitutional—played out for weeks in front of a national audience, eventually forcing President Dwight D. Eisenhower to take military action. Sixty-five years later, the showdown in Little Rock is remembered as a civil rights milestone.

“These young people stepped forth,” says Jeanne Theoharis, author of several books on the civil rights movement, “and put a face on the courage and determination it was going to take to enforce Brown.”

LaNier and some of the other Black students marched together toward the school. Her heart was racing, but she tried not to let the crowd get to her.

“I just ignored it,” LaNier, now 79, says. “I just figured these were a bunch of ignorant people. And they were.”

Up ahead, at the school entrance, Arkansas National Guard troops were standing guard. They had rifles slung across their chests. Seeing them brought LaNier some relief. She thought the soldiers had come to protect the Black students, but she was wrong. The guardsmen had been ordered to stop them from entering.

LaNier and the eight other Black students became known as the Little Rock Nine. Though they didn’t make it into the school that day, they refused to back down. Their efforts to integrate Central High came just three years after the Supreme Court had ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. Their fight played out for weeks in front of a national audience. The widespread attention forced President Dwight D. Eisenhower to take military action. Sixty-five years later, the showdown in Little Rock is remembered as a civil rights milestone.

“These young people stepped forth,” says Jeanne Theoharis, author of several books on the civil rights movement, “and put a face on the courage and determination it was going to take to enforce Brown.”

When LaNier was growing up, segregation was deeply entrenched throughout the United States. That was especially the case in the South, where Jim Crow laws and local customs kept Black people separate from White people in public spaces, including in public schools such as Central High. Although the Supreme Court ruled in Brown in 1954 that segregated public schools violated Black people’s 14th Amendment right to “equal protection of the laws,” the ruling was vague regarding how schools should go about desegregating.

Many Southern school districts moved slowly—if at all. In Little Rock, the school system called for a plan of gradual integration, beginning with a small number of Black students entering Central High in the fall of 1957.

LaNier had long wondered what it would be like to go to Central High. Her school, Paul Laurence Dunbar, was considered one of the best for Black students in Arkansas, and its teachers were well-regarded. But, like the other all-Black schools in town, it received far less funding than the White schools.

She passed by Central High and its state-of-the-art facilities every day on her walk to school. In the spring of 1957, when one of LaNier’s teachers passed around a sign-up sheet for students to apply to go to Central High, she eagerly wrote down her name.

But when school started up in the fall, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the Black students from entering the building. News accounts of the ordeal sent shockwaves across the nation—and around the world—beaming a spotlight on the discrimination against Black Americans.

When LaNier was growing up, segregation was deeply ingrained throughout the United States. It was especially prevalent in the South. Jim Crow laws and local customs in Southern states kept Black people separate from White people in public spaces, including in public schools such as Central High. The Supreme Court ruled in Brown in 1954 that segregated public schools violated Black people’s 14th Amendment right to “equal protection of the laws.” But the Court’s ruling was vague about how schools should go about desegregating.

Many Southern school districts moved slowly—if at all. In Little Rock, the school system called for a plan of gradual integration. It began with a small number of Black students entering Central High in the fall of 1957.

LaNier had long wondered what it would be like to go to Central High. She attended Paul Laurence Dunbar. It was considered one of the best schools for Black students in Arkansas, and its teachers were well-regarded. But, like the other all-Black schools in town, it received far less funding than the White schools.

She passed by Central High and its state-of-the-art campus every day on her walk to school. In the spring of 1957, one of LaNier’s teachers passed around a sign-up sheet for students to apply to go to Central High. She eagerly put her name on the list.

But when school started up in the fall, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to keep the Black students from entering the building. News reports of the ordeal sent shockwaves across the nation and around the world. The coverage beamed a spotlight on the discrimination against Black Americans. 

The Little Rock Nine stayed home for more than two weeks, while Thurgood Marshall—head of the Legal Defense and Education Fund at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)—fought for them in court. Finally, on September 20, a federal judge ordered Faubus to recall the troops.

Three days later, city police escorted the Little Rock Nine into Central High through a side door. But a White mob began rioting outside, and the police evacuated the Black students after a few hours, fearing for their safety.

Facing pressure, President Eisenhower finally stepped in. On September 24, he sent more than 1,000 troops from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock and placed all 10,000 Arkansas National Guardsmen under federal control. It was the first time since Reconstruction that a president ordered armed federal troops to the South to protect Black people’s civil rights.

In a nationally televised speech, Eisenhower declared: “Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of the courts.” The next morning, armed soldiers and military jeeps cleared out a crowd of 1,500 White people. Troops with bayonets ushered the Little Rock Nine up the steps of Central High and in through the front door. LaNier remembers it as one of the proudest moments of her life.

“That said to me, ‘You over there, you’re wrong. These kids have a right to go to school,’” LaNier says.

The Little Rock Nine stayed home for more than two weeks. During that period, Thurgood Marshall fought for them in court. At the time, he was the head of the Legal Defense and Education Fund at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Finally, on September 20, a federal judge ordered Faubus to recall the troops.

Three days later, city police escorted the Little Rock Nine into Central High through a side door. But a White mob began rioting outside. After a few hours, the police evacuated the Black students, fearing for their safety.

Facing pressure, President Eisenhower finally stepped in. On September 24, he sent more than 1,000 troops from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. He also placed all 10,000 Arkansas National Guardsmen under federal control. It was the first time since Reconstruction that a president ordered armed federal troops to the South to protect Black people’s civil rights.

In a nationally televised speech, Eisenhower declared, “Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of the courts.” The next morning, armed soldiers and military jeeps cleared out a crowd of 1,500 White people. Troops with bayonets ushered the Little Rock Nine up the steps of Central High and in through the front door. LaNier remembers it as one of the proudest moments of her life.

“That said to me, ‘You over there, you’re wrong. These kids have a right to go to school,’” LaNier says.

Getting inside the school didn’t end the ordeal of the Little Rock Nine. Throughout the year, many White students harassed them. Each of the Little Rock Nine was assigned a National Guardsman as an escort through the halls, but the guardsmen couldn’t be with the students at all times. They were shoved and tripped, their lockers were broken into, and they faced relentless name-calling.

Few of the White students who terrorized them were punished, but a Black student who retaliated might get kicked out of school. One of the Little Rock Nine, Minnijean Brown, was suspended for dumping a bowl of chili on a White boy’s head in response to being taunted, and she was later expelled for standing up to a White girl. But the rest of them finished the year, and in May 1958, Ernest Green became Central High’s first Black graduate.

The following year, Governor Faubus closed all of Little Rock’s public high schools down to avoid integration. LaNier went to live with a host family in Cleveland to continue high school. The next year, Central High reopened after a federal court declared the closings unconstitutional, and LaNier decided to return for her senior year. She was one of only two of the remaining Little Rock Nine to do so. The others continued high school elsewhere.

Getting inside the school didn’t end the Little Rock Nine’s fight. Throughout the year, many White students harassed them. Each of the Little Rock Nine was assigned a National Guardsman as an escort through the halls. Still, the guardsmen couldn’t always be with the students. They were shoved and tripped, their lockers were broken into, and they faced constant name-calling.

Few of the White students who attacked them were punished. But if a Black student retaliated, they might get kicked out of school. One of the Little Rock Nine, Minnijean Brown, was suspended for dumping a bowl of chili on a White boy’s head. She did so in response to him taunting her. Brown was later expelled for standing up to a White girl. But the rest of them finished the year. In May 1958, Ernest Green became Central High’s first Black graduate.

The following year, Governor Faubus closed all of Little Rock’s public high schools to avoid integration. LaNier went to live with a host family in Cleveland to continue high school. The next year, Central High reopened after a federal court declared the closings unconstitutional. After the ruling, LaNier decided to return for her senior year. She was one of only two of the remaining Little Rock Nine to do so. The others continued high school elsewhere.

Back at Central High, LaNier faced more harassment. One night, someone bombed her home with dynamite as she slept, leaving her unharmed but deeply shaken. Still, she remained determined to graduate. On May 30, 1960, she walked across the stage at Central’s football stadium and accepted her diploma.

“I needed that to validate all that I had gone through,” she says.

The Little Rock Nine inspired further civil rights demonstrations, eventually leading to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in all public places (see timeline slideshow, below).

Back at Central High, LaNier faced more harassment. One night, someone bombed her home with dynamite as she slept. The attack left her unharmed but deeply shaken. Still, she remained determined to graduate. On May 30, 1960, she walked across the stage at Central’s football stadium and accepted her diploma.

“I needed that to validate all that I had gone through,” she says.

The Little Rock Nine inspired further civil rights demonstrations. These efforts led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in all public places (see timeline slideshow, below).

LaNier went on to graduate from college, and in 1999, she and the rest of the Little Rock Nine received the Congressional Gold Medal. But, she says, there’s still more work to do.

Today, 65 years after the Little Rock Nine integrated Central High, schools around the country remain highly segregated. About three-quarters of Black and Hispanic students nationwide go to schools where most of their peers are students of color, according to a recent study by the University of California, Los Angeles.

Despite these setbacks, LaNier believes young people today still have the power to make a difference.

“I want [young people] to know that they have a voice,” she says. “I tell them, find what they’re passionate about. And then put your efforts into that.”

LaNier went on to graduate from college. In 1999, she and the rest of the Little Rock Nine received the Congressional Gold Medal. But, she says, there’s still more work to do.

It’s been 65 years since the Little Rock Nine integrated Central High. Today, schools around the country remain highly segregated. About three-quarters of Black and Hispanic students nationwide go to schools where most of their peers are students of color, according to a recent study by the University of California, Los Angeles.

Despite these setbacks, LaNier believes young people today still have the power to make a change.

“I want [young people] to know that they have a voice,” she says. “I tell them, find what they’re passionate about. And then put your efforts into that.”