A Little Bit of American History in Little Rock, Arkansas

Arriving in Little Rock, Arkansas I was ready to see some of this town's history.  A quick google search on my cell and I had the address of the Governor's Mansion, the former home of the Clinton's and the current home of Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.  Arriving in the historic neighborhood bright and early I tried to blend in like one of the neighbors walking their dog but I couldn't hold back from pulling out my camera at the front gates of the mansion and having Taco pose in front of the statue of Bill Clinton.

With a few hours until I was able to check into my hotel I remembered the Little Rock Nine.  A group of African-American students who attempted to enroll at Little Rock Central High School during desegregation. 

On their first day of school, troops from the Arkansas National Guard would not let them enter the school and they were then followed by mobs making threats to lynch. The sight of a line of soldiers blocking nine black students from attending high school made national headlines and was pivotal in the fight for civil rights. 

It wasn't until President Eisenhower ordered the United States Army to Little Rock to escort the nine students into Little Rock Central  High School. Over the next year the students endured terrible verbal and physical abuse by other students and even adults.  Racial slurs and being spat on were daily occurrences and one of the Little Rock Nine had acid thrown in her eyes.

A Sunday morning, I could hear the singing from the Baptist Church across the street from the School.  As I approached the school building I couldn't believe I was walking up the stairs where the Little Rock Nine had been blocked from entering and where the United States Military had to intervene to allow these American citizens the right to attend a public high school. 

In the front courtyard there were 10 benches, one for each of the Little Rock Nine and one symbolizing the unity of the entire student body.  As I sat on one of these benches I meditated on how thankful I am to those brave children who risked there lives in the name of equal rights and for living in a time where a light has been shown on the ignorance of racism.