Today is an important day in the history of education in the United States. Federal courts had ordered the schools of Little Rock to admit nine black students. Crowds of white supremacists gathered to block their entry. On this day, Governor Orval Faunus called up the National Guard to prevent the black students from entering Little Rock’s Central High School.
From Garrison Keillor’s “The Writers’ Almanac”:
It was on this day in 1957 that Arkansas governor Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to bar nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. In response, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in the 101st Airborne Division to make sure they could enroll. A few days later, Eisenhower made a prime-time, live televised speech to the nation in which he said, “Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts.
President Eisenhower proceeded to nationalize the Arkansas National Guard and directed them to protect the nine black students.
From Wikipedia:
By 1957, the NAACP had registered nine black students to attend the previously all-white Little Rock Central High, selected on the criteria of excellent grades and attendance.[2] Called the “Little Rock Nine”, they were Ernest Green (b. 1941), Elizabeth Eckford (b. 1941), Jefferson Thomas (1942–2010), Terrence Roberts (b. 1941), Carlotta Walls LaNier (b. 1942), Minnijean Brown (b. 1941), Gloria Ray Karlmark (b. 1942), Thelma Mothershed (b. 1940), and Melba Pattillo Beals (b. 1941). Ernest Green was the first African American to graduate from Central High School.
When integration began in September 4, 1957, the Arkansas National Guard was called in to “preserve the peace”. Originally at orders of the governor, they were meant to prevent the black students from entering due to claims that there was “imminent danger of tumult, riot and breach of peace” at the integration. However, President Eisenhower issued Executive order 10730, which federalized the Arkansas National Guard and ordered them to support the integration on September 23 of that year, after which they protected the African American students.
The students endured mobs of hateful whites, screaming at them and shouting curses and insults.
White racists soon realized they had lost in the courts, but got their wishes by abandoning public schools and moving to the suburbs.
In time, the Little Rock School District became majority black. Now it is under state control, a fate that is often imposed on majority nonwhite districts, crippling local control and removing a path to political power for those who are not white.
Little Rock will forever be a symbol of white racism and of the courage and political will required to combat racism.
I’ll be damned. Decided to add this after reading post (not sure if great minds or demented minds):
Bob, This was the first thing that popped into my head!
Mingus had an irreplaceable sound, and his band was a thing of beauty. As college freshmen, a bunch of us in stage band would sit around in a dorm room and try to play ‘free jazz’. Mingus, not Coleman, was our inspiration.
And…. At that time, my school was 100% ‘white’ and 99% male.
Fortunately, I paid my tuition working several summers on a steel mill general labor team, 96% Black (besides me, only the foreman was white, and he was dumb as a rock). I was also lucky enough to enjoy not only jazz but R&B, and live music was readily available in many dives. Got to see Dizzy play (trio) in a small bar near 55th and Euclid. No cover charge, only drank a beer or two. WOW!
Wow! You saw Dizzy!!!! Sooooo jealous!!!! If I could have seen Monk, Mingus, Trane, Miles, John Lewis. . . . I did get to see Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins and Ron Carter and João Gilberto and Pat Metheny and Jim Hall. So, not so bad, huh?
What’s your instrument?
Piano and trombone were my instruments (piano in a high school group and trombone in the stage band). Piano only now (lips shot), although ‘piano’ means keyboard (cheaper, always in tune and easier to move around).
I did see John Lewis (concert situation in large hall), but never Monk, Trane or Davis. Also saw Stan Kenton with Carl Fontana and Maynard Ferguson (outdoor concert) and the Count with Johnny Hodges. Oh, and Gerry Mulligan with Bobby Brookmeyer and Woody Herman (another outdoor concert). It was the very end of the ‘big band era’ and very early in ‘modern’ jazz (time period from 1957-1965). I wish I had seen Chet Baker, but he wasn’t touring at that time and, well, had his own problems.
Brubeck (quartet) played a concert at my college. I was already a fan. Our little High School quintet had performed ‘take five’ for a school assembly program (to make the band ‘professor’ look good). I played piano in that one, but my buddy in the trombone section was in the quintet and became a professional musician. Our drummer (Brian Miller) was top shelf (had to be for that one, and he played tympani in the school ensemble). We had a tenor sax (very good) that went to Cornell and a bassist for whom I had to write out the notes (he was really a trumpet player).
Pat Metheny and Jim Hall are certainly the absolutely best (We can only imagine Django with an electric guitar).
But, I opted for science over music. However, in retirement, I find the keyboard to be my friend.
Django with an electric guitar!!! Now there’s a concept!!!
Guitar here
I did astronomy, physics and education. But once you have music in your soul, it never leaves.
Indeed!
Oh, and Etta James and Muddy Waters. Both in Chicago. Oh lord, so good.
Trying to put together the Red for Ed band. LOL. I played for a while with a big band. That was a trip. All the old standards.
I had a high school teacher who knew Brubeck from his days in California. He took us to see the quartet featuring Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan. Fantastic. After the show he introduced us.
Jazz is music I always wanted to play. The rythmic complexity completely put it out of my ability level, and my interest in folk culture soon sent me to the old time fiddle and banjo, music that fit my time schedule and ability level.
According to census figures, Little Rock is: 45.7% White and 41.7% Black . 😊
The Little Rock schools are majority black and Hispanic.
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-09-25/new-battle-over-school-segregation-roils-little-rock
Nearly 80% of the 25,000 students enrolled in Little Rock public schools are students of color – black students account for 62% percent and Hispanic students account for 15% – compared to 19% of students who are white. But white students account for more than 50% of enrollment in the city’s highest-performing schools, which are almost entirely located north of I-630.
Chicago is similar. I bet most older cities are the same. ☹️
I’d like to see more integrated schools. 😁
But I don’t think that’s happening soon, at least not in Chicago. 😐
I wish the best for Little Rock and it’s schools. 🙂
Please forgive misspellings; typed with thumbs…
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At least the Faubuses of the world were straight-up honest about what disgusting pigs they were. Trump, who just ordered that diversity and racism training be eliminated across the federal government, ran segment after segment during the Trump Fascist Lovefest, formerly known as the Republican National Convention, positioning himself as a friend to black people, and he did this at the same time that he was promising the racists of the country that he would keep black and brown folks out of suburban neighborhoods. I often think, listening to Trump, that it’s 1957 all over again.
https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2019/08/11/voting-in-trumplandia/
Chicago Public Schools has Urban Prep Charter Schools, which officially advertise as boy schools on the Urban Prep website. In various media, Urban Prep advertises as Black boys schools. Ironically, Urban Prep’s website links to CPS’ Non-Discrimination Policies and has its own similar policies. 😐
As a Black Man, I question the use of the word “boy”, given its deragatory, historical usage. Why not say “males”, “adolescents” or something else? 😐
Although they’re charter schools, I’m surprised CPS approved Urban Prep, considering CPS abolished single gender schools in the 1970s. I always understood the word “public” as open to all. 😐
I graduated from Austin High School, which has been predominately Black, since about 1972. Two White Males, residents of the Austin community , graduated with me. Unlike Urban Prep, Austin never marketed itself exclusively as male only or Black only. 😮