On this day in 1957, the Little Rock Nine, a courageous group of African American students, enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas following the historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education which declared all laws that established or aided in establishing segregated schools unconstitutional. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP, some of whose earliest formation meetings were held in Free Cooper Unions Great Hall ) following the Supreme Courts decision were attempting to register black students in previously all-white schools in cities throughout the South. The Little Rock Nine faced racist backlash from the Governor of Arkansas as, well as physical and verbal abuse from the community; however they persevered and their admittance following the need for escort by federal troops helped cement the urgent need for racial integration in public schools in peoples minds. The anniversary of the Little Rock Nine necessitates a time for deep reflection from the educational community and those still fighting for access and inclusion to educational institutions. While great progress has been made since Brown v. Board of Education we still grapple as a country with rampant discrimination along race, class, and gender lines, students deemed illegal immigrants face deportation, the prison industrial complex disproportionately targets youths of color, the US public school system has failed to reconcile with indigenous communities seeking to support their most at risk, and the post-secondary education system suffers from run-away cost inflation that hardly justifies colleges propensity towards growth and expansion. Students seeking college degrees face an unhealthy job market and student debt that cant be abolished. These are our paradigms to break, and our challenges to persevere.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 19:45:30 +0000
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