DAISY LEE BATES: Civil Rights Activist

In her capacity as state conference president of the NAACP, Daisy Bates participated in litigation to pressure the Little Rock School Board to proceeds with an integration program. The resultant "Blossom Plan" called for integration in the high school. Daisy Bates took on the responsibility of providing protective custody for the students chosen to integrate Central High School. The nine students, aged 14 to 16, who are able to attend Central High School were: Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls, dubbed "The Little Rock Nine." The students and their parents had faith in Daisy Bates' ability to withstand the resistance of whites in the city and the onslaughts of violence. A rock was thrown into the picture window of the Bates' home in August of 1957. The note attached to the rock had the message, "Stone this time. Dynamite next." Two days after this incident, an eight-foot cross was burned on the Bates' lawn. The message this time was, "Go back to Africa. KKK." This incident made Bates more determined than ever to carry on with the plans to integrate. According to Harry Ashmore, executive editor of the Little Rock Gazette,

"As resistance to desegregation grew among whites, Daisy Bates--editor-in-chief of the black newspaper, the Arkansas State Press, and president of the Arkansas NAACP--was in the forefront of black community efforts to force integration when the schools opened in the fall of 1957, her home became the rallying point for the black students involved."

On September 23, 1957, the Little Rock Nine met at Daisy Bates' house, and were driven to Central High School. Governor Orval Faubus blocked the students from entering by posting National Guard troops at the entrance. After this incident, Bates sent a telegram to President Eisenhower, requesting support. Eisenhower responded by sending Federal troops to Little Rock to escort the black students. On September 25th, the Little Rock Nine met at Bates' home and were escorted to Central High by the troops. When the students arrived at the school, they were verbally accosted by white mobs, and surrounded by hundreds of photographers and reporters. The students, backed with the encouragement and support of their Daisy Bates and their parents, walked proudly into the building and withstood the abuse they received from white students and teachers throughout the school day. This became the routine. The students

Go To Page: 1 2 3 4