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Congressional Gold Medal Recipients
Little Rock Nine
To Honor and Embrace Those Who Take Risks Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Echford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo Beals, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Carlotta Walls.
THE NINE WHO DARED TO DEFY SEGREGATIONISTS TRADITIONS RECEIVE THIS COUNTRY'S HIGHEST AWARD-IN THE EAST ROOM OF THE WHITE HOUSE, NOVEMBER 9, 1999
President George Washington,
Mother Teresa,
President Nelson Mandella and
Frank Sinatra are four of the less than 320 persons who have received the
Congressional Gold Medal. It is an honor that must be voted by the members of both houses of Congress. The Little Rock Nine, heroes and heroines of the Civil Rights movement of the fifties received this country's highest honor given to a civilian for their triumphant but nonviolent trek through the racist mobs that mounted a life threatening effort to prevent their integrating Little Rock Central High School. It was 1957 and the United States of America was called on to stand up for the promises its forefathers had made in the
US Constitution--that all men are created equal and have equal access. President Eisenhower sent troops to protect these nine teenagers who shouldered the burden of breaking through barriers built by generations of folk who refused to see black people as deserving of equal access to an educational opportunity. These are the nine children who forged the path that helped America fulfill her promise of equality and justice for all.
LITTLE ROCK NINE AND DAISY BATES
(Senate Congressional Record - November 09, 1999) Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, mere words seem inadequate to honor the courage of some people and so I am humbled to lend my voice to the chorus of praise for the Little Rock Nine, who today will receive the Congressional Gold Medal, and I will also speak in remembrance of
Daisy Bates, a daughter of Arkansas and a civil rights activist. Receiving the medal today are: Jean Brown Trickery, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Melba Patillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed Wait, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and Jefferson Thomas. As teenagers, when they bravely walked through the doors of Central High School in Little Rock, they led our Nation one step closer to social justice and equality. While it is still painful to look at pictures from that time, where white teens sneered at their black peers, seeing the harsh face of hatred opened our Nation's eyes and propelled the civil rights movement forward. Before the "Crisis of 1957,'' as some call the events at Central High, Little Rock was not associated with the pervasive segregation of the Deep South. In fact, Little Rock was considered quite a progressive place and some schools in Arkansas had already integrated following the Brown v. Board of Education decision in May of 1954. So, when nine students sought to integrate Central, few Arkansans envisioned a confrontation with the National Guard at the schools entrance. And I doubt many imagined the long-lasting, profound effects of this confrontation on the entire State. While the country witnessed countless images of this face-off, they were not necessarily aware of the continuing abuse endured by the Little Rock Nine, or the fact that Central High School had to be closed because the atmosphere was so hostile. Now, we all know that the high school years aren't easy for any teenager. For these men and women, high school was inordinately difficult. In addition to enduring the verbal taunts and even beatings, some had to uproot to other schools in the middle of the school year. Luckily for Carlotta, Thelma, Ernest, Jefferson, and the others, a woman named Daisy Bates entered their lives as a "guardian angel'' of sorts. According to Daisy's own accounts and those of the Little Rock Nine, the students would gather each night at the Bates' home to receive guidance and strength. It was through the encouragement of Daisy Bates and her husband, L.C., that these young men and women were able to face the vicious and hateful actions of those so passionately opposed to their attendance at Central. Ironically, Daisy Bates passed away last Thursday. She was laid to rest this morning, the very day the Little Rock Nine will receive their medals. I know she is with us in spirit--acting again as a guardian angel to these brave men and women. This great woman leaves a legacy to our children, our State and our Nation: a love of justice, freedom, and the right to be educated. As a result of her efforts, the newspaper Mrs. Bates and L.C. published was forced to close. She and L.C. were threatened with bombs and guns. They were hanged in effigy by segregationists. But Daisy Bates persevered. She did all this, withstood these challenges, because she loved children and she loved her country. She had an internal fire, instilled in her during a childhood spent in Huttig, AR. And this strong character shone through as she willingly took a leadership role to battle the legal and political inequities of segregation in our state and the nation. Many have called that confrontation at Central High an historic moment, a pivotal moment, a defining moment. But it was more than just one moment. When these nine men and women walked into Central High School, they opened more than a door, they opened the flood gates. For them and for the rest of our country, the battle didn't end at the schoolhouse steps. Their struggle lasted for years and, in reality, it still continues. My husband and I are both products of an integrated public school system in Arkansas. We are personally grateful to the Little Rock Nine for making our school experience rich with diversity. I truly value the lifelong lessons that I learned at an early age and I might not have had the wonderful privilege of studying with children of all races were it not for the Little Rock Nine. There is still much work to be done to bring complete civil rights and equality to our Nation. Today, as we pause to remember Daisy Bates and to honor the Little Rock Nine, I hope we will be renewed and refreshed in or efforts. I'm encouraged by the words of Daisy Bates' niece, Sharon Gaston, who said, "Just don't let her work be in vain. There's plenty of work for us to do. ''I hope my colleagues will join me in extending appreciation and commendation to the Little Rock Nine. And in remembering a matriarch of the civil rights movement, Daisy Gaston Bates. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island. Mr. L. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for up to 10 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The distinguished Senator from Rhode Island is recognized for up to 10 minutes. Mr. L. CHAFEE. I thank the Chair. (The remarks of Mr.
L. CHAFEE and Mr.
JEFFORDS pertaining to the introduction of S. 1891 are located in today's
RECORD under "Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'') Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll. Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator
BINGAMAN and I be permitted to proceed for 10 minutes as in morning business for the purposes of introduction of an important bill. Mr. REID. Reserving the right to object, I did not hear the request. What was it? Mr. DOMENICI. Senator
BINGAMAN and I want to introduce a bill that is very historic to New Mexico, and we would like to each speak for about 5 minutes on it. We do not ask for any action. It will be referred to its appropriate committee. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from New Mexico. (The remarks of Mr.
DOMENICI and Mr.
BINGAMAN pertaining to the introduction of S. 1892 are located in today's
RECORD under "Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
United States of America Congressional Gold Medal Recipients
Little Rock 9
Ernest Green In 1958, he became the first black student to graduate from Central High School. He graduated from Michigan State University and served as Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs under President Jimmy Carter. He currently is a managing partner and vice president of Lehman Brothers in Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Eckford The only one of the nine still living in Little Rock, Elizabeth made a career of the U.S. Army that included work as a journalist. In 1974, she returned to the home in which she grew up and is now a part-time social worker and mother of two sons.
Jefferson Thomas He graduated from Central in 1960, following a year in which Little Rock's public high schools were ordered closed by the legislature to prevent desegregation. Today, he is an accountant with the U.S. Department of Defense and lives in Anaheim, Calif.
Dr. Terrence Roberts Following the historic year at Central, his family moved to Los Angeles where he completed high school. He earned a doctorate degree and teaches at the University of California at Los Angeles and Antioch College. He also is a clinical psychologist.
Carlotta Walls Lanier One of only three of the nine who eventually graduated from Central, she and Jefferson Thomas returned for their senior year in 1959. She graduated from Michigan State University and presently lives in Englewood, Colorado, where she is in real estate.
Minnijean Brown Trickey She was expelled from Central High in February, 1958, after several incidents, including her dumping a bowl of chili on one of her antagonists in the school cafeteria. She moved with her husband to Canada during the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s and today is a writer and social worker in Ontario. Winterstar Productions is presently filming a documentary on her life.
Gloria Ray Karlmark She graduated from Illinois Technical College and received a post-graduate degree in Stockholm, Sweden. She was a prolific computer science writer and at one time successfully published magazines in 39 countries. Now retired, she divides her time between homes in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Stockholm, where her husband's family lives.
Thelma Mothershed-Wair She graduated from college, then made a career of teaching. She lives in Belleville, Illinois, where she is a volunteer in a program for abused women.
Melba Pattillo Beals She is an author and former journalist for People magazine and NBC and lives in San Francisco
Daisy Bates and The Little Rock Nine Arkansas-born Daisy Bates worked as a crusading newspaper owner-journalist, becoming president of the Arkansas NAACP. After the 1954 Brown school-desegregation decision, Little Rock school board officials decided to begin desegregation of Central High School in September 1957. The Little Rock Nine, ca 1957-60. Copyprint. NAACP Collection
Read the President's Remarks on the Presentation of the Medals to the Little Rock Nine
Background
In the summer of 1957, the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, made plans to desegregate its public schools. Within a week of the
1954 landmark Supreme Court decision striking down racial segregation in public schools, Arkansas was one of two Southern states to announce it would begin immediately to take steps to comply with the new "
law of the land." Arkansas' law school had been integrated since 1949. By 1957, seven of its eight state universities had desegregated.
Blacks had been appointed to state boards and elected to local offices.
Little Rock felt it could break down the barriers of segregation in its schools with a carefully developed program. It had already desegregated its public buses, as well as its zoo, library and parks system. Its school board had voted unanimously for a plan, starting with desegregation in the high school in 1957, followed by junior high schools the next year and elementary schools following.
But the smooth transition to the school system's integration was not to be.
On September 2, the night before school was to start, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called out the state's National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School and prevent any black students from entering in order to protect citizens and property from possible violence by protesters he claimed were headed in caravans toward Little Rock.
A federal judge granted an injunction against the Governor's use of National Guard troops to prevent integration and they were withdrawn on September 20.
When school resumed on Monday, September 23, Central High was surrounded by Little Rock policemen. About 1,000 people gathered in front of the school. The police escorted the nine black students to a side door where they quietly entered the building as classes were to begin. When the mob learned the blacks were inside, they began to challenge the police and surge toward the school with shouts and threats. Fearful the police would be unable to control the crowd, the school administration moved the black students out a side door before noon.
U.S. Congressman Brooks Hays and Little Rock Mayor Woodrow Mann asked the federal government for help, first in the form of U.S. marshals. Finally, on September 24, Mann sent a telegram to
President Eisenhower requesting troops. They were dispatched that day and the President also federalized the entire Arkansas National Guard, taking it away from the Governor.
On September 25, 1957, the nine black students entered the school under the protection of 1,000 members of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army.
The year that followed was one in which the eyes of the world were focused on America as Little Rock Central High School went through its first year of integration, ending on May 27, 1958, with commencement ceremonies for 601 graduating seniors, including Ernest Green, the school's first black graduate. Inside the school, the great majority of the 2,000 students, the faculty and the administration worked to put the law of the land into effect. For every act of harassment, there were 100 acts of acceptance of the black students among the white. Though not all the white students favored desegregation, they felt it was their duty to obey the law. Besides, their priority was to get a first-class education...and many helped the black students try to achieve the same thing, even though they were faced with pressures that were very difficult for teenagers to comprehend.
Green, Ernest, Congressional Gold Medal, 1999
One of the "Little Rock Nine," a copy of his diploma from Little Rock Central High School You may visit the
Little Rock 9 Foundation You can contact Melba Beals at 415-464-0718
or for more information visit
her website
. For more information about
Dr. Terrence Roberts
Central High School Little Rock, Arkansas
One of America's Most Important Civil Rights Events
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