Even before famous resident and former President Bill Clinton put Little Rock, Arkansas on the map, the American town hit the headlines for different political reasons.
On the 23rd of September 1957, nine African-American students were denied access to the Central High School by an angry anti-extortionist mob of over one thousand white students from their supporters.
This led to a showdown between President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The marshaled 1200 soldiers to escort the students to school and governor Orval Faubus who tried to physically prevent the students from entering the school with help of the National Guard.
The crisis escalated to such an extent that the school was shutdown from most of 1959 before finally reopening as an integrated school system toward the end of the year. Having been spat out and abused, the nine students all went on to distinguish themselves. They became writer, professors, civil rights activist, publishers and educators.
During their ordeal, the Little Rock Nine were advised by local journalists and activist Daisy Bates. Along with Bates, the students received the Spingarn Medal in 1958 and the nine also received the Congressional Gold Medal on November 9, 1999 in recognition of their brave stand.
In 1996, seven of them appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and even reconciled with some of their two mentors from that time. The most memorable apology was made to Elizabeth Eckford by Hazel Bryan Massery. It was Massery who was caught screaming at Ekcford in a widely published photograph at the height of that confrontation and had regretted it ever since.
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