What Happened At Little Rock?

Saturday Stories

June 30, 2018

One of my close friends when I was a teenager was a Canadian expat. He was a retired university professor with a Ph.D. from an Ivy League school in the United States, yet he treated me as an equal, like how good friends treat each other, and I admire and respect him for that.

Looking back, I see that now as a sign of decency and emotional maturity. On the other hand, insecure people would treat you in a patronizing or condescending manner, as if you are stupid. Frankly, I find that irritating, and, well, stupid.

We talked about a lot of things, mostly sociology, his field. It was because of those conversations that I became interested about what makes an individual and groups of people act like they do. Our culture helps shape our character as much as our genes and childhood.

This naturally led to our many discussions of race. I myself have not personally experienced outright discrimination, yet I know that countless people since the dawn of mankind have been persecuted because of the color of their skin.

And this leads me to my own favorite subject: history. On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court made a landmark decision that desegregated all schools. In other words, non-white students can now enroll in any private or public school in America.

But this was defied by a man named Orval Faubus, who was then the Governor of Arkansas. He ordered armed troops to Central High School in the town of Little Rock on September 4 to prevent nine African-American students from coming.

The crisis was averted by the swift and decisive actions by then President Dwight Eisonhower. On September 24, the President took command of the state troopers and sent the military to restore order after his cease-and-desist warning to Faubus was ignored. This led to a great national debate about state and federal authority but I won't go into that here. Suffice it to say that it would be dangerous to grant autonomy to cities if there is no moral leadership from the head of state.

The nine students, a.k.a. The Little Rock Nine – Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls – have faced even harsher treatment from the students. They have been cursed, insulted, called names and even physically attacked – because they were not white.

But this story has a happy ending. All nine graduated and led great lives. President Bill Clinton has honored their bravery and moral courage and their role in changing the course of history, by awarding them the Congressional Medal of Honor on November 9, 1999. They have reunited at the Inaugural of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, when America finally elected it's first non-white President.

I saw hope for humanity in the most unforgettable episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," aired in 1996, which I saw on YouTube. The Little Rock Nine, after forty years, came face to face with their tormentors – and they have forgiven them.

I put down on paper what I think about racism in one of my poetry collaborations with international author Elizabeth Castillo. She called it "Beauty In Diversity," and it was published less than two weeks ago, on June 15, 2018, in the anthology Complexion Based Discriminations: Global Insights, featuring writers from all over the world, and now available on Amazon.   

The anthology is the project of Dr. Deen Dayal, a novelist, playwright, co-author of grammar book for secondary schools in India, editor of the English India-based newspaper Education Jagat, and chairman of the Literati Cosmos Society, and author of the plays "Hamari Bhi Suniye" and "Tezab ki Tarpan."

"The book is a harsh whip against the orthodox dogmas that make the lives of dark or black-skinned people hell and is a healing balm to restore their stamina in the fight against people who deprive them of their rights," he writes. "It is an effort to strike at the root of superstitions and prejudice. Worth is to be based on one’s quality, talent, and hard work, not on skin colour."

Photo courtesy of GettyImages