the harsh reality of racism at its worst. The next day the students met with Daisy Bates, the head of the regional NAACP, and decided to all walk in together. The problem was, Ms. Bates had tried to call all of the students but one girl, Elizabeth Eckford, didn't own a phone. She never heard of the plan and attempted to walk into the school herself. A mob of people surrounded her and threatened to hang her all the while the Arkansas National Guard did nothing. She escaped without injury but Beals and the others realized how serious of a matter this had come to. The school began to get national attention and the students were labeled as the "Little Rock Nine". They were nine brave, young African-American students from honest, hardworking, God-fearing families who were taking a stand for the oppression that their people had faced for the past couple of centuries in America. Beals was an aspiring young woman who dreamt of receiving a formal education and one day becoming a prominent member of both the black and white communities. Their story came at a time during the height of the civil rights movements that were sweeping across the states. White people were beginning to realize that coexistence with other racial groups was possible and even beneficial to society at-large. Unfortunately, the people of Little Rock, Arkansas, had not been introduced to this way of life. Some out of fear, others out of ignorance, and still others out of hatred couldn't stand the idea of blacks and whites living together peacefully. Even others didn't think the South was quite ready for the change. Even Governor Faubus himself said that the state would integrate when the time was right.The African-Americans had been experiencing segregation all of their lives. The blacks were forced to use separate restrooms, drinking fountains, restaurants, sidewalks, and other public places. Beals recalls one of her experiences with segregation in the city whe...
