Daisy Bates (activist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daisy Bates
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| Born |
Daisy Lee Gatson
November 11, 1914 Huttig, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Died | November 4, 1999 (aged 84) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Known for | Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957 |
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L. C. Bates
(m. 1942) |
Daisy Bates (born November 11, 1914 – died November 4, 1999) was an American civil rights leader. She worked as a publisher, journalist, and speaker. Daisy Bates played a very important part in the Little Rock Integration Crisis in 1957. This event helped to end segregation in schools.
Contents
Early Life and Growing Up
Daisy Bates was born Daisy Lee Gatson on November 11, 1914. Her parents were Hezekiah Gatson and Millie Riley. She grew up in a small town called Huttig in southern Arkansas. Her father worked at a lumber mill.
When Daisy was a baby, her mother Millie Riley was killed. Daisy was then raised by her mother's close friends, Orlee and Susie Smith. Her father left and she never saw him again. Daisy learned that no one was ever punished for her mother's death. This made her very angry about unfairness.
Her adoptive father, Orlee Smith, told her not to hate people just because of their race. He advised her to use her anger to fight against the unfair treatment of Black people in the South. He said, "Hate the insults thrown at us. Then try to do something about it." Daisy never forgot his words. She believed this memory gave her strength to lead the fight for civil rights.
Daisy went to segregated schools in Huttig. She saw firsthand how Black students had worse conditions than white students. When she was 17, she started dating Lucius Christopher Bates. He was an insurance salesman and worked on newspapers. They married on March 4, 1942.
In 1952, Daisy Bates was chosen to be the president of the Arkansas branches of the NAACP.
The Arkansas State Press Newspaper
After moving to Little Rock, Daisy and L.C. Bates started their own newspaper. It was called the Arkansas State Press. The first issue came out on May 9, 1941.
The Arkansas State Press was a weekly newspaper. It focused on fighting for civil rights. It shared stories about the achievements of Black Arkansans. The paper became a strong voice for civil rights. This was even before the national movement became well-known. Daisy Bates was the co-publisher of the paper.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were illegal. But schools in Arkansas still refused to let African American students enroll. Daisy and her husband used their newspaper to fight this. The Arkansas State Press strongly supported the NAACP's efforts to integrate public schools. The newspaper wanted schools to change right away, not slowly.
The Arkansas State Press reported that the NAACP was leading these protest events. It also tried to get more people involved in the fight for equal education in Little Rock.
The newspaper continued to cover all social news in the state. It strongly supported racial integration in schools. In 1957, because of its strong stance during the Little Rock Segregation Crisis, white businesses stopped advertising in the paper. This cut off most of its money. The newspaper had to close. The last issue was published on October 29, 1959.
Working with the NAACP
Daisy Bates joined the local branch of the NAACP right after moving to Little Rock. She said that all her "dreams were tied with this organization." Her father had been a member many years before. She learned about their goals and decided to dedicate herself to the cause.
When asked what she wanted to change, Bates said "the whole darned system." After the Brown v. Board of Education decision, she focused mostly on education.
Bates became president of the Arkansas NAACP branches in 1952. She was 38 years old. She stayed active and was on the National Board of the NAACP until 1970. Because of her important role, Daisy Bates' life was often in danger.
In her autobiography, Bates wrote about the threats she faced: "Two flaming crosses were burned on our property. The first was a six-foot structure soaked in gasoline. It was stuck into our front lawn. At the bottom it said: 'GO BACK TO AFRICA! KKK.' The second cross was placed against the front of our house. It was lit, and the flames started to catch. Luckily, a neighbor saw the fire. We put it out before serious damage was done."
The Little Rock Integration Crisis
Daisy Bates and her husband were important leaders in the Black community in Little Rock. Their newspaper, the Arkansas State Press, shared news about violations of the Supreme Court's desegregation rules.
The plan to desegregate Little Rock schools was supposed to happen in phases. But after two years, there was no progress. So, a lawsuit was filed in 1956. The court ordered the school board to integrate schools by September 1957. Daisy Bates became deeply involved in this fight.
Daisy was chosen to guide and advise nine Black students. These students became known as the Little Rock Nine. They tried to enroll in 1957 at Little Rock Central High School. This school had only been for white students before. The students' attempt to enroll caused a big conflict. Governor Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to stop them from entering. The guard only let white students pass.
Eight of the nine students were told to go home. But one student, Elizabeth Eckford, did not get the message from Daisy Bates. She arrived alone at the school. A large white crowd met her outside. The crowd threatened the Black students. They also bothered reporters who came to cover the story.
Bates used her organizing skills to help the nine students get into Central High. She planned for ministers to walk with the children into the school. She thought this would protect them and show a strong message against segregation. Bates kept talking to the parents of the Little Rock Nine. She made sure they knew what was happening. She was determined to succeed.
Bates was a key figure in this important moment of the Civil Rights Movement. The chaos at Central High School caused the superintendent to close the school on that first day. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower then stepped in. He sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. These troops made sure the court orders were followed. They kept order, and desegregation continued. However, in the 1958–59 school year, public schools in Little Rock were closed again. This was another attempt to stop desegregation. This time is known as "The Lost Year" in Arkansas.
Daisy Bates' house became a safe place for the Little Rock Nine. It was where they planned how desegregation would happen. It was also their official drop-off and pick-up spot every day. Because of this, her house was often attacked by people who supported segregation.
The strength of Mrs. Bates and the Little Rock Nine sent a clear message. It showed that desegregation could work. It also showed that racial segregation under "Jim Crow" laws would no longer be allowed in the United States.
In 1998, Daisy Bates said she felt bad about not telling Elizabeth Eckford about the delay. Elizabeth's family did not have a phone. Her father did not get home until late. So Elizabeth did not know she needed her parents or to meet the other students. She faced the angry crowd alone. A kind reporter, Grace Lorch, helped her get to the bus station.
The Little Rock City Council tried to arrest Bates and other NAACP leaders. She and the local branch president turned themselves in. They were accused of not giving information about NAACP members to the public. Bates was fined, but NAACP lawyers appealed. They eventually won the case in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bates said her most important contribution during the Little Rock crisis was that "the kids went in Central; they got in... And they remained there for the full year." She said this opened many doors for Black people. It was the first time this kind of change had succeeded without the children being seriously hurt.
Martin Luther King Jr. sent Daisy Bates a telegram in September 1957. He encouraged her to "stick strictly to a way of non-violence." He told her, "The world is on your side." King was a guest at the Bateses' home in May 1958. He later asked Daisy Bates to speak at his church. She was also elected to the executive committee of King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
The Bateses' involvement in the Little Rock Crisis led to their newspaper losing money. It was forced to close in 1959. In 1960, Daisy Bates moved to New York City. She wrote her memoir, The Long Shadow of Little Rock. This book won a National Book Award in 1988.
Later Life and Legacy
Bates later moved to Washington, D.C.. She worked for the Democratic National Committee. She also worked on anti-poverty programs for U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In 1965, she had a stroke and returned to Little Rock.
In 1968, she moved to a rural Black community called Mitchellville. She worked to improve the lives of her neighbors. She started a self-help program. This program brought new sewer systems, paved streets, a water system, and a community center.
Daisy Bates brought back the Arkansas State Press in 1984. This was after her husband, L. C. Bates, died in 1980. In the same year, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Arkansas.
In 1986, her book The Long Shadow of Little Rock was republished. It was the first reprinted book to win an American Book Award. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote the introduction for her book. The next year, Daisy Bates sold the newspaper. But she continued to work as a consultant.
Little Rock honored Daisy Bates in many ways. They opened the Daisy Bates Elementary School. They also made the third Monday in February an official state holiday. It is called George Washington's Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day.
Daisy Bates died on November 4, 1999, in Little Rock. She was 84 years old.
A documentary film about Bates, Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock, was shown on PBS in 2012.
In May 2024, a statue of Daisy Bates was placed inside the U.S. Capitol. It is one of two statues representing Arkansas there.
Honors and Awards
- Named Woman of the Year in 1957 by the National Council of Negro Women
- Received the 1958 Spingarn Medal along with the Little Rock Nine
- 1988 American Book Award
- Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, University of Arkansas, 1984
- Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, 1984
- Honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority
- Arkansas established the third Monday in February as "George Washington's Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day", an official state holiday.
- Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive in Little Rock was renamed for her.
- In her hometown of Huttig, there is a Daisy L. Gatson Bates St.
- The Daisy Bates Elementary School in Little Rock is named in her honor.
- Received the Congressional Gold Medal after her death in November 1999, along with other members of The Little Rock Nine.
- A statue of Bates was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on May 8, 2024.
