Elizabeth Eckford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Eckford
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Eckford, age 15, pursued by a mob, with Hazel Massery directly behind, at Little Rock Central High School on the first day of the school year, September 4, 1957.
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Elizabeth Ann Eckford
October 4, 1941 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | |
| Movement | Civil rights movement |
| Children | Erin Eckford & Calvin Oliver |
| Parent(s) | Oscar & Birdie Eckford |
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Elizabeth Ann Eckford (born October 4, 1941) is an American hero who fought for equal rights. She is famous for being one of the Little Rock Nine. This was a group of nine brave African American students. In 1957, they were the first black students to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before this, the school was only for white students.
This big change happened because of a 1954 ruling by the United States Supreme Court. This ruling, called Brown v. Board of Education, said that separate schools for black and white students were against the law.
On September 4, 1957, Elizabeth Eckford's difficult experience was captured by news photographers. She was stopped from entering the school by the Arkansas National Guard. A powerful photo by Will Counts showed young Elizabeth being followed and threatened by an angry crowd. This picture and others from that day were seen all over the United States and the world.
Counts's photo was almost given a special award called the 1958 Pulitzer Prize. However, another newspaper had already won two Pulitzer Prizes for stories about the same event. So, the award went to a different photographer. Another photo by Will Counts showed a black reporter being attacked by the angry crowd. This photo was named "News Picture of the Year" in 1957. It even made President Dwight D. Eisenhower send soldiers to Little Rock to help.
Elizabeth Eckford only stayed at Little Rock Central High for one year. She and the other black students faced many difficult times there.
Contents
What Happened on September 4, 1957?
On September 4, 1957, Elizabeth Eckford and eight other African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, tried to enter Little Rock Central High School. The school had been separated by race for a long time. An angry crowd of about 400 people surrounded the school that day. The Arkansas National Guard was also there and did not help the students.
Elizabeth's Brave Walk to School
Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Eckford tried to walk into the school. But soldiers from the National Guard, following orders from Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, blocked her way. She eventually gave up and tried to get to a bus stop. She had to walk through the angry crowd of people who did not want black and white students to go to school together.
When Elizabeth reached the bus stop, she was crying. A reporter named Benjamin Fine sat next to her to comfort her. He told her, "Don't let them see you cry." Soon, a kind white woman named Grace Lorch also helped her. She walked Elizabeth onto a city bus to keep her safe.
Why Elizabeth Was Alone
The original plan was for all nine students to arrive at school together. But the meeting place was changed the night before. Elizabeth's family did not have a telephone, so she didn't know about the change. Daisy Bates, a strong leader for equal rights, had told the students to wait for her. They were supposed to walk together to a side entrance of the school.
Because of this last-minute change, Elizabeth was the first to arrive alone. She walked to the front entrance by herself. Her family was not told about the meeting, and they didn't know the school board wanted parents to come with the students. Elizabeth rode a public bus alone to the school.
That day, Elizabeth wore a neat black-and-white dress and dark sunglasses. She held her school book in her hand. As she walked, she was surrounded by armed guards and a large crowd. She did not see any black faces. The crowd included men, women, and white teenagers who were against integration. The white teenagers chanted, "Two, four, six, eight, we ain't gonna integrate." Elizabeth tried to enter but was stopped. She then walked to a bus bench at the end of the block.
Even though she would later be known as one of the Little Rock Nine, at that moment, Elizabeth Eckford was completely alone. This made her the first African American student to try and integrate a white high school in the South by herself.
President Eisenhower's Action
For the next two weeks, the Little Rock Nine stayed home to study. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was slow to act about the angry crowd. He called Governor Orval Faubus and asked him to remove all soldiers from the high school after Elizabeth's difficult experience.
On September 23, 1957, the Little Rock Nine tried again to enter Central High. Elizabeth Eckford and the other eight students, with city police, were let into the school through a side door.
However, a mob of about 1,000 people surrounded the school again. The next day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower took control of the Arkansas National Guard from the governor. He also sent the 101st Airborne Division to protect the students at school. Both federal soldiers and federalized National Guardsmen stayed at the school all year. Even with protection, the students still faced some violence inside the school. For example, Elizabeth was once pushed down a flight of stairs.
All of Little Rock's high schools were closed the next year. So, Elizabeth Eckford did not graduate from Central High School. But she took classes by mail and at night. She earned enough credits to get her high school diploma. In 1958, Elizabeth and the other Little Rock Nine members received a special award called the Spingarn Medal.
Elizabeth's Life After High School
Elizabeth Eckford was accepted into Knox College in Illinois. But she decided to return to Little Rock to be close to her family. She later went to Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where she earned a degree in history. In 2018, Knox College gave her an honorary doctorate degree.
Elizabeth Eckford served in the United States Army for five years. She worked as a pay clerk and then as an information specialist. She also wrote for army newspapers. After her time in the army, she worked many different jobs. She was a waitress, a history teacher, and helped people find jobs. She is now a probation officer in Little Rock.
In 1997, Elizabeth Eckford shared an award with Hazel Bryan Massery. Hazel was a white student who had screamed at Elizabeth in the famous 1957 photos. During a meeting to bring people together in 1997, both women gave speeches. But their friendship later ended. Elizabeth explained that Hazel wanted her to be "cured" and "over it."
In 1999, President Bill Clinton gave the Congressional Gold Medal to the Little Rock Nine. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States.
In 2018, 60 years after her time at Little Rock Central High, Elizabeth Eckford shared her story in her first book. It is called The Worst First Day: Bullied While Desegregating Little Rock Central High. She wrote the book with Dr. Eurydice Stanley and Grace Stanley. Grace was 15 years old when she worked on the book, the same age Elizabeth was when she went to Central High. The book tells Elizabeth's experiences using poetry. It also includes drawings and photos by Will Counts. In 2019, Elizabeth Eckford traveled to New Zealand. She taught American civil rights history to over 4,000 students there.
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Eckford para niños
