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Arkansas' Central High School
By Sheila O' Connor

There's no doubt about it, the history of our nation is important to us all, especially when it comes to civil rights. And nowhere is it more evident that Civil Rights issues are important, than during a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas.

Just take a visit to Central High School, for example.

In September 1957 nine black high school students attempted to enroll at Little Rock’s Central High School (previously segregated). The governor at the time responded by sending Arkansas National Guard troops to keep them out. On the first day of school, eight of the nine stayed home but the ninth, Elizabeth Eckford, didn’t get the message that the others weren’t attending, and found herself alone on the first day amidst a violent mob. A harrowing experience she never forgot.

All nine students were subsequently denied entry to the high school for the next two weeks. Fortunately, during that time, Little Rock’s Philander Smith College, an historically black college, helped the students with their studies so they wouldn’t fall behind.

It finally took the intervention of President Eisenhower to withdraw the troops and invoke the services of the Arkansas National Guard to make sure the students could enter the school without harassment.

The story landed the city on the network news (TV was then in its infancy) and on the cover of Life magazine. Little Rock became known as a bastion of civil rights resistance. The school would eventually come to symbolize the triumph of the Constitution over racial prejudice. Thankfully, desegregation won through.

Thirty years later, President Clinton, then governor of Arkansas, invited the same nine students to a ceremony to commemorate the incident and 11 years later, while president, he signed legislation making the school a National Historic Site. The site was accompanied by a permanent exhibit in a former gas station across the street which has been now been restored to its 1957 appearance.

The exhibit shows the 1957 crisis and an audio-visual presentation. And it’s come a long way since the days of the 50s. Today, one of the park rangers, Spirit, is the daughter of one of those original Central High Nine.

Today too the school is a thriving high school and in fact was once named the most beautiful high school in America. And rightly so. The structure is nothing short of beautiful. Across from the school you’ll find the Commemorative Garden with its nine trees that symbolize the strength of the Little Rock Nine. We’re glad they won through.

In the city of Little Rock, one of the best places to stay, and one of the most arts-aware establishments, is the full-service Peabody Hotel. billed as "Arkansas' Only Five Duck Meeting Hotel." Every day the ducks strut downstairs for their habitual swim in the indoor fountain until the end of their day when they walk back along the red carpet, into the elevator and back to their cosy home upstairs on the roof. It's quite a ceremony. The Peabody Ducks are an institution in this magnificent hotel. Don't miss it! Tel: 800/732 2639, Web: www.peabodylittlerock.com

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