Beals’ Reflection and Analysis
In the book Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Beals was a heroine and a national symbol of hope for change. Beals and eight other students were brave enough to attend Little Rock Central High School, the highly segregated school in Arkansas in 1957. Despite the many objections from the segregationists and the Governor Faubus, the nine students were able to complete the school year. During the school year of 1957 – 1958, Melba and eight other African-American students received tremendous harassments from the Central High students, parents, administrators, and segregationists. Beals’ mother almost lost her, because she supported her daughter’s decision to attend Central High. President Eisenhower had ordered the 101st Airborne Division to protect the nine students to attend Central High school. The Little Rock crisis interested the world of democracy. Therefore, many students worldwide in 1957 wrote many letters to encourage these nine African-American students. Earnest Green was the first African-American student that graduated from Central High School. During the crisis, Governor Faubus closed down the Central High School for two consecutive years. On September 1960, the integration continued on Little Rock Central High School with the admission of two African-American students. Through Beals’ memoir, the readers could visit the historical event and get the reflection of the U.S. history.
In 1957, the Little Rock crisis did almost jeopardize the U.S. national security. First issue, the U.S. government confronted the Cold War with USSR. The armed defenses and space race did cost U.S. a fortune in the budget. Second, U.S. began the endless war in Vietnam. Third, the Little Rock crisis added more troubles t...
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...nglish-speaking students. Like Melba Beals, I ignored these students to get out of troubles. In addition, I used some teachers’ assistances to protect me from these students. If anything was out of my control, I would let Mrs. Becker knew with my broken English. One time, Mrs. Becker almost disciplined for his behavior against me. However, I told Mrs. Becker not to discipline him, because that would generate more troubles for me.
The Civil Right movements finally ended the segregation of school forever. Again, Melba Beals was a heroine and national symbol to face the Central High School segregationists. Beals and eight other African-American had the historical experience that other students would never have. Today, all students can benefit from the diverse multicultural schools. Without the integration, many students will not meet the current globalization need.
Melba Pattillo Beals book, Warriors Don’t Cry, is a memoir about her experience as one of the Little Rock Nine. From a very young age Melba sees the many problems with segregation. Throughout the book she recalls several memories involving the unfairness and struggles that her, her family, and other African Americans had to go through in the South during the time of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement.
In the book Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, the author describes what her reactions and feelings are to the racial hatred and discrimination she and eight other African-American teenagers received in Little Rock, Arkansas during the desegregation period in 1957. She tells the story of the nine students from the time she turned sixteen years old and began keeping a diary until her final days at Central High School in Little Rock. The story begins by Melba talking about the anger, hatred, and sadness that is brought up upon her first return to Central High for a reunion with her eight other classmates. As she walks through the halls and rooms of the old school, she recalls the horrible acts of violence that were committed by the white students against her and her friends.
In 1950's America, there was a uprising that would sculpt the world into the place we now inhabit. The particular event in question is one concerning the black communities plight in 1950's America, with names such such as Rosa Parks, Emmett Till and (most importantly), Elizabeth Eckford Heading the list of names who took a stand, and, in turn, made America the place it is today. As the years went by, details of the many riots the segregation incurred were documented. The focus of this essay will be on a particular documentation titled 'The Long Shadow of Little Rock', a book published in 1962 on what happened to Elizabeth Eckford in Little Rock, Arkansas. However, just what can we learn from this Document?
In the book “Warriors Don’t Cry”, Melba Beals recalls her life during the 1950’s America. In the south, more specifically Little
In the memoir Warriors Don’t Cry Melba Pattillo Beals illustrates the characteristics of a warrior that are required to fight for social change. Melba has to deal with continuous hatred from whites and blacks, and these unfortunate events morph her into a faithful and courageous warrior.
Racism is an attribute that has often plagued all of American society’s existence. Whether it be the earliest examples of slavery that occurred in America, or the cases of racism that happens today, it has always been a problem. However, this does not mean that people’s overall opinions on racial topics have always stayed the same as prior years. This is especially notable in the 1994 memoir Warriors Don’t Cry. The memoir occurred in 1957 Little Rock, Arkansas and discusses the Melba Pattillo Beals attempt to integrate after the Brown vs. Board of Education court case. Finally, in Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beals discusses the idea that freedom is achievable through conflicts involving her family, school life, and friends.
Beals made history When the Governor of the State didn’t let the Blacks into the High School so the President sent the Soldier of the 101st to the state to escort them through the mob of Angry Whites. During this people shouted ugly words,, raised their fist to the Blacks, and Looked horrified of the Blacks while Beals and the Other Little Rock nine were getting escorted through the Town to the School. Beals said ‘’Some of the White people looked horrified, While others raised their fist, others shouted ugly Words,’’ Beals reaction to this is she felt sad and proud she felt proud that the country would do all of this to escort them to the school but Beals was sad that they had to go to such great lengths. Beals said that ‘’She was proud that I lived in a country that would go this far to bring justice to a little tock Girl like me but sad that they had to go to such great lengths.’’ Then the Soldiers of the 101st made a protective cocoon, and escorted them through the mob of Whites that did not want the blacks to be in there society. How this event affected the society is when Beals went to school with other Whites she broke a little more of the Color Barrier. To Conclude Melba Beals changed the mind of some of the Whites, and break the color
Martin Luther King once said, "we must live together as brothers or perish as fools." This statement illuminates the importance of the features of concern, compassion, and knowledge. The color of a person’s skin tone would result in harsh and unfair treatment. Even though they would be alienated by their peers and others, many African Americans chose to stand up for their rights. These truths were revealed when the famous little rock nine took their courageous stand regardless of their odds. In the novel, Warriors don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals and a Roundtable discussion facilitated by NBC news, the disturbing truths behind the struggles of integration are brought to life.
In May of 1954, the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case had declared the racial segregation of American public schools unconstitutional. The Supreme Court had called for the integration of schools, so that students of any race could attend any school without the concern of the “white-only” labels. The public school system of Little Rock, Arkansas agreed to comply with this new desegregated system, and by a year had a plan to integrate the students within all the public schools of Little Rock. By 1957, nine students had been selected by the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), chosen according to their outstanding grades and excellent attendance, and had been enrolled in the now-integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. But, the Little Rock Nine, consisting of Jefferson Thomas, Thelma Mothershed, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown, Ernest Green, Melba Pattillo Beals, Gloria Ray Karlmark, and Terrence Roberts, faced the angered, white segregationist students and adults upon their enrollment at Central High School. Thus began the true test; that of bravery of the students and that of the ethics of the white community.
"Histories, like ancient ruins, are the fictions of empires. While everything forgotten hands in dark dreams of the past, ever threatening to return...”, a quote from the movie Velvet Goldmine, expresses the thoughts that many supporters of integration may have felt because no one truly knew the effects that one major verdict could create. The Brown v. Board of Education decision was a very important watershed during the Civil Rights Movement. However, like most progressive decisions, it did not create an effective solution because no time limit was ever given. James Baldwin realized that this major oversight would lead to a “broken promise.”
African Americans are still facing segregation today that was thought to have ended many years ago. Brown v. Board of Education declared the decision of having separate schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. As Brown v. Board of Education launches its case, we see how it sets the infrastructure to end racial segregation in all public spaces. Today, Brown v. Board of Education has made changes to our educational system and democracy, but hasn’t succeeded to end racial segregation due to the cases still being seen today. Brown v. Board of Education to this day remains one of the most important cases that African Americans have brought to the surface for the good of the United States. Brown v. Board of Education didn’t just focus on children and education, it also focused on how important equality is even when society claimed that African Americans were treated equal, when they weren’t. This was the case that opened the eyes of many American’s to notice that the separate but equal strategy was in fact unlawful.
In 1954, the Supreme Court took a step in history with the Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka by stating that, “In the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’, has no place. Separate facilities are inheritably unequal.” Little Rock, Arkansas a city in the upper south became a location of a controversial attempt to put the court order into effect when nine African American students were chosen to desegregate Central High in Little Rock. How did the Little Rock Nine affect America? Sanford Wexler stated in The Civil Rights Movement: An Eyewitness History,” its “effect would ripple across the nation and influence the growing Civil Rights Movement;” in addition, the Little Rock crisis forced the federal government to come down on state government in order to protect the rights of African Americans.
This event was impacted by the Brown vs. Education case. The town of Little Rock Arkansas was one of the most clean, pretty, and quiet cities of the United States in the late fifties. All citizens that had lived there took an abundant amount of pride in their town for its aesthetic atmosphere and peaceful cleanliness. Previous to the events that changed the lives of nine students, as well as, the race relations in America; Little Rock was a town where there was very little tension. “Negroes and whites, for many years had lived si...
In the book Warriors Don’t Cry Melba wanted to integrate schools because she knew that if they did step up things would begin to change and white people would begin to accept black people as equals. Yes, there are things that were done to Melba and the rest of the kids that could be considered abuse but everyone involved knew it was for the greater good. Melba even makes it known she wants to be there from this quote, “This is going to work. It will take a lot more patience and more strength from me, but it’s going to work. It takes more time than I thought. But we’re going to have integration in Little Rock. (pg.161)” We can see that Melba wants to do whatever she can to get into Central High School and is willing to go the extra mile. Frankly if Melba didn’t stick it out racism might have gone on longer than expected. Melba even reflects on this, “But Grandma is right, if I don’t go back, they will think they have won. They will think they can use soldiers to frighten us, and we’ll always have to obey them. (pg.55-56)” So sending these kids into a place where they would be frightened and attacked was a necessary sacrifice that needed to be made in order for the elimination of
Diversity, we define this term today as one of our nation’s most dynamic characteristics in American history. The United States thrives through the means of diversity. However, diversity has not always been a positive component in America; in fact, it took many years for our nation to become accustomed to this broad variety of mixed cultures and social groups. One of the leading groups that were most commonly affected by this, were African American citizens, who were victimized because of their color and race. It wasn’t easy being an African American, back then they had to fight in order to achieve where they are today, from slavery and discrimination, there was a very slim chance of hope for freedom or even citizenship. This longing for hope began to shift around the 1950’s during the Civil Rights Movement, where discrimination still took place yet, it is the time when African Americans started to defend their rights and honor to become freemen like every other citizen of the United States. African Americans were beginning to gain recognition after the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, which declared all people born natural in the United States and included the slaves that were previously declared free. However, this didn’t prevent the people from disputing against the constitutional law, especially the people in the South who continued to retaliate against African Americans and the idea of integration in white schools. Integration in white schools played a major role in the battle for Civil Rights in the South, upon the coming of independence for all African American people in the United States after a series of tribulations and loss of hope.