A young woman had just arrived for her first day of school and begun to stroll down the sidewalk, but her easygoing expression had soon been stricken with fear. Had I not known better, I could have believed that I was witnessing a rock concert; however, nothing but rage and hatred derided from the crowd. As a sophomore myself, I did not much care for trying to wade through a crowd of that size and temperament. The night prior, nothing but gossip filled the air about “Why does it have to be his school that has to be first?” It wasn’t until years later that I could possibly understand the gravity of the situation before me, but at the time I simply saw her as another peer. Approximately three years after segregation in schools was announced
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As it would turn out, only one of the nine students even graduated from Little Rock Central High School. The others got expelled or dropped out as the harassment became far too much to deal with. Eckford ended up joining the army and later earning her GED. By the same token, even supporters of desegregation were met with atrocity as the mother who helped escort the student was harassed viciously. She eventually moved to Canada after dynamite was placed in their garage. Interestingly enough, the girl in the photo (Hazel) who was screaming racial slurs toward Eckford eventually called her. She had tracked down Elizabeth to apologize, claiming that she did not want her children or any other children to follow in her …show more content…
The concept of desegregation was likely seen as an opportunity for a better education by the students, but it also came with an insane opposition. Elizabeth Eckford walked alone to the front doors of the high school facing a horde of angry people, the national guard, and a few supportive souls as well. Be that as it may, because of her and my eight other peers, they were able to set a precedent that is displayed in every classroom today. When those nine students chose to walk into that very school, education as a whole was changed
As it would turn out, only one of the nine students even graduated from Little Rock Central High School. The others got expelled or dropped out as the harassment became far too much to deal with. Eckford ended up joining the army and later earning her GED. By the same token, even supporters of desegregation were met with atrocity as the mother who helped escort the student was harassed viciously. She eventually moved to Canada after dynamite was placed in their garage. Interestingly enough, the girl in the photo (Hazel) who was screaming racial slurs toward Eckford eventually called her. She had tracked down Elizabeth to apologize, claiming that she did not want her children or any other children to follow in her …show more content…
The concept of desegregation was likely seen as an opportunity for a better education by the students, but it also came with an insane opposition. Elizabeth Eckford walked alone to the front doors of the high school facing a horde of angry people, the national guard, and a few supportive souls as well. Be that as it may, because of her and my eight other peers, they were able to set a precedent that is displayed in every classroom today. When those nine students chose to walk into that very school, education as a whole was changed