Summary Of Melba Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

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On May 17th, 1954 one of the most shocking decisions of the time period was made, in which the Supreme Court had decided that schools shouldn’t be segregated and that all schools were to be integrated starting with Little Rock’s Central High School . In Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beals tells her story of participating in the integration of black students. Melba was one of the nine students chosen to participate in this integration. Chosen out of hundreds of children, Melba was picked due to her grades and how good of a student she was. Even though she was proud of being picked, she also feared for herself because many people were protesting against her joining Central High. Though Melba was offered this great opportunity, why would …show more content…
While she was at Central High for that one year she had to endure white mothers chasing her at her gym class, acid thrown in her eyes, burning papers thrown at her while she was using the bathroom and more. Melba and the other eight were the most terrorized children in Central High. Melba would also receive threats that she was going to be killed and that people were going to bomb her house. These terrifying actions and threats caused Melba to often doubt why God wanted her to do this, but her Grandma India always reminded her that it was for a purpose and that she would have an impact on the world. Without Melba’s faith in God, Melba would have struggled through Central High. Melba’s belief in God and the belief that he wanted her to go to this high school and make a change encouraged Melba to combat the many dangers that Central High contained. God helped her feel that she was doing good even if it wasn’t paying off for her right at that instant. If Melba didn’t have her faith to help her through Central High, she wouldn’t have any reason to continue besides the other eight and the slim chance that integration could actually occur everywhere. Melba gave up a lot of things to participate in integration. She lost a lot of her friendships from her old school because they were too scared to be seen with her, by the chance that they might be threatened as well. She also lost the normality in her life. Melba was celebrating her 16th birthday the year that her integration to Central High occured. For her party she invited all of her friends from her old school and didn’t invite the other 8 of the Little Rock Nine because she didn’t want to be reminded of it. When it came time for the party no one showed up but her boyfriend Vince. It turned out that no one wanted to be seen entering her house because it might be dangerous for them. Also, another girl from her old school was throwing a

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