Still far to go, Nine tell Central crowd

A fairer world starts with self, thousands told

— Fifty years after they set a milestone in national civil rights history by desegregating Little Rock Central High School, members of the Little Rock Nine called for continued work toward racial equality Tuesday and urged individuals to take action.

Where federal troops and protesters filled the streets and school's front lawn in 1957, thousands of cheering admirers on Tuesday gave multiple standing ovations to the Nine during a two-hour commemoration ceremony.

Each of the Little Rock Nine spoke, the first time the entire group has done so at a public event.

"What I want to see is for all of us to take charge of this educational process for self to learn the lessons necessary to turn you into an active agent for change, not a passive observer of things," Terrence Roberts, one of the Nine, who lives in Pasadena, Calif., told the crowd.

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He said racism could be eliminated as soon as tomorrow, but it is up to those who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

"To you I say, when you go home today, look in the mirror and ask the hard question, 'What am I doing in support of the status quo?' Second question, 'What am I willing to do to change it?'"

Approximately 4,000 people, including the senior class at Central, attended the event under gray skies as thunder rumbled in the distance. A light rain fell for about an hour before the ceremony started, but the rain ended 30 minutes before the speakers - who included former President Clinton - took the stage.

Many of the Nine said their parents were the real heroes of the desegregation and thanked their families.

"They really were the warriors that put a lot on the line," said Ernest Green of the group's parents.

Green, who now lives in Washington D.C., said that as teenagers, the Nine thought that Central would be a place that accepted them and offered them opportunities.

"Fifty years later, I think we were right," Green said.

Melba Pattillo Beals said she attended the anniversary events despite a cracked right hip. She said once she was scared to return to Arkansas, but on Tuesday, she saw hope in the crowd.

"It is in your faces that I see the elixir that will take us forward to the future," said Beals, who lives in the San Francisco area.

Elizabeth Eckford of Little Rock thanked the supporters of the Little Rock Nine Foundation, which held a fundraiser for its scholarship and mentorship program Monday night. She also spoke of apologies and forgiveness.

"It's not unusual for people to expect forgiveness," she said. "I can forgive because it lifts a burden from my heart. ... I know the difference between an apology and someone who is just trying to make themselves feel good. If you can't name what you did, it's not an apology."

KEEP LEARNING

Carlotta Walls LaNier, of Englewood, Colo., encouraged the crowd to continue learning about the past.

"There are a lot of barriers out there, but you can overcome them. You really can overcome adversity if you know you are doing the right thing. We knew we were doing the right thing. The struggle was really worth it," said LaNier, who added that she was wearing her Central graduation ring.

Jefferson Thomas of Columbus, Ohio, addressed students, telling them that they can move forward even if they think they have failed at something in the past.

He recounted an experience he had as a student during a Central pep rally. A group of white students came through the auditorium, waving what Thomas thought was the Arkansas state flag and singing the Central fight song. He stood up to cheer and yell as the flag passed his row.

Everyone suddenly grew quiet and Carlotta Walls LaNier glared at him, prompting him to sit down. Later, she explained the flag was not the state's - andthe song was not Central's.

Rather, the group was waving the Rebel flag and singing "Dixie," he said.

Minnijean Brown Trickey of Little Rock said that the 1957 desegregation catalyzed a social movement.

"It's my hope that this 50-year commemorative ceremony will energize and invigorate the social movement that is absolutely called for in 2007," Brown Trickey said. "We have to remember that justice is a perpetual struggle and that we've got to keep doing it ... forever."

"I propose that our work should be education for all children," she said.

Thelma Mothershed Wair of Little Rock thanked her parents, who didn't want her to go to Central, and siblings for supporting her. She said she didn't tell her parents when she encountered "trouble" at Central 50 years ago.

Gloria Ray Karlmark, who now lives in Europe, said it is not enough for high schools today to only offer academic excellence.

"They must, together with the community, excel in motivating their students to acquire the kind of knowledge and social values that will benefit both the community and themselves," she said.

"So, students, when you get your education and career, look around you and reach out and use it to offer someone else a better life," Karlmark said.

STUDENTS INSPIRED

Christa Cross, a University of Arkansas at Fayetteville student, said she was inspired by Karlmark's remark about education and saved it in her cell phone.

Cross said she knew the story of the Little Rock Nine, but Tuesday's ceremony made it come alive for her.

Glen Hampton, a senior at Central, moved to Little Rock this summer from Minnesota. He said the history lessons presented Tuesday need to be repeated frequently.

"I thought it was a great experience and I think Central should have something like this every year," Hampton said about the ceremony. "It educated a lot of people. If something was done every year, more and more students would be touched and changes could be made."

Jasmine Wright, another Central senior, said she would take from the ceremony the hope thatracial relations will be better in the future than they are today.

In addition to the Nine, Gov. Mike Beebe, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, Little Rock School Board President Katherine Mitchell and Central's student body president, Cyrus Bahrassa, spoke.

Presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton, a U.S. Senator and Democrat from New York, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, also attended.

Other dignitaries included former Arkansas governors, U.S. and state legislators, civil-rights activists including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and former and current presidential cabinet members, including U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne who represented President Bush.

Journalist Deborah Mathis, who graduated from Central, was emcee.

FUTURE STORY

Former President Clinton, who was introduced by Virgil Miller, co-chairman of the commission that organized the commemoration event, said the Central crisis forced whites to take a position on segregation.

"You could no longer just wander around and pretend that this horrible thing was not going on," Clinton said.

He said that in addition to being thankful for the Little Rock Nine, those attending the commemoration should consider the future.

"If we were to act on our convictions and our obligations and the sacrifice and courage and the effort that all of those we have celebrated today have made, what would the story of the first half of the 20th century be?" Clinton said.

"It should be first, I believe, that access is not the same as equal opportunity and equal opportunity is not the same as excellence," Clinton said.

"[We] have not solved the fundamental challenge of American education, which is how to replicate excellence," he said.

Stodola said that to honor the Nine, supporters must also continue the work the Nine began.

"We have to pledge from this day forward that we will take action to close the divides that separate our city," Stodola said. "To do this, we must make safety and revitalization of our inner city neighborhoods our top priority."

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Little Rock Nine walked through Central's tall wood and glass front doors, which were opened and held by former President Clinton and Beebe. Tours of the school were offered after the program.

As he entered the school, Leon Johnson of Little Rock held an Oct. 7, 1957, copy of Life magazine. The cover photo was of troops stationed in front of the school with white students crowding the landing in front of the main entrance. "U.S. Troops take over in Arkansas," the cover read.

He brought the magazine to the 40th anniversary event in 1997 and got five signatures of the Little Rock Nine. He hoped to collect the remaining four on Tuesday.

"They changed things for a lot of us," said Johnson, a black man who attended Mills High School in the Pulaski County Special School District. "It was great to be here and to know that they were just regular students who wanted to go somewhere better."

PHYSICS REUNION

Soon after the ceremony, Ernest Green returned to a thirdfloor science lab to reunite with former white classmates Charles Oakley, Steve Swafford and Glennys Oakes Johns.

"It doesn't look like it has changed much," Green said, looking at the glass-front wooden cabinets filled with lab equipment.

In 1957, the three white students shared notes with Green because he had started the class three weeks behind the rest of the students.

They recalled the stern teacher who wouldn't cut Green any slack.

"Oh, he was tough," Johns said.

Johns asked if Green remembered her sitting at the same table with him during lunch.

"Vaguely," he said. "Fifty years is a long time. I remember the first three or four weeks we had students who ate with us."

"We were there the whole year," Johns said.

Many traveled far to attend the commemoration, including Lynette Gibson who came from Oakland, Calif.

"I guess I always had a sense that it was somebody's mama making them do it but to learn that they chose it and that they were making that kind of proactive stance so young, it certainly gives me a lot to think about in what I say in my work and to my children," Gibson said.

Clyde Linsley, a 1960 graduate of Central High, made the trip from his home in Annandale, Va., for Tuesday's ceremony. He recalled the events from 50 years before.

"My homeroom was facing out on Park Street. So I was standing at the window watchingthe mob that was gathered across the street. I saw them shaking a police car when the word came that the kids had gotten into the school."

Linsley said he was impressed that all nine of the former students were on hand for the commemoration.

"I can't imagine that this is a very pleasant memory for them," he said. "I am happy to see that they can recover to the extent that they could handle it."

Others came shorter distances.

Martie North, originally of Searcy and now of Little Rock, said she couldn't pass up the rare opportunity to see and hear the Nine.

"The number one thing they wanted was the best education," North said. "How did we lose sight of that same drive and ambition? They were willing to sacrifice their lives at such young ages for a quality education. They weren't trying to make history or get all this attention. They wanted the best education possible. How do we restore that [desire] in our young people?"

President Bush released a statement regarding the commemoration.

"Fifty years ago today, nine students endured bitterness and violence because of their skin and because of their convictions," Bush said in the statement. "As an Arkansas high school turned into a battleground for equality, the bravery of the Little Rock Nine inspired a generation.

"This anniversary reminds us of our Nation's struggle to fulfill its founding promise for all Americans," he said. "We are also reminded of the resilience of the heroes who sacrificed for justice and equality. We honor their courage, and we resolve to continue their work to make America a more perfect Union."

Hillary Rodham Clinton also released a statement.

"The Little Rock Nine did - and continue to do - their part, and now it is our turn," she said. "We must ensure that one day, the nine students we honor [today] can tell their children and grandchildren about how we finally overcame."

Dale Charles, president of the Little Rock and Arkansas state National Association for the Advancement for Colored People, said early Tuesday before the ceremony that the commemoration is a commercialized and political event and, after the bright lights are turned off, there is work tobe done.

"We've had 50 years to really do something and say to the world that Little Rock and Arkansas have a blueprint that you can follow to bring about equity, diversity and a city that is really moving forward. But we have failed; we failed miserably," Charles said.

"It is incumbent on all of us ... to sit at the table and collectively come up with ways to solve the issues so that we won't in the next 25 to 30 years be where we are today, a city not making a whole lot of progress."

Front Section, Pages 1, 4 on 09/26/2007

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