One of the Little Rock 9 gives talk at the Law School

February 20, 2006

In celebration of Black History Month, Jefferson Thomas, one of the Little Rock 9 students, spoke about his personal experiences in the Arkansas school system. In September 1957, the Little Rock 9 arrived at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, to be the first black students admitted in response to Brown vs. the Board of Education which mandated desegregation. These nine black students encountered a mob of 1,000 angry white protestors. They were insulted and threatened as they approached the school.

“I did not expect anywhere near the confusion, the trouble, or the violence,” said Jefferson Thomas. “It surprised me.” Thomas also spoke of Daisy Bates the president of the Arkansas NAACP at the time. Bates helped guide the students through the crisis.

Several weeks later, under armed federal escort, the students were able to attend school. All Little Rock schools were then shut down by voters for the following year to avoid desegregation. After they were re-opened, Jefferson Thomas returned for his senior year and graduated from Central High School in 1960. Today, he is an accountant with the United States Department of Defense.

The event was sponsored by the BLSA as part of the celebration of Black History Month.