Little Rock Nine Face Daily Terror at Central High School

On September 4, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus deploys the National Guard to prevent nine Black students from entering Little Rock Central High School. President Eisenhower sends 1,200 101st Airborne soldiers. Inside the school, Melba Patillo Beals has acid sprayed in her eyes; Elizabeth Eckford faces a screaming mob alone; Minnijean Brown is expelled after pouring chili on a student who torments her. All nine face daily abuse: kicks, threats, spitting, burned lockers. Eight complete the year; Ernest Green becomes the first Black graduate in May 1958.