Reflection #6 EDF 2085

Shaniece N. Jeffers
EDF 2085
September 16, 2009
Reflection #6
Prof. Joseph McNair

The “Little Rock Nine” were a group of African American students who were unable to attend school a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were not allowed to enter the school because they were African Americans and we all know that back in the days colored and white were not suppose to share the same school. Imagine being young and black and your Governor is telling you that you can’t attend a school because of you race, when you actually looked up to him because he was higher authority. These kids went thru a lot from being forced out of school by armed men, that could of shoot them died and no one would even care. Society has changed a lot but there is still racism among us today.
Without the “Little Rock Nine”, segregation amongst school would have still been around today; whether we like it or not. They made sure that their children and future African American students would never have to deal with this kind of situation again. In some states parents and political figures were trying to bring segregation back, but they were over powered by people in our society. This whole situation brought about a lot of changes in the way Americans see our school system, seeing that is would be impossible to separate one ethnic group from another. More students are becoming more powerful in their views about segregation despite what race they belong to, but this issue is way from over and it may come back later in the future.
Looking back on this historic moment has made me realize how fortunate I was, being born in the 80’s than any time before that. So I didn’t have to deal with that kind of issue as the “Little Rock Nine” students had to deal with. Honestly I don’t think I would of made it thru living back in that time because I would have been so scared and quite. People would of throw stones at me and call me names and I would be so scared to even tell my family, because I would of fear for their lives and mines. Segregation wasn’t call for back in the 50’s and so forth, I don’t understand why it was even thought about; it was just a cruel way of scaring and providing the lack of education for the African Americans.
We been thru a lot and up to this day I still feel that we are still back in the past in some places of the world even though it is not as serious as before. Despite the fact that we have a “black president”, that doesn’t mean that change will come right away for some people who are still being called the n word. Even though black people call each other that for whatever pointless reason, no one should be called that word. We owe it to the people that tried to stop that word from being said and to the people who sat at the front of the bus.
They made America into something so that we as African Americans can live a way better life than what they had.
Honestly I am so proud of the “little Rock Nine” students and so many others that helped me to live a better life in America. Without These people who made a difference, segregation would have still been around, if they didn’t fight for what they believed in. Even though racism is still among us it isn’t as strong as when the “Little Rock Nine” students were around. I would have never stood up against segregation as they did; they were brave and never afraid to stand up for a change. That’s why I’m prove to be an African American, despite the fact that we were slaves, beaten, spit on, and tormented; I would never as to be no other race than an African American.