It wasn't all bad
Fifty years ago, President Eisenhower had to dispatch federal troops to Arkansas to escort nine black high school students past jeering crowds who did not want their schools integrated. The students become known as the Little Rock Nine, and their brave stance helped galvanize the civil-rights movement. This week, all nine returned to the scene of the confrontation, this time to be cheered by thousands and praised by dignitaries including governors, congressmen, and former President (as well as former Arkansas Gov.) Bill Clinton. “We thought this was a place that would accept us,” one of the nine, Ernest Green, told the crowd. “And you know what? Fifty years later, I think we were right!”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: the group behind Gaza's controversial new aid programmeThe Explainer Deadly shootings and chaotic scenes have been reported at aid sites after US group replaced UN humanitarian organisations
-
Is UK's new defence plan transformational or too little, too late?Today's Big Question Labour's 10-year strategy 'an exercise in tightly bounded ambition' already 'overshadowed by a row over money'
-
How much should doctors trust parental intuition?In The Spotlight Study finds parents' concern can be better at spotting critical illness than vital signs
