LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On this day in 1957, nine black students entered Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, an all-white school.
The students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were escorted into the school by the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division.
The nine that were chosen were Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed and Melba Pattillo Beals. They were chosen based on the criteria of excellent grades and attendance.
