Daisy Bates
On November 11, 1914, Daisy Lee Gatson was born in Huttig, Arkansas. Raised by Orle and Susie Smith, for years, she thought they were her parents. Her mom had been raped and murdered by three whites when she was a baby. Her hometown was in the southern part of the state, with Negro citizens on one side of the street in drab shotgun homes and the other characterized by white bungalows. Despite the separation, the relations of the two sides were cordial. One day her mom asked her to get some pork from the meat market. In the store there were a few white customers, so Daisy waited her turn. She was ready to order when a little white girl was beside her. Daisy asked for center-cut pig but the proprietor served the other girl first. When the butcher finally gave her the chops, they were fatty with the guy stating, xxxxxxx have to wait ‘til I wait on the white people. The young lass departed crying, but this racism deeply affected her life on top of what had happened to her mother.
When she found out about her mom and had experienced so much discrimination as a young child, she was determined to find the assailants., filled with hate and revenge. Years passed and as Daisy’s father lay dying, he offered her this advice:
You’re filled with hatred. Hate can destroy you, Daisy. Don’t hate white people just because they’re white. If you hate, make it count for something. Hate the humiliations we are living under in the South. Hate the discrimination that eats away at the South. Hate the discrimination that eats away at the soul of every black man and woman. Hate the insults hurled at us by white scum – and then try to do something about it, or your hate won’t spell a thing.
Bates told others that these words remained with her and gave her the strength to be a leader.
While Daisy was a teenager, her father purchased an insurance policy from Lucious Christopher Bates, who was also a journalist. Referred to as L. C., Bates frequently came around the home and he and Daisy began dating. They did so for a few years and then moved to Little Rock in 1941, marrying on March 4, 1942. After arriving in Little Rock, the pair published a weekly eight-page paper, the Arkansas State Press, which made its debut on May 9, 1941. It covered social news in Arkansas and civil rights, similar to the Chicago Defender. With the advent of the Second World War, African Americans joined in the efforts. In March 1942, a Negro soldier was shot and killed by a policeman. Brutality of a similar nature to Negroes had occurred many times before. When a black soldier saw the murder, he was bitter and filled with anger. Why should we go over and fight? These are the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx we should be fighting. The Arkansas State Press wrote about the incident and soon all the advertising by the downstate stores was cancelled in the State Press. When the war ended, black soldiers returning home weren’t treated any better than they had been as citizens.
Daisy joined the local branch of the NAACP because of the way her father described the group. He had been a member. In 1952, Mrs. Bates became President of The Arkansas Conference of Branches. In an interview, when asked about changes she hoped to see in society, her words were the whole darned system. On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court ruled that laws establishing separate but equal schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional. With this pronouncement, Bates began to focus mostly on education. Her life and that of L. C. would change drastically.
Just because something is a law doesn’t mean people have to follow it. If you’ve driving on the highways and don’t even text, you know exactly what I mean. There are numerous other examples of this. In September 1957, Central High School in Little Rock was to begin the integration process. From a group of students, nine were selected to be the first African Americans in the building. Support came from the parents of the group after some apprehension and even white students at Central seemed accepting of the process. Unfortunately there were groups who weren’t so thrilled, such as the Capital Citizens Council, White Citizens Council and the Klan. Governor Orval Eugene Faubus may have wanted integration, but not that year. Without Faubus and these organizations, there may not have been trouble. Students and adults in town who had no difficulty with the nine were intimidated by and feared these segregation people. As a result, very few supported the black students.
On September 3, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls made up what soon became the Little Rock Nine. Many students, citizens and parents had no intention of allowing them to enter the school. Faubus called out the Arkansas National Guard, but not to protect the nine. He intended to keep them away. Violent threats, much shouting and racial comments filled the air. If you’ve seen pictures of that day, the Negro girl in a white dress carrying her books wearing sunglasses is Elizabeth. The screaming white girl behind her is Hazel Bryan Massery. None of the nine entered the school then.
Federal Judge Ronald Davies placed an order on September 20 to Faubus for removal of the National Guard, allowing Central to be integrated, but the Governor ignored it. President Dwight Eisenhower then sent paratroopers and federalized 10,000 of the National Guard of the state to overrule Faubus. Three days later the Little Rock Nine were enrolled at the school. The result was a long and exasperating school year filled with violence, even with police and the National Guard on the scene for the entire time. None of the nine was killed but they had food dumped on them, were abused, kicked and received threats, both physical and psychological.
A decade earlier, the State Press wrote about injustice and discrimination. An avid supporter of racial integration in schools, the paper thoroughly publicized support of integration on its pages. During the 1957 crisis, white advertisers boycotted the paper. With outside advertisers and support from the NAACP, the State Press was able to maintain itself, but only for a short time. During the 1957-58 school year, the Bates home became a Triage center, mostly handling the spiritual and mental needs of the Little Rock Nine. Daisy and L. C. supplemented the efforts of parents, guardians and friends. The house became a point of attack for the segregationists. Crosses were set on fire, rocks were tossed at windows, and bullets, as well as bombs, came flying at the house. The people inside had no alternative but to arm themselves.
Each of the Little Rock Nine volunteered to enter Central because they thought it was the right thing to do. They were courageous, strong and determined, even when a parent had some doubts. Thelma had a heart condition, but that didn’t hold her back. Halfway through the year, Minnijean was expelled from the school and was welcomed at New Lincoln High School in New York City. The other eight finished out the year with Ernest Green being the first African American to graduate from Central. Thanks to all the lunacy, his diploma cost the taxpayers about $5,000,000.
Green graduated from Michigan State University with a BA degree, followed by a Master’s degree in sociology. While there, he was at the top of his class and continued with his activism, engaging in the Civil Rights movement. Green was director of the A. Philip Randolph Education Fund and Assistant Secretary of Labor for President Jimmy Carter. His other work includes: partner in the firm Green and Herman; owner of E. Green and Associates; Managing Director with Lehman Brothers in Washington, D.C. dealing with fixed incomes; board member of the Albert Shanker Institute. He organized and served as chair of the Scoutreach program in the nation’s capital.
Elizabeth Eckford was awarded a BA in history from Central State University in Ohio. She spent five years in the United States Army and wrote for newspapers in Alabama and Indiana. Some of her other work includes that of a waitress, welfare worker, information specialist, teacher and probation officer, which she currently does. In 1997, she shared the National Conference for Community and Justice Father Joseph Biltz Award with Hazel Bryan Massery. In 2011, David Margolick wrote about the two in Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women Of Little Rock. They reconciled at the end of the twentieth century but then Hazel’s racism caused a later split.
Melba Patillo Beals earned a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University, a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University – writing for major magazines and newspapers at 17 – and a Doctoral Degree in Education from the University of San Francisco. She wrote about the Little Rock Nine in Warriors Don't Cry and White Is A State of Mind. She is a journalism teacher at Dominican University in California.
Granddaughter of a former slave, Gloria Ray Karlmark graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago with a bachelor’s in chemistry and mathematics. She worked at McDonnell-Douglas in Santa Monica, Boeing in Seattle and NASA in St. Louis. Now residing in the Netherlands and Sweden, Gloria edited a European computer magazine and was a documentation specialist. She finished the Patent Examiner Program and became a member of the IBM team as European Patent Attorney. She is the founder of Computers in Industry and worked with UNESCO dealing with applications in industry. She has also worked in management in France, Belgium, Spain, Scotland and Germany for Philips International.
Following her graduation from Central High in 1960, Carlotta Walls LaNier attended Michigan State University and then her family moved to Colorado. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and soon became an administrator for teens at the YWCA. She founded LaNier and Company, dealing in real estate. A member of Metrolist, Inc., she has worked there for over three decades. Carlota is a member of the NAACP, Urban League and president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation, which strives for equal education access for blacks. LaNier is a trustee for the university from which she graduated and a trustee for the Iliff School of Theology, located in Denver. The Girl Scouts honored her as a Woman of Distinction and inducted her into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. The National Shining Star Award was presented to her by the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women.
Terrence James Roberts journeyed to Los Angeles and then graduated from California State University with a BA in sociology. Next was the University of California at Los Angeles where he earned a Master’s degree from the School of Social Welfare. Traveling back east to Carbondale, his next degree was a PhD in psychology from Southern Illinois University. In the mid 1970s, he was on the faculty of Pacific Union College in Napa Valley. As the century ended, he was at Antioch University in Los Angeles, serving as co-chair of the Master’s degree program in psychology. He retired in 2008 and runs a practice in Pasadena along with being CEO of Terrence J. Roberts & Associates. When Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, he could be seen on many interviews.
Jefferson Thomas graduated from Central in 1960 and then attended Wayne State University. After moving to Los Angeles, he graduated from Los Angeles State College with a business degree. There he was involved in student government and was President of the Associated Engineers. He was treasurer of the Youth Council of the NAACP and President of the Progressive Baptist Youth Convention. He also was in Vietnam, serving as a squad leader. Narrating the 1964 Academy Award film, Nine from Little Rock, his words were: If Little Rock taught us nothing more, it taught us that problems can make us better. Much better. Thomas was a mentor in the Village to Child Program of Dominican University in Ohio. The university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his service in advancing human rights. He frequently spoke at schools nationwide. After almost 30 years as a civil servant, he retired from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Columbus, Ohio. He was also on the Board of Directors for the City of Refuge Learning Academy at the First Church of God. Shortly before his 68th birthday, Thomas died in Columbus, Ohi,o of pancreatic cancer.
Thelma Mothershed Wair finished her junior year at Central. She then earned her diploma through correspondence courses and summer school in St. Louis. She graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale followed by a master’s degree in Guidance Counseling in 1970 from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. A few years later she earned an Administration Certificate in Education from the same university at Edwardsville. She retired after twenty-eight years of teaching home economics in the school system in East St. Louis. Then she worked at the St. Clair County Jail and as an instructor at the American Red Cross Second Chance Shelter. Her honors include: Outstanding Role Model by the East St. Louis Chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction; the National Humanitarian Award, presented at the 2005 National Convention of Top Ladies of Distinction. In 2003 she returned to live in the Little Rock area.
Minnijean Brown-Trickey was initially suspended from Central when she dropped a bowl of chili and splashed two white boys. She was then expelled two months later for calling a student, white trash. The other girl had smacked Minnijean with her purse. Brown-Trickey lived in Canada in the late twentieth century. She worked for civil rights, becoming involved with the First Nations. She studied at Laurentian University in Ontario and earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Carleton University in Ottawa. She received the Congressional Gold Medal, Spingarn Medal and the Wolf Award, among other citations. She was Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior responsible for diversity in the Clinton administration. Journey to Little Rock: The Untold Story of Minnijean Brown Trickey was produced in Ottawa in 2002 and five years later, she was given an honorary doctorate from Laurentian University.
The last issue of the State Press was published on October 29, 1959. Daisy served on Lyndon Baines Johnson’s staff in the 1960s, working on anti-poverty programs. She returned to Little Rock after a stroke. In eastern Arkansas, Bates contributed to self-help programs dealing with water systems, sewer systems, a community center and paved streets in Mitchellville. After L. C. died in 1980, Daisy resurrected the Arkansas State Press, selling it a few years later, but remaining as a consultant. Her book, The Long Shadow of Little Rock was reprinted by the University of Arkansas Press in 1986 and won an American Book Award. For her efforts, Little Rock honored her with the Daisy Bates Elementary School. Daisy died on November 4, 1999, in Little Rock.
Bates was an active member of the Board in the National NAACP through 1970. In 1957, the National Council of Negro Women named Bates Woman of the Year. A year later, along with the Little Rock Nine, she was a recipient of the Spingarn Medal. She received an honorary law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1984. A street in Little Rock is named after her. She is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta and was awarded the Diamond Cross of Malta from the Philadelphia Cotillion Society. In Arkansas, the third Monday of February is a holiday, George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Bates Day. In February 2012, the documentary, Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock was an Independent Lens feature on PBS. Many books have been written about Little Rock and its heroes. You can discover much more on the Internet.