Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site (Episode 1)

Send us Fan MailIn September 1957, nine Black teenagers walked through the doors of Little Rock Central High School — escorted by the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. The governor of Arkansas had called out the National Guard to keep them out. The president had to intervene. And yet Ernest Green, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnie Jean Brown Trickey, Melba Pattillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, and Thelma Mothershed walked in anyway.Their story belongs in the national park system — and it is. Brian Schwiger, Chief of Interpretation at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, joins The Parks Podcast to tell the full story: the nine students most history books barely mention, the Lost Year when Governor Faubus closed every high school in Little Rock, and why a group of young women from Afghanistan knew this story by heart.In this episode: — Why Little Rock Central High School is the only national park site with a functioning high school at its focal point — The nine students — their names, their grades, their extraordinary courage — Brown v. Board of Education and what happened in the years between 1954 and 1957 — The Lost Year — what it meant for 3,600 students when the governor closed the schools — The moment Minnie Jean Brown Trickey met a group of young women from Afghanistan — How to plan a visit — the visitor center, the commemorative garden, the Elizabeth Eckford Bench, and what it feels like to watch high school let out — The NPS audio tour recorded by Central High School students themselvesLinks mentioned: — Plan your visit: nps.gov/chsc — NPS App: audio tour narrated by current Central High School studentsSupport the show