Principal’s Message

The Little Rock Nine

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On October 15th, the Sojourn Project organized and arranged with district and school leaders for Minnijean Brown Trickey and Elizabeth Eckford to visit BHS. You might not immediately know those names, but you will likely remember “The Little Rock Nine,” and the memorable pictures from our history books. In May,1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. Board of Education that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. In September of 1957, these amazing women were two of nine teens that first integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The night before the Little Rock Nine were to start school, Arkansas governor Orval Faubus ordered the state's National Guard to block the school entrance under the guise of protecting the nine students. 

Ms. Eckford shared her personal experience on that first day, September 2, 1957, when she was followed by an angry mob and looked to the National Guard that surrounded the school for support. As she tried to enter, the men closed their ranks and looked away. She was threatened, spat at, and cursed at, and turned away at multiple doors, fearfully leaving after being harassed the entire time. On September 25, 1957, President Eisenhower federalized the National Guard and sent U.S. Army troops so that the nine could attend school.  

Ms. Trickey stated that over 200 students attempted to integrate and that only a few were allowed. She noted that they were set up to fail and that they could not participate in any extracurricular activities. She also noted that they endured daily harassment and that if an adult didn’t witness behavior, there were no consequences. Most importantly, Ms. Trickey noted that most students and staff were not directly mean to them. She told our students that most remained quiet, but about 300 students expressed their hate daily. In this way, they were at fault too.

Ms. Trickey and Ms. Eckford were powerful speakers who delivered strong messages to our students. They clearly stated that the work is not yet done and that racism and hate should not be accepted anywhere. Ms. Trickey passionately explained to students that no one should ever use negative racial language, and her explanation left a lasting impression.  

It is unfortunate that not all students could hear these stories firsthand as Ms. Trickey and Ms. Eckford were only here for an hour. The history of the Little Rock Nine is everywhere online, however. I would like to encourage all families to dig a bit deeper, watch some videos, and discuss racism and how we might face the future together, crushing hate in all its forms. While these things seem obvious, students have great questions that go deeper and need more conversation.  

My thanks to Ms. Trickey and Ms. Eckford for their honesty, bravery, and for appearing at BHS. This was a good reminder about why Burlingame Stands United Against Hate in all of its forms.