Persuasive Essay On Little Rock Nine

Going to school is a privilege, but it should not against student based on their skin color. The Little Rock Nine as they are commonly known as were nine African-American students that broke the color barrier in schools around America and have transformed them into what they are today. Nowadays going to school includes all races and ethnicities, but back before the 1950s and Brown vs. Board of Education court case things were drastically different. In multiple interviews, the nine students look back on the time and what was going on. For example, in an interview Michael Martin from NPR News, Ernie Green, the first of the nine to graduate talks about their intent when he says, “Well, I think that the nine of us all desired to do well in school. I mean, we were - we may have been early nerds that - we bought the idea from our folks and families and neighborhoods that school was something you had to take seriously, and you had
to perform, you had to achieve.” This quote by Mr. Green just shows that even though nobody thought they belonged in a school of white kids, they incorporated what they learned while being brought up into their new school. Mr. Green when asked about growing up in Little Rock and everything he responded, “Well, it again goes back to growing up in Little Rock.” I think he is trying to show everybody that growing up in Little Rock was not your average place. In 2010, Little Rock consisted of forty two percent African American and almost forty nine percent White. This is more balanced than when the 2000 Census was taken and was fifty five percent white and forty percent African American. The topic of segregation and discrimination is not going away.
Since 1865, when slavery was abolished, it got rid of slavery but the discrimination still has not gone away completely. Even though slavery was abolished civil rights were still a vast problem in the United States through the 1950’s. Although the Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that “separate was not equal” there is still discrimination. The government can improve African American facilities and give equal opportunities to everyone but it won’t rid the community of their stereotypes and biases. For example, the N-word is used as a discriminatory term to describe an African American and it is still used today. This example also proves that discrimination isn’t over and brings up the question if it will ever end. Brown vs. Board of Education was 62 years ago and we are still having problems with discrimination. How much longer could it go on for? Another 62 years or maybe even 620 years? Nobody can predict but as history shows it’s not leaving as soon as we thought it
would.

Some people might ask what can be done to end discrimination once and for all and the real question should be why haven’t the people terminated discrimination yet? Some even ask why can’t the government step in and do something? The government has done their part with the amendment and court cases to show that discrimination will not be tolerated and segregation is over. Now it is just up to the people to stop the hate and improve the nation as a whole. Again, the government has done its part, now it’s up to you and your fellow citizens.