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( sobs )

This is not supposed
to be like this.

It can't be 50 years--
I can't--

feel this...
so strong.

It doesn't make sense.

It doesn't.

You're supposed to be
over it.

We thought we were
going to school.

We did not know that we were
going to run headlong

into the American
white supremacist

blockading people.

Newsreel announcer:
This is Central High School
in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The time is two hours
before classes commence

on the first day
of the autumn term.

The National Guard
is standing by

at every entrance
to the high school

because the integration
question is now facing

the citizens
of this Southern community
for the first time.

A crowd of several
hundred people

gathered across the street
from the high school--

all people
who favor segregation,

oppose the beginning
of integration.

First of all,
I'd like to say, sir,

it has been
the pattern of life
from time immemorial.

I am for segregation
because it's biblical.

Colored people
here in the South have got
better schools

than some of
the white kids
like it is.

Let 'em go
to their own school.

Announcer:
Several hundred
National Guardsmen

and state troopers,
armed with anti-riot equipment,

are standing by on the order
of Governor Orval Faubus.

Orval Faubus:
It will not be possible

to restore
or to maintain order

and protect the lives
and property of the citizens

if forcible integration
is carried out tomorrow

in the schools
of this community.

( crowd jeering )

Reporter:
Can you tell me
your name, please?

Are you going
to go to school here
at Central High?

You don't
care to say anything,
is that right?

This girl here
was the first...

Negro apparently
of high school age

to show up
at Central High School

the day that
the federal court
ordered it integrated.

She was followed
in front of the school
by an angry crowd,

many of them shouting
epithets at her.

President Eisenhower:
An extreme situation has been
created in Little Rock.

This morning,
the mob again gathered

in front of the Central High
School of Little Rock

for the purpose
of again preventing

the admission of Negro
children to that school.

Mob rule
cannot be allowed

to override the decisions
of our courts.

Reporter:
This is Central High School

the morning
that the colored students

are expected to return
back to school,

this time under the protection
of the 101st Airborne
Division.

Minnijean Brown:
The serious moment
is when we

get out of the car
and were surrounded

by the soldiers,

and that was something--

I'll never forget that.

I didn't care courts,
I didn't care soldiers,

I didn't care
presidents, governors.

I decided that I would
get in that school.

Reporter:
Central High School
in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The colored students
are in.

They're going to spend
a full day in there now

in integrated classes.

- ( buzzer sounds )
- Man: All right,
ladies and gentlemen,

that was the bell.
Let's walk.

Let's go, let's go!
That's the bell.

Let's go, let's go!

( students chattering )

( whistle tweets )

Time to go up!

( tweets )
Go on.

Hey now,
that whistle's too loud.

Woman on P.A.:
Good morning, Little Rock
Central High School.

As we move along
with our Black History Month,

I would like
to propose something

that we are going to try
to do today and Monday.

I want to do mix-up day.

I have observed-- it doesn't
take a rocket scientist to see

how all of you
sit with your friends

whom you've been with,
some of you, since
elementary school.

And I would like
to propose that you find

other people who are
different from you

to sit with
today and Monday.

I think that's
gonna be fun.

The quote for the day
from Jesse Owens,

Olympic track star, is,

"Find the good.
It's all around you.

Find it, showcase it,
and you'll start
believing in it."

Have a really great day
at Little Rock Central High
School.

Thank you.

Rousseau:
Is anybody
at this table

making a new friend
at lunch today?

Yeah, I'm making
a new friend.

Y'all are
already friends.

Y'all, the idea
is this--

you all segregate
yourselves at lunch.

I know you don't segregate
yourself on purpose

- because you don't like--
- We don't like sitting
inside the cafeteria.

Well, but my point is,

we have such
diversity here,
I want you to

branch out and connect
with different people
in our school

because I think that's
part of the beauty

of going to this
historic school.

Rousseau:
Central High School
has the very lowest

socioeconomic children
in Little Rock here,

as well as
the very top,

and it tends to be
black and white.

"Central High School, winner,
'Best Public School,'

'Arkansas Times.'"
Frankly, we win every year

for both newspapers
for "best high school,"

and it's-- it is--

it is with great pride
that we accept these awards.

It's also a problem
in some ways,

because the other high schools
are somewhat jealous of us.

I'm Floyd Smith.
I'm one of the security officers

at Central High School.

( buzzer sounds )

Smith:
Most of the poorest kids--

most of them
ride the busses here.

And you can see
the different makeup.

It's going to be
the majority, black.

A lot of these kids have
seen people murdered.

They saw people
get their car jacked.

They saw their friend
get beat up.

I mean, some of their parents
are on dope or whatnot.

Girl:
Your car is so
frickin' nice.

I cannot believe
your grandparents
got you that car.

But a big majority
of the white students--

most of them are
from the rich part
of Little Rock.

Their parents
are very well off.

This is the sophomore
and junior lots down here.

And most kids
when they turn 16,

they start driving because
the bus takes forever and stuff.

This is my car.
We're getting ready
to go home.

I'm taking my
little brother too.

He's a soph-- a freshman,
so he doesn't get
to drive yet.

He turns 16
in about a year.

Ellen:
Central does have a really
outstanding reputation.

Every year Central
produces, like,

probably the most
National Merit Scholars
in Little Rock.

When the colleges are
reviewing your applications

and they see that
you attend Central,

it definitely
stands out.

We live in an area
called "The Heights."

The Heights
has a reputation

for just being
a safe neighborhood
in a good part of town

and it's really old,
traditional-style houses.

This is my house
right here.

Ellen:
This is my mom,
Laura Doramus.

She volunteers in the office
and is a part of the P.T.A.

Education is very important
to my husband and me.

This is my oldest child, Mark,
who graduated from Central
last May

and he is now
at Princeton University,

a freshman there,
and really likes it.

And he has felt
like he's really
well-prepared for it too.

If you look at where
the graduates go from Central,

it is amazing,
the different schools.

There are so many that
are in the Ivy League.

Last year-- they have something
called "Early Action" at Yale

and three of the kids that
applied to Early Action,

all three got accepted.
Ellen might not like
my saying all this,

but she's never made
a "B" for a semester

since she's been there
and taken a lot of
A.P. classes,

and that's what it takes
to graduate at the top
of the class.

There's plenty of people there
who could afford to go
to private school,

but, I mean, you don't
really think about that

when you go to public
school or anything.

You just, you know,
get along with who has
good personalities

and stuff, not where
they live and everything.

And of course
it's about to be

the 50-year anniversary
of the desegregation.

There-- there's people
that could easily afford

to be in private school,
but again,

they really,
you know-- they--

they're looking for what
the public school has to offer,

which is diversity.

50 years ago, who would
have ever thought?

We are going
to the Central High
P.T.S.A. meeting.

And the P.T.S.A. is the
Parent Teacher Student
Association.

And they're usually at noon.
I'm very fortunate

that I stay at home
with my kids,

and so I can volunteer
at school and be there.

There are lots of parents
whose jobs won't permit it

and other constraints
and maybe more kids at home

and that
kind of thing.

And I hate that for them.
I feel like studies
have been done

over and over
that have shown

that when parents
are involved in a school,

kids are going to be
more successful.

- ( laughing )
- Don't even go there.

- How are you?
- Good. How are you?

The correlation
between family support

and a child's
academic success--

it's amazing.

Our kids mirror
what their parents do.

I mean, look at our communities,
look at our neighborhoods.

When was the last time
that you had dinner

or spent an evening
with somebody out of your
social group?

Well,
we are continuing

in our effort at Little Rock
Central High School

to pull more
of our minority students

into our upper-level
classes.

You know,
is it perfect? No.

But we've come
a long way too.

And that's what I continue
to tell people...

- all the time...
- ( laughter )

...is that we're working
on things here.

Doramus:
I think that
for a very long time

that the desegregation
in 1957

was a black eye
on Little Rock,

and people thought
of Little Rock as being
somewhat racist

when I think that
that's not at all true.

But I do think that she's
right, talking about

the things that you--
dinner on a Saturday night

or church on Sunday morning--
who are you with?

Probably most of us are
with people that live
in our neighborhood

and, you know,
are a whole lot like us.

There's just always
areas of improvement

that need to be made,
and Ms. Rousseau knows
what needs to be done.

They're just doing
the best that they can to see
that it is happening.

Male student:
Tonight I get sworn in
as student body president

here at Central.
Being a black student,

it means something
because of what happened
here 50 years ago.

You always have
to think about it.

It's something that you
think about every day,

because these are the same
steps that almost 50 years ago

they wouldn't let
the black students in.

The National Guard
had to escort everybody in--

these same steps,
the very doors.

It's a big deal.

Mr. President!

At this time,
I would like to ask

Mr. Brandon Love
to come forward, please.

- ( applause, cheers )
- Man: Whoo, go, Brandon!

I, Brandon Love, will
faithfully strive to execute

the duties of the office
of President of Little Rock
Central High School.

- Rousseau: Congratulations,
Mr. President.
- Whoo, go, Brandon!

Rousseau:
We are very, very proud
of our legacy

at Little Rock
Central High School.

I hope by now
everyone has heard

that "Newsweek"
has placed us

20th in the
United States.

( applause )

This distinction
is based on the number
of advanced placement exams

that our students take
at our school.

And I want you to know
that of all

the schools
in the state of Arkansas,

we have the most
advanced placement
scholars overall

for students for their
performance on these exams.

We keep getting
more and more awards
for our school,

more and more colleges
and universities honoring
our students.

So we're very proud.

Teacher:
Uh, homework!

Because I don't need you
to forget this by the time

you come to me next time,
'cause we've got to move on.

Wipe off my whiteboards,
please.

Put my erasers up.

And you all have
a good weekend.

( buzzer sounds )

Jackson:
Where are we as a school?

If you asked
a white teacher that,
I would bet you

nine out of 10 times
that they're gonna say,

"Oh, Central is just--
we're just everything.

Everything
is wonderful here.

All of our kids are learning,
and all the kids," you know.

And they have
no reality.

If you're living
in an A.P. world,

or advanced placement
world,

you are out of reality

when it comes to

students in this school.

- Woman: Tell Mama bye.
- Girl: Bye, Mama!

Mama needs you
to get in the car.

Bye.

Bye.

( engine starts )

Every morning my mom
takes the kids to school.

I get them ready every morning,
but she's always the one

that has to drive them
to school,

since I don't have
a license yet.

These are
all my trophies.

Before I had kids,

I was just continually
on the road.

I played
for a softball team

and we went everywhere.

And that's why I got
all these trophies.

We used to always win.

And...

once I had kids,
of course,

I couldn't travel

and I couldn't be gone
for long periods of time,

and so the trophies
just stopped coming.

This is
my sister Tina.

She has a son also,
a four-year-old.

I went to school
every day pregnant,

walking up and down Central's
steps in the 11th grade.

You see a lot
of single parents,

especially at Central.
A lot of people got kids
up there.

I know it's going to be tough
trying to go to college

and better myself.

And it's going to be double
on her 'cause she's got two

and I only got one.
( laughs )

- It's going to be double.
- Yep.

I usually leave the TV on
so people think there's
somebody here,

so they don't be trying
to break in, 'cause...

( groans )
a bunch of crackheads
around here.

Maya:
I live close to Central.

We live by this cafe that
should be knocked down,
but they won't.

And there's always crackheads
coming in and out of there.

And that's why we don't really
be outside or nothing.

Stay in the house,
away from everything

and everybody.

You just gotta
watch yourself a lot.

I'm running a little late
for school this morning.

It happens a lot.
( sighs )

Teacher:
Sit down, please.

Sit down
where you belong!

Am I going to
have to send you out?

Omar, get your book
and sit down.

And put that comb away
or it's mine.

This is called
the Scholastic Read
180 Program

for struggling readers.

These kids are very often
behavioral problems

partly because they know
they should be doing better.

They feel badly
about themselves,

and so rather than admit,
"I don't know how to do this,"

they want attention.
They'll cause problems.

But this was the population
in the school that really
needs extra help.

Come on, guys,
let's move it.
Shh. Just go.

Hilary, come
and sit down, please.

Omar, get at
the computer.

Guys, don't make me
have to repeat this.

Let's go, please.
You know what you
have to do.

Hilary, come
to the table.

Let's review.
Do you have your notebooks?
Where are your pencils?

- I don't know.
- Pens-- you've got
to have your notes.

Bring your notes.
Get them quickly.

- I don't got
no notes for these.
- Bring them,

or get a sheet of paper
and do them now if you
don't have them.

- You got some paper?
- Yes, I have some paper,

but, guys, this is
your responsibility.

Let's go.
Hurry up.

Tremaine?

Thank you.

Come sit down
with us, please.

We're gonna do
Act III, scene 5.

But let's talk about
the dramatic irony

and paraphrasing
on 162 first.

In "Romeo and Juliet,"
the irony of the--
the play

is that
the audience

knows things--
we know things

that the characters
in the play don't know.

That makes
for dramatic irony.
What is "irony"?

- Boy: That's a word?
- Irony?

- Yeah, what is it?
- Uh...

What is "ironic"?

Boy:
Uh, no clue.

Brooks:
Okay, "paraphrasing."
What is paraphrasing?

- ( kids overlapping )
- If you paraphrase something...

It means restating things
in your own words.

This is a reading
skill that we really
have to build up.

- ( buzzer sounding )
- Okay?

Gonna have to finish
another day, guys.

We ran out of
a little bit of time.
We'll finish tomorrow.

Yes, we will.

Keelan, behave
the rest of the day.
Don't get yourself in trouble.

Brooks:
It's the young black males

that we're having
the biggest problems with.

They're interested in other
things besides reading.

So it bothers me
that this class is a lot male

and almost all
African-American.

But that's
the elephant in the room.
You can't ignore it.

Male teacher:
I wanted to focus today

on concluding the war
and then also talking about

Vietnam after the fact.

Remember the term
"Vietnamization of the war"
meant this--

Nixon's policy of trying
to turn the war back over

to the South Vietnamese
forces

and to extricate U.S. forces
from the region.

Central's racial breakdown
is probably 60%--

or approaching
60% African-American

and it doesn't come anywhere
close to that in my classes.

My three African-American
young women sit

boom, boom, and boom,
right there, next to
one another.

They feel like they
kind of need to be together.

But, you know,
they're by far the minorities

in a school in which
they're not the minorities.

Brandon:
Here, look, you could
just use this.

I just talked about how, like,
there's an imaginary line.

Like A.P. is like
this imaginary line

that divides
black and white

in schools.

Brandon:
I just wrote us
a new opening,

so I just wanted to make sure
it was all right.

Male faculty member:
Go ahead, read it.

"While schools have been
desegregated, they have
not been integrated.

Imagine in today's public
schools, an imaginary line
called 'Advanced Placement'

that serves as not only
a divide in educational
promises,

but also a wedge
between races.

In many cases, this has also
become a racial boundary

accepted by many
and challenged by few."

- Woman: Powerful.
- Yeah.

- Brandon: And that's it.
- Yeah.

Brandon:
Central is still
pretty segregated.

It's just that we don't have
to have the National Guard here

to get into school
and to go to school.

At Central,
I take A.P. classes.

"Advanced Placement"
is what A.P. stands for.

I'm the only black person
in my class.

It's like two schools
in one, really.

Like, 50 years ago

the area around Central
used to be just all white.

Like these used to be
just the premier houses

around Little Rock.

And pretty much
the Central High neighborhood
was all white.

But, I mean,
times change.

The area around Central's
become all black.

This is a prime example
of segregated things
in Little Rock.

You don't see any white kids
at this Boys' Club.

All you see
are black kids.

You don't even see, like,
white people around.

You see
boarded windows here,

I mean, just places
where you don't think
people live at all.

It kind of bothers me that
black kids come to school

and we just come
to kind of chill,

whereas the white kids
come to get an education,
you know, they go on.

They do bigger things
in life.

I believe that's true

because black people,
I mean--

They just want
to play sports.

Yeah, I mean,
all they want to do

is go to school,

hang out,

play sports.

I mean,
that's basically it.

We could be doing
so much better, you know?

If it's been
over 50 years

and we're still in the same
position that we are

50 years
when they started,

I mean,
it didn't ever change.

Why do you think that,
statistically,

African-Americans
at this school

perform so much lower,
grade levels--

three or four grade levels
lower than Caucasians do?

Okay, Caucasian people,
most of Caucasian--

most of their parents,
they either went to college,

you know, graduated
from good colleges,

and a lot
of African-American parents
haven't went to college.

'Cause I know my parents,
they haven't went to college.
They didn't go to college.

And then it's like
African-Americans,

they have more
responsibilities
than Caucasians--

like, you know,
a lot of girls pregnant,

maybe your parents
on drugs or--

- And you think that's
more African-Americans?
- Exactly.

It's up on the kids
sometimes

to, you know, watch out
for your little brother

or cook for your sister
because your mom's
still at work

'cause she's gotta
work two jobs because
your dad's not there.

Or something like that.
It's more like that on us.

Raise your hand
for me if...

you know someone
in your family,

if you've had one of them
go to jail.

( kids laugh )

How many
of your friends

have been killed?

My uncle.
It was gang-related.

He got shot
from his bathroom
all the way to the front yard.

And my other uncle
was also killed.

- Ellender: So you've had two.
- In front of the grocery store.

- Two uncles who were killed.
- Mm-hmm.

For drugs?

And his cousin
shot him.

- It was gang-related.
- Ellender: Mm-hmm.

I had a brother to get--

it was in the middle
of a drug deal.

And, um, he was tied,

beaten, and burned
to death.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.
Jessica.

My friend that graduated
from here last year this summer,

she was murdered
in Southwest.

Um, she was stabbed
multiple times

and he threw her
in a dumpster.

Our majority--
the majority of black people

grew up in poverty.

And white people,
they don't understand that.

Ellender:
Why do you think
more black people

than white people
grow up in poverty?

I said 'cause we were slaves,
and he said

if white folks would have
never brought us over here--

Ellender:
You feel like it's
white people's fault

- that black people--?
- No.

I mean, yeah, initially
it is your fault.

Not every black person
came over here because
they were slaves.

- Girl: That's how it started.
- Tons of people immigrated
and stuff.

I don't see how he can
speak on something

he ain't never had
to really deal with.

It's not
in him. It's in us.
It's instilled in us.

We have to do good
because of everything
that happened in our past.

You've got it all fed
on a silver spoon since
you've been born.

You don't have to do nothing.
We've got to work
for everything.

Everything we have to work for,
you got it handed to you.

When you were born, they said,
"Oh, he's gonna be
the president.

Oh, he's gonna do this."
We've gotta work for it.

We can't even be doctors
or lawyers or whatever.

We've gotta work for ours.
You ain't gotta do
for nothing.

Especially black boys--
you're a male, you're black,

you're just bound
to mess up.

I believe it.
Because they build more
jails than they do schools.

I believe black people,
if we just really sat down

and looked at everything
that we got and what we can do,

I-- we--
( groans )

it'd be so different,
so different.

- ( buzzer sounding )
- ( chattering )

Little Rock police
are investigating

two more murders
in the capital city.

These are the 30th and 31st
homicides in the city
this year.

Benny Johnson:
On a record-setting pace.

These crosses here,
they represent

each time a homicide happens
here in Little Rock,
Arkansas,

to bring awareness
to black-on-black crime.

We talk about
50 years ago,

what happened at Central
High School was historical.

But the tragic of it is
the same neighborhood

where the federal troops
came out,

same neighborhood
where nine young kids

struggled
just for an education,

has just been
turned into a war zone--
black-on-black crime.

No longer is it
about racism.

People want to use that
like an excuse

and say, "Well, racism
is the cause of this,"

but we've got to become
keepers of our own gate.

We as black people need
to quit making excuses,

talking about,
"The white man got us down."

Now, the white man
don't got us down.

The white man does not hold
no gun up to our heads

and make us sell
and poison our community.

So we can quit
that myth.

Since 1992, over 600 blacks
have been killed by blacks.

We the biggest racists
against each other

and we need
to quit that nonsense.
That's all it is.

If these nine kids
put their lives on the line

for us to have an opportunity
to go into the school

and hav--
quality education,

and now we're looking at
a great number of dropouts.

- Right.
- I tell people
all the time,

- Martin King's dream
has become a nightmare.
- Mm-hmm.

Williams:
The city is ready to
celebrate Central High School,

but I'm wondering are they
really ready to celebrate

clearing up our streets,
stopping the black-on-black
crime?

And it's critical.
It's critical.

When we come back here
for a celebration in September,

they certainly won't
want the world to see

that kind of structure,
that kind of vacant,

unsafe,
hazardous structure

this close
to a national monument.

Boarded structures,
vacant lots--

and it's almost like
somebody dropped a bomb

and tore up
the community.

Most often we want
to celebrate how far
we've come

and we don't want
to look at some of these

ugly reminders
of how far we have to go.

Woman:
♪ O'er the land ♪

♪ Of the free... ♪

♪ And the home ♪

♪ Of the... ♪

♪ Brave. ♪

( applause )

Thank you very much
and welcome--

welcome
on this wonderful day.

The importance
of Dr. Martin Luther King,

particularly to this city,
is certainly something

that is particularly
underscored in this year 2007,

as we are on the eve
of celebrating

the desegregation
of Central High School,

which will be coming up
later on in this year.

I think Dr. Martin
Luther King would be
particularly disappointed

in looking around
the neighborhoods

around Central High School
and our mid-cities

and looking at
what we have not
accomplished yet

in terms of a community.
And as your mayor,

I hope that I can
contribute in some way

to trying to rid ourselves
of those elements
of segregation.

Richardson:
You're looking
at the portrait

of Governor Faubus.
He was a key figure

in the integration crisis
of Central High.

He, of course, sent out
the Arkansas National Guard

under the pretenses
of protecting the students.

The real reason
they were there

was to prevent
those young folks
from going to the school.

And it was done
right here.

Who would have thought,
who would believe

that 50 years ago,
those very nine kids

who were prevented
from going to Central--

in this building?
I mean, this was ground zero

for them trying
to stop that.

50 years later,
you will have as a
lasting monument

statues of those
very nine kids

out on the other side
of the Capitol.

And when you look
at those films

or you see it on TV,
you're kind of far removed,

'cause you're looking
at something visually.

It's through a TV screen,
through a lens.

But once you get up close,

and it's almost like
you can touch them
and feel them,

then you look and say,
"These were just kids--

16, 17-year-old kids

who wanted nothing else
but equal access

to education,
equal opportunity,

something that all Americans
are supposed to have."

And this touches me
every time I come out here,

'cause I just think that...

I often wonder if I was
a teenager back then,

would I have had
the courage that
these folks had?

I just think it's a symbol
of how far we've come,

but I think
in many cases

it's also
a stark reminder

of how far
we have to go.

Especially when
you visit those schools.

You go back
and look at Central,
you visit the classrooms,

you visit
the cafeteria, you look
at the achievements,

you look
at the reading levels.

We still have
a long way to go.

White people are
so racist at this school,

do you know how many?
They are worse than me.

- Student: I don't know 'em.
- They are worse than me.

- I don't know 'em.
- I'm sorry, I'ma admit it.

I'ma admit it.
I'm a little bit racist.
I'ma admit it now.

- I'm going to
admit it now. I'm sorry.
- ( all exclaiming )

- ( applause, laughing )
- Student: Take that off
the camera, man!

- Student: Shh!
- But everything is not
to keep the black man down.

Everything is not to make
the black man look bad.

Everything is not
to make the black man
look poor and raggedy.

Yes, they are.
Yes, they are.

- "Everything is against him,
the black man."
- They are!

- Everything is not
against the black man.
- Everything is against us.

Mahomes:
I'm at this point that

I do believe that Central
is two schools.

I believe
it's a black school
and it's a white school

in the same building.
I do.

There's some talk now
among black leaders

that before
integration

that black students
actually did better--

that black schools
produced black males

who became scientists,

and black schools produced
students who could read.

'Cause back in the '50s
black people had something
to prove

'cause they-- you know,
they weren't still
getting the respect

- that we kind of
have today.
- Right.

And a lot of young people
don't see that today.

And so they're like,
"Oh, I'm in school."

- "So what?"
- There you go.

You don't think
that black students
are competing now?

- No. No.
- Some parents
don't even care no more.

It's just, "If you
don't do it, oh, well."

Not everybody
has what it takes
to be a true parent.

Some people just--
I would think then

some people just
need to probably
give them away,

get 'em adopted
so a better parent
can take care of them.

Mahomes:
But we're talking
about black youth now.

You guys are
telling me that so many
African-American parents

are just
not good parents?

- Yeah.
- Mahomes:
Oh, baby, please.

- You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, still.
- Girl: That's true.

Just 'cause you got kids
doesn't mean you can be

- a good daddy
or something.
- Yeah.

You just got
that kid, you give
her money and stuff,

that ain't
gonna do nothing.

Me and my daddy,
we have the understanding--

he ain't seen
no report card
since ninth grade.

But I ain't
in the ninth grade no more,

so he knows I'm
getting my stuff done.

And that's how
he'll tell me.
He was like,

"I ain't gonna worry
about your report card,

'cause you're
in the 12th grade now.

Last one I seen,
you was in ninth grade,

- so I know you're
handling your business."
- Shawn, you know I know

that you
could do better.

- Come on, baby.
- Shawn: Yep.

Okay, then. That's all
I wanted you to say.

- Lekeisha?
- Every time I bring my report
card home to my mother,

she is-- usually,
I always have an "F"

'cause I'm
not good in math.

So I used to have
an "F" in math,

but she knows that I--
she always seemed not that
disappointed in the "F."

You cannot accept
that you don't know
how to do it anymore.

- You're gonna
have to do better.
- ( kids chuckle )

You're gonna have to
try another strategy.

If the one that you're
using doesn't work,

you're gonna have to
try something else.

- Um, okay--
- ( buzzer sounds )

- Bye, Miss Mahomes.
- Mahomes: Bye.

Y'all be good, baby.

( students chat )

I feel
that it's a crisis.

I tell
my students that,

but I don't really believe
that they understand

that if something
doesn't happen...

so that they can pass
the same test,

then down the road

they're not gonna be able
to get the same job,

they're not going to
be able to make enough money
to support their family.

No.

We should be--
the gap should be closing,

but it doesn't appear
that it is.

My name's
Antron Pearson.

I go to Central High.
I'm on my way

to Coach Richardson's
classroom

to tell him about
the incident back at home.

I got kicked out
of the house,

so I'm going up to his room
and talk to him about it,

tell him
what's going on.

Keith Richardson:
I'm hoping she's just not
kicking you out on the street,

saying it don't make
no difference where
you go or what you do.

- That's what she's saying.
- I'm hoping and praying
that's not the case.

She bust in the house
and said, "Antron,
you gonna have to

get the eff out
of my house right now.
I don't want you here."

So that's
what happened.

To put you out and say,
"Go fend for yourself,"

it's just not fair,
'cause it's tough.

- Yes, sir.
- But you're a boxer,
you know what tough means.

- Yes, sir.
- So we're gonna have to
dig down, man.

We have to get
you stable so you can
get back on track

- with your academics.
- Yes, sir.

'Cause regardless
of whatever happens
with your boxing, man,

you have to have
your education.
All right?

Here at Central,
there are a lot of kids

that have situations similar
to that of Antron--

there's a lot of kids
facing a lot of things

that children
shouldn't have to face

that won't
allow them to focus
on anybody's education.

"Where am I going to
lay my head?

How am I going
to eat?"

That is no position
for any child to be in.

Right now I'm staying
with my sister

'cause I had an issue
with my mom back home.

So this is
where I'm at.

Well, my dream in life is
to be a professional boxer.

I know
my little brother Rico,

he'll be out there
with his friends,

and I know they're not
doing nothing positive
with theyselves.

You know, if you
got skills like
he does with boxing,

you can take it
far, you know?

Because
you're good.

You're really good at it.
You're just still amateur

and you can't turn pro
until you...

- Yeah.
- ...get a certain age
or whatever.

Tonight I got a rematch
with a guy I fought

a couple of weeks ago.

I'm gonna try
to knock him out
in the first round.

And people
are gonna be like,
"He going somewhere."

Yeah, I am going
somewhere.

When I get pro,
what I'm gonna do,

I'm gonna buy me
a house,

give my family
a better life to live.

I just want--
I don't want them to work,

I want to do it,
you know what I'm saying?

Take care
of my little sisters,

and I'm gonna be the one
that do it for them.

- Woman:
Good job! Yay!
- ( bell rings )

( crowd shouting )

Hands up, baby.

( cheering )

Stop! Stop!

- ( cheering )
- ( bell rings )

Ellender:
Your problem is
not going to class.

If you don't go to class,
you can't do well.

So this is your interim
for this whole nine weeks.

You can't miss
one more day.

Not one more day.

Because if you miss
10 days in a semester,

then we have to
report you

and then you could
fail the class...

- All right.
- ...just for not being there.

Unexcused absences--
10 or more and you're done.

You and I have had
this talk before,

and it scares me
to death.

What if you
get knocked out
and you're 24?

24-- I don't think
about stuff like that.

I don't think about,
"I'm getting knocked out."

But eventually
you won't be able
to box anymore.

- Have a plan B after--
- To fall back on.

That's exactly it.

- All right.
Well, I'll see ya.
- Antron: Okay.

- Ellender: Bye.
- Antron: Bye.

Ellender:
Antron, he can't read.

He may read
on a third-grade level.

He's got
a low "F" in Spanish 1.

He's got a 16--
low "F" in Biology 1.

He's got a 57,
"F" in Drama.

He has a zero
in World History, "F."

Too many absences
to pass the class at all,

so he doesn't even
have a shot at getting--

at being able
to pass these classes,

which means
it's a waste of a year,

a waste of a semester.
He'll have to retake
all these classes,

which means
he'll be a freshman,

a ninth-grader
again next year,

and will be
18 years old.

He is banking
on boxing,

and this is just
one of those kids that--

it's scary
because he's got
people trying to help him

and he's not--
he's not doing what it takes
to even go to class.

And so it's really--
it's depressing

and-- and frustrating.

Depressing
and frustrating.

And so those are
the students that I teach.

Most of them
are black.

And then,
so I'm the golf coach.

Hee!
Complete opposite.

I've had one girl--
one black girl try out.

And all the rest of them--
22-- are white.

- Ellender:
Fore. Come on.
- Fore. Fore! Fore!

Ellender:
Wayne, your turn.

Let's see how close
you can get to theirs.

There's a huge gap
between...

the success level
of standardized testing scores

with African-Americans
and white people.

And George Bush
has done a lot to try
to close that gap,

but it's still--
I mean, it's just huge.

And the students
will tell you--

the African-American
students will tell you,
"It's because we're lazy."

And when they graduate
from high school,

they graduate three or four
grade levels below

where the white kid
graduates with.

Yeah, I think we live
in a different world

than black students.
When they're in high school,

they see their friends
making a lot of money

selling drugs or whatever.
But we're like--

where we are, we see
older parents making money,
having a family.

I think our parents try to
put that in our heads
a little more.

They see an easy way out
and they're just
gonna go for it.

And they don't care
about school.

If they get suspended,
it's just three more days
they can go do something else.

Ellender:
The kids that I have
on the golf team--

three of their dads
are doctors,

two of them are CEOs

of huge investing firms,

and, honestly, I can't think
of a mom that works.

They send their kids
to this school

because Central
is so well-known

and Central gets so many
academic opportunities

and money thrown.
So these kids come
for the academics

and the reputation
of the school

and what that
can do for them.

And the lower-income kids
are there

because they're
in the district and that's
where the bus takes them.

Black kids will just
stereotype you.

They'll be like,
"You have everything,"
when you really don't.

You also have problems,
but black people just
don't realize it.

A lot of the white kids,
they're the A.P. students.

They're expected to make
really good grades,

and their parents
are so successful.

It's not--
it's not

a hope or a wish
that they go to college,

it's just how good
the college is gonna be.

And my black kids,
a lot of times they're proud

to be the first one
in their families to graduate
from high school.

That's-- a lot of the pressure
with the white kids is,

"You've gotta be
perfect in school."

The black kids' parents,
they don't really
put that in you

to where you can
just do whatever
you want, really.

( silverware clinking )

Central's
pretty different for me.

I guess I'm not
really like everybody else.

These are my neighbors.

A lot of people
come over here, like,

"Why do you got white kids
on your mirror?"

But I love these two.
They live next door--

Alex and Laura.

I've pretty much always lived
in white neighborhoods.

I carpool to school
with white kids.

If we pass any bus stops,
you'll see there aren't
really any black kids.

They're all white kids--
if they ride the bus.

For the most part,
they drive.

I really want to go
to a good college.

This is, like,
my "Elite Eight," I guess.

That's what I called it.
Duke, Southern Cal,

Miami, North Carolina,

UCLA, Vanderbilt,
Texas, and Ohio State.

Basically, living in
this neighborhood,

everybody being smart,
you kind of want to fit in.

My one-house-over
neighbor Tyler

is a real smart dude,

and I kind of just
took after Tyler.

He does-- I mean,
Tyler does it big,

so I try to do
whatever Tyler does

because I see him
making it--

kind of like
a role model.

I've got a bunch
of inspirational posters
in my room,

just because
when I was younger,
somebody told me that

surrounding yourself
with inspirational stuff

makes you more apt
to succeed at it.

This is my car.

I just got it
not too long ago--

'06 Altima
Special Edition.

This is my neighborhood.

Racially speaking, this is
like an all-white
neighborhood.

Living in this neighborhood
is causing me

to be able to cross
a lot of boundaries.

Growing up out here,
when you're little,

race isn't a factor.
You don't really care,

you just play
with the kids
up the street.

( horn honks )

That's my boy,
Mike Holliman.

That's my boy Andrew,
Andrew Terry.

We ride
to school together.

Throw one of them
discs in, Terry.

- ( hip-hop music playing )
- Uh-oh. You know
how we got to do it.

( snapping fingers )

Brandon:
This is the
senior/teacher lot.

The students
that do have money
and drive to school,

this is more
where they park.

( car alarm beeps )

( P.A. system beeps )

Good morning,
Central High School.

Will you please rise
for the Pledge of Allegiance?

All:
I pledge allegiance
to the flag

of the United States
of America

and to the Republic
for which it stands,

one nation under God,

indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.

50 years ago,

I guess I definitely
wouldn't have been
leading the pledge.

But...
I don't know.

Now the school's
a little bit different...

for the most part.
Right now we're on our way

to A.P. English
for this all-white class,

except me, I guess.

Man:
The thing about
Wordsworth and Coleridge

was the love
of walking, right?

And when they would get
together, lots of times

that's what
they would spend
their afternoons doing,

is walking around
in beautiful areas

and talking about life
and discussing

how they were going to
change the world.

Give me two lines.
All right, Maya.

Kim, can you
throw me the ball?

- Woman: Back.
- Man: Good throw.

All right, Whit.

Maya:
Mommy!

- Hey.
- Whoo.
We made it back.

This is my mom,

and this is
my son Cantrell,

and this is
my daughter Carrie.

I'm in the 10th grade.
When I had my first daughter,

I was... 13.

And when I had
my son, I was 15.

Grades fell down.

People said
that I might drop out.

My mom wasn't,
like, angry.

She was more disappointed
that I didn't wait

and that I decided
to have sex at an early age.

With the first one,
it was like,

"Okay, we made a mistake.
Let's get back on track."

But then the second one,
it was like, "Oh, can we ever
get back on track?"

That was a lot harder.

Come here.
You're gonna fall.

Her grades are struggling
right now, but she's
trying to get back.

It's not easy,

'cause right now,
Maya just turned 16,

so she is not
licensed to drive.

So I have to take them
to the daycare

and pick 'em up.
And so that's kind of hard--

struggling
to stay at work,

not take off
a lot of time.

Okay, Maya's gonna bat now.
You ready?

You got this, Maya!
Wait on it.

( shouting, cheering )

Teammate:
Good job!

Good job.

Maya:
My mom helps me out
a lot,

a great deal

all the time.

- ( daughter yelps )
- My baby's father's name

is Antwan Harris.

He's still in school.

He tries
to do what he can.

( grunting )

- Mom: Bye.
- I love you.

( baby cries )

- Okay, come on, you guys.
- Okay, that's my part.

Maya:
Antwan, come get
your daughter real quick.

I gotta do
my song.

- I know.
- ( crying )

Hello, darlin'.

You got me
your lunch pass,
in there, right?

- You want the phone?
- ( pop song playing )

You're
the singer.

I don't know
all the words.

All:
♪ Stacy, can I come over ♪

♪ After schoo-
ooh-ooh-ool? ♪

- ( giggling )
- ♪ After school... ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ In my school... ♪
( laughing )

We just basically
plan on getting
married one day.

( laughs )

I-- I'm assuming
you think different.

Maya:
I really want to get out,
get us our own place,

and I want
to become something.

I'm not quite sure
which one I want to become,

but it's between
a designer,

- a beautician, a teacher...
- ( child shouts )

...or some type of drama.

I want to be
an actress.

I want to be
a choreographer,

show people how to dance
in the videos.

Having two kids

and not
already accomplishing
what we need to do,

I think it will be
quite a challenge.

Having to put all our
dreams and stuff on hold--

whew-- I don't know,
it's just difficult.

Rousseau:
Where are we
headed, sweetheart,

without an agenda book?
Where are you going, babe?

- To choir.
- To choir?

They asked if I'd
run some errands.

- To the what?
- The choir.

Okay, but where
have you been?

Had to run an errand
for my teacher.

Okay, let's get to class
right away for me, please.

It is our goal
at this school

to have all students
on grade level

with literacy and math.

And frankly,
that's not the case.

We get some of these students
in the ninth grade

who come to us
and they have

reading levels
in the third and fourth grade.

How in the world
can a student

go into a civics class
in the ninth grade

and be successful

if he or she reads
on a third-grade level?

Tough.
Very frustrating.

- Rousseau: May we come in?
Thank you.
- Uh-huh.

- Is this an A.P. class?
- Yes.

- Is this an A.P. class?
- Male student: Yes.

Rousseau:
This is an advanced
placement class.

The majority of the
advanced placement classes

are not
African-American.

People who want to look
at a negative side

will always say
about Central High School,

"Oh, Central High School--
they were integrated
in 1957

and the school
is still segregated.

It's segregated
academically."

You know,
the problem with that is

that the students
who sign up to be
in the class

have to be willing
to step up to the plate

and it's difficult
to recruit

minorities
into these classes.

Why are you in here?

I think I'm different

because I come from
an underprivileged background

and I don't
want to be that way
after I graduate.

And I know if I don't try,
I won't have money
to go to college

and I will stay
here in Little Rock
and I'll be here forever.

And I'll be one
of those people that are
sitting on the street.

I am who I am--
underprivileged.

I am the normal
African-American student

and I want to leave.

I might not have an "A"
in this class,

but I know I'm putting
my heart into it.

And I know I'm passing
and I'm doing good.
( sniffles )

These kids-- you know,

some of them don't
understand or realize

what the opportunities
are here

and so they kind of
blow it off.

And other kids do,

but they may not have
the skills.

And that's the total
frustration for us--

is to get them those skills
so that they can--

so that they
can be successful.

Other students in this class,
you don't realize how much
you have.

Some of you have
so much support
behind you.

There are kids in this school
who's never had anybody
read them a book,

who don't have
a dictionary in their home.

Can you imagine?
I mean, how do you--

how do you overcome
some obstacles,

academically,
to be successful

when you don't have
the advocacy?

Most African-American students
don't want to try.

They think that just because
"Oh, there are so many white
kids" in their class,

that "because I'm black,
I'm not gonna be able
to do well,

not be able to try hard enough,
to do this or do that."

And so most people stay
where they're comfortable.

They stay in regular classes
because they know

that's where
they're successful.

And I think it's more
you have to want to try

at least one time,
to see just how good
you are,

and most of our
African-American peers
don't want to.

They want to stay
where they're comfortable.

When I meet students
who maybe--

who don't come
from the background

that some of you
come from

and I see them
struggling to make it,

on the one hand,
I'm so proud of them,

and on the other hand,
I'm totally frustrated

because I want to fix it.
And it's not something

that I or Miss Colburn

or all your teachers--

you know, we can't all fix it.
It's hard.

It's a very,
very controversial,

political situation.

It really takes
all of us.

It takes the family,
it takes the community,

it takes the school,
it takes the child.

And that's how
we get there.

Rousseau:
You can tell how emotional
this issue is for me

and how hard it is.

You know, that young lady
who spoke there--

I've had my eye on her
for two years.

Somehow, in all
that she's been through
in her life,

she shines,
she stands out.

And if I could,

I would try to find
in these 2,400 kids

every child like her,

to try to pull her up,
to pull them up.

There is a special feeling
at Central High School

unlike other high schools
around the country.

September 25th, 2007,
we are going to have

the 50th Integration
Anniversary Commemoration

out in front
of Central High School.

The President
of the United States
will be coming

along with former
President Clinton

and all the other
dignitaries,

and the class
that will be out there
is your class.

( cheering )

So you are
very special.

And I want you
to believe that,

but I want you to believe it
in a very positive way

and partner with me
to make sure that all of you
are on the right track

to be successful
and to graduate.

We have seniors
every year

who don't graduate.

It's awful, terrible.

It's very important
to us

that we send you off
with all the skills

that you're going to need
to be successful.

That's my hope for you.

My name is Angelica
and I am

one of the few
African-American females

that takes mostly
advanced placement classes.

Teacher:
It was a different
time period.

And it was a much more
violent time period.

- And in Rome, remember...
- It's violent today.

- ...when Caesar came
to power, Caesar said...
- ( chuckles )

- You just see a side now.
- ..."The republic is
already dead."

I mean, they had
already had civil war.

You had civil war
between Caesar and Pompey.

You had
civil war before that.
I mean, they had one...

- One civil war after another.
- ...civil war after another.

Teacher:
And they had people
after people after people

fighting for power...

( radio chatter )

( students chattering )

( bus engine idling )

( bus drives off )

Not enough people
are recognizing

that we are trying,

because if you take
an A.P. class

and you are
a black student,

you're more likely to fail
your first time around.

But I feel
like sometimes

we're not being
recognized for trying.

I don't know,
maybe that's why

a lot of people
don't even try,

but this is something--
I know there's more out there

and I know I can do
better than this.

This is where I live.

It almost looks like
we don't live here anymore.

It is incredibly small.

I used to call it
our "half a house."

Our stove doesn't work.

The sink doesn't work.
And when we told our
landlord that,

he was like, "I'll fix it,"
but some things just
never get done.

So we have the buckets.
This is our bucket system.

Every time
you have to wash dishes,
you have to put

a whole new thing of water
in there.

That's kind of
our storage.

I guess that's
where the heater and
the air conditioner

are supposed to be.

This is the room
me and my brother
share together.

This is his side of the room
and this is my side.

We share a closet.

This is my
brother Carlos.

He is 14,
goes to Horace Mann.

We are as different
as night and day.

I actually love
to be in school,
whereas he never has.

My mama, I know
she had me and my brother
when she was young,

but she's not
like this person
who is always out.

She hasn't brought, like--
I know a lot of people
my age--

their mama will bring
different men around
all the time.

My mama's just the opposite
of the people around here.

I look at my son--

sometimes they don't
particularly like school,

so we have to,
as parents and teachers
and counselors,

kind of encourage them,
especially when we're
talking about

what it's going to mean
for them in the future.
We need to encourage them more.

You know, the critique of
how Central is two schools

is completely unfair.

Advanced placement to me
is not about background
or income.

It's what you have
and what you put forth.

There are students
that will take advantage

of everything that's there
good for them and there are
those who won't.

It's all about
that student

and what they're willing
to take advantage of.

This is my poster
about myself.

This poster sums up
my thoughts

of Little Rock
Central High School
completely.

I'm striving to be
more than what I am now.

And that's kind of
what success is.

I'm on my way
to being that person

that I can be.

And I think that's really
what this is all about.

Central is
where things happen.

If you want anything
to really, really happen,

Central
is where you go.

( people shouting,
whistling )

The minute they walk in,
we walk out.

Mm-hmm.

It's not right.
They have schools
just as good as ours.

- They don't have to go to ours.
- It would be different
if we had a choice,

but we don't
have a choice
like they do.

See, they can go to ours
or they can go to their own,

- but we have to go
to white schools.
- White children

have rights too.
Negroes aren't the only ones
that have a right.

Man:
Elizabeth Eckford,

age 15, 11th grade.

Ernest Green,

age 16, 12th grade.

Minnie Brown,

age 16, 11th grade.

I see it like this--

we are allowed
to participate in anything
with the exception,

as wars
or anything that--

um, would you
cut that out?

Minnijean Brown:
Everybody wants to say
we're courageous

and we're just
extraordinary,

but, no,
we're giggling

just like teenagers would

and sort of having fun.

( people shouting )

Brown:
But women

in gloves and hats--
white women,

were screaming obscenities

and death threats at me,

and I was 15 years old.

That stuff is powerful.

It actually persuaded
the governor,

who had the power,

to use the Arkansas
National Guard

to stop nine kids
from going in the school.

I don't think

anybody gets the idea

of what that was like.

I'll tell you one thing
before we start--

God, this room disturbs
the hell out of me, okay?

( students chuckle )

Come here,
one person at a time,

and look at this room.
My God.

Check this room out,
people.

- ( students chatter )
- Take a look at this room.

No, I'm talking about
take a look at the room

and tell me what
I'm disturbed about.

This must have been
one of your classrooms.

No.
( chuckles )

Just keep looking.

- Just--
- Um...

Student:
Oh, okay, I see it.

You see it?
What?

Okay, Caucasians on this side,
blacks on this side.

- Brown: Come look.
- Girl: But it's always
like that.

Brown:
Oh, so it's normal because
"it's always like that"?

It's always
been like that

from the Founding Fathers
to 2006?

We're not gonna
change anything?

It's gonna stay
like this forever?

Oh, my God.

And that's what people
say about Central, okay?

They say
it's segregated.

- It's just
the way that it is.
- "Way that it is"?

It's just
the people that you
feel comfortable with.

It doesn't matter
if they're white, black.

It's just who you,
your personality--

who you feel that
you're comfortable with.

Any answers over here,
on the white side?

If I'm the only one
that changes

and nobody else changes
in the whole school

and I'm the only one
that walks into
the cafeteria,

it's not gonna
be a difference.
It's just gonna be me.

Excuse me,
are you sick?

( tapping )

I'm talking.
Sit up.

There's a whole thing
that is called

institutional racism,

so you're not really
deciding very much,

which I'm sorry
to say.

We are sitting here,

maintaining ideology,
process and practice

that started
with the inception
of our country.

So imagine--

just for the heck
of it,

imagine what
it feels like,

a veteran of the
Civil Rights movement--

to sit here

and watch this class
configure itself.

If you look at, for instance,
Little Rock today,

we still line up
on two sides of color.

And if we keep on saying

and talking about
and doing

the same things
that we've been
doing forever,

we're going to
stay the same,

and I'm really sorry
for us.

I'm Minnijean Brown.

I'm thankful
for the many people

who have stood by us
and worked diligently

in our struggle
for a perfect democracy.

And my prayers go out
for those people

who have suffered
because of our ideals.

Park ranger:
We're standing on the grounds
of Central High School.

On November 6th, 1998,

President Bill Clinton
signed an act

designating it a National
Historic Site.

It's the only
functioning high school

within the National
Park Service.

So it's very unique.

These nine black students

were the
very first black students

to ever go to
Central High School.

And they became known
through the media

as "The Little Rock Nine"

and that name has stuck
ever since.

My mother is Minnijean
Brown Trickey,

who was one of
the Little Rock Nine.

She's the one student
who did not make it

through the school year
because she was expelled

for verbal retaliation.
You know, oftentimes

when you see those
black-and-white pictures

and you hear the word
"history," you think of it

as kind of detached
from you.

But this is your history,

this is my history,
this is all of our history.

It's very important
American history,

and that's why this is
a National Historic Site.