Arkansas History/Black History Thoughts. Even though February's over.

I am teaching Arkansas History to the elementary kids in our local home school group. My planning today got me thinking about Central High. When I was growing up away from Arkansas, my family still saw Arkansas as home. So whenever I got a new history book, I would look up "Arkansas" to see what it had to say. In the Pre-Bill Clinton days, it was always the Central High story. And that always made me feel ashamed of Arkansas. It is a shameful thing, and something that should never be forgotten. But today I realized that it's only something to be ashamed of from the white point of view. Black Arkansans hopefully see it as something to take pride in. I thought of the courage it took for those young black students to face the lions and grab the best education they could, paving the way for generations to follow. So when I teach those children about Central High, I plan to focus on the victory, the amazing accomplishments of the Little Rock Nine.
Photo creds: Marquette University