The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American high school students who, in 1957, became the first Black students to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They faced intense opposition and hostility as they challenged racial segregation in public schools following the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. The nine students were Ernest Green, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls.
Their brave action expanded civil rights in education and drew national attention, including federal intervention by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who sent troops to protect them and enforce desegregation. The Little Rock Nine are celebrated as pioneers in the fight for equality and civil rights in America.
