Notes on A Mighty Long Way, by Carlotta Walls LaNier
Ballantine, 2010
summer 2012 – Evergreen O-week – E.J. Zita
Forward – Clinton – 25 Sept 1957 Little Rock Nine entered Central High School
Carlotta Walls (b.1944), Minnijean Brown, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Elizabeth
Eckford, Ernest Green, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, with mentors Daisy
and L.C. Bates
1987 – 30th anniversary at Arkansas Governor’s mansion, where Gov. Faubus had laid his
plans to keep them out of school and use the turmoil to win himself a third term
Carlotta’s intelligence, controlled energy, kind wise look in her eyes
1997 Central High welcomed the Little Rock Nine with respect and gratitude – come a long
way, but not all the way.
Little Rock Nine Foundation – scholarship for underserved students, who then mentor the
next year’s scholarship winners.
Civil Rights Movement was led by “unlikely candidates”
PROLOGUE (xi) Remembering Cental High – 50 years later
Clinton said they thought “Here I am, Lord, send me.” Carlotta: I hadn’t intended anything
heroic when I signed up to attend Little Rock Central High School… (xii, xiii)
8 survived that turbulent first year. Just 2 returned in her senior year. Home was bombed 3
months before graduation. The morning after my graduation, I took the first train out of
Little Rock …shaken by the bombing and its traumatic aftermath, the rest of my family soon
followed…
For 30 years I didn’t utter a public word (xiv) … To this day, Mother and I have never sat
down and held a serious conversation about that time…
I’ve pushed myself to remember (since) 1987, guests of Clinton and NAACP…
Remembering abuse at school (xiv, xv)
Quest for healing and greater understanding… this book is a result of that journey (xv)
Salute to family and parents, who ingrained in me the quiet confidence that… I was not a
second class citizen, that I deserved the quality education …
Hard-working black entrepreneurs in control of their own economic lives (until boycott…)
That is the point of this book – to show that determination, fortitude, and the ability to move
the world aren’t reserved for the “special” people.
Ch.1 – A Different World (3)
Redbrick bungalow at 15th and Valentine was the center of my world as a child …
description of family members, pecan trees
Papa Holloway (4) tall and slender, his father Hiram (5), wife Mary (6), girlfriend Dora
Holmes left home to them
Grandpa Cullins (8, mother’s father, didn’t marry her) big and tall like Thurgood Marshall,
sometimes crude, impatient. Contracting business (9)
Mother born to Erma Holloway while separated from his wife, Beatrice (Grandmother
Cullins). Her mother moved away (9).
Big Daddy, maternal grandfather? (7), Porter Walls (10), small, mahogany, smart, pool hall
and restaurant, day job at Tent & Awnings. “My grandfather owned land.” (11) Coatney
owned 360 wooded acres, ended up with Big Daddy (12). He often babysat CWL (13). She
hung out at meatpackers and pool hall.
Married Henrietta after she had his child. Third was CWL’s father, Cartelyou (12)
All the women died young.
Cartelyou + Juanita  Carlotta + LouJuana + Tina
Love of baseball (14,15)
Riding the bus (16,17)
Visiting NY as a child (17-26) – freedom up north – the world opened wider (26)
Ch.2 – The Playing Field (27)
Softball with white and black kids – segregated drinking hoses (31)
Neighbors – Mr. Mumford tells her the news (28), Mr. Fox a Renaissance man (29)
Schools – Stephens Elementary, Dunbar HS (31), hand-me-down books (33), reputation as a
top-notch school (37), sports etc.
May 1954 – Brown vs. Board of Education (32)
Central High School (33) great facilities, disparities with Dunbar (34, 35)
Philander Smith College (36) – historically black colleges created to educate slaves. Many
alums teaching at Dunbar
1956 – plans to convert Dunbar to Jr. High, build 2 new HS, one black, one white,
desegregate very slowly (37,38) “Blossom Plan: as little integration as possible for as long
as legally possible”
Summer 1955 – Emmett Till (38-40) battered and mutilated, photos in Jet magazine.
Mississippi became a fearsome place.
I still did not see Little Rock (the same). Public libraries integrated in 1951 (41)
Rosa Parks in Montgomery – black people feeling empowered (41)
Bus showdown– pride to fear (41-43)
Ch.3 – Birth of a Tiger (44)
Signed up for soph. year at Central (44-45). Good times with Daddy (45-47) and Mother
(48). Relaxed summer (49). Y-teen camp (50), parties at community center (51).
Papa Holloway died (52)
Ernie going to central too (51-52). Family reaction mixed (53). Gloria Ray wants to be
atomic scientist (54)
Pre-registration (55) Daisy Bates (56) Segregationists (57)
Meeting with superintendent Blossom (57-61) – no extracurricular activities, no self-defense,
no dating, no questions
Mother worried, CWL hopeful (61-62): Central Tigers
Ch.4 – Wait and See (63)
New school clothes (63), summer in pool,
Gov. Faubus (parents had voted for him) cavorting with segregationists (64). Speech about
anger and violence (65). Calling out Natl Guard (66)
“It would be my last night of innocence”
First day of school – black students stay home – no parents allowed. US District Court judge
Ronald Davies ordered school to proceed with integration (67). Daddy supports her.
Mrs. Bates will meet everyone and walk together (68- 70). Mob abuses them, they keep
dignity. Natl Guard keeps students out. (71)
Elizabeth Eckford mobbed separately (71, 72). Jane Hill … made that first terrible walk with
us, never returned (73)
Limbo: Kept out for weeks, interviewed, court hearings, Daisy Bates (73-75)
Homework packets, Philander Smith profs, Lorches, (75-76)
Student personalities (76-77)
Thurgood Marshall coming (77-78).
Judge Davies ordered integration again – civil rights hero (78-79). Natl Guard must go (80)
Faubus stormy speech threatens bloodshed (81) if students return
Ch.5 – D-Day (82) 23 Sept 1957. City police responsible for protecting 9. Rush in side
door. Elizabeth Huckaby, English teacher (84) treated everyone the same (86, 87)
Black journalists beaten, Wilson died 3 yrs later (84, 85). Mob hysteria (86), attacked white
journalists
Hallway harassment (87), sympathetic faces silent (88), whisked away midday (88,91)
Eisenhower’s speech (91)& order (92) – called out 101st Airborne (92-93,94)
Back to school, one escort each (97.98, 100)
Ch.6 – The Blessing of Walls (99) (beginning of PTSD)
New struggle – finding a way to survive – each day was a war. No training in self-defense.
Hallways (100) bad boys, stayed on guard (101), elbows, locker vandalism.
Didn’t bond with escort (101-2). “Thank goodness for the walls. At times, they seemed the
only protection I had.”
Troublemakers not caught. I got good at letting the words just bounce off… but not every
time… Some days I was so mentally exhausted that I didn’t have the energy to guard my
heart. (103)
Change of clothes in Mrs. Huckaby’s office.. daily harassment kept me on guard
everywhere… (104) avoid the cafeteria line. Sit with friends (105)
Daily debrief with Mrs. Bates (105,6) “My day was ok”
Teachers monitored verbal assaults, but “kicking, punching, spitting, choving, and shoulder
bumping continued” (106)
Honor roll (107) Rumors, colored socks. Stories spun by press on each side (108)
“This is important. It is history. You are helping to chnge the way America thinks about
race.” Part of me felt used… (109) Mrs. Bates staged a Thanksgiving dinner for the press.
Heel walking – bloody (110) Redheaded tormenter – crash (111). Assaults reported, usually
black students disciplined (112-113) Minnie suspended
I missed the laughter in our home (113). The world was watching us – our story was second
behind Sputnik (114). Mrs. Bates woman of the year
Bomb threats at school (114). Retaliatory attacks against Minnie (115). Mrs. Huckaby fair
(115). Some abuse documented (116). MinniJean to NY – better deal (117)
1 down 8 to go – segregationists incite violence (118) I felt like one big bull’s eye
Chapel became haven (118-119). Barbara Barnes pleasant – assaulted for it (119-120).
How much easier survival would have been if more people had taken a stand…
1. Tormenters
2. Sympathetic students, even if they did not outwardly show it… Becky, a kind girl, sort of
friendship with Gloria, under the radar (120-121)
3. Majority were silent, neutral, wanted the trouble to end (121). They chose not to see.
4. Small brave group – openly kind teachers and students. Mr. Bell, biology, chose to
see me. Liz Dolan, Robin Woods, Jenny Lee Ball chose her on teams) (122,123)
Consideration and dignity
Ch.7 – Star studded summer (124)
Segregationists boycotted Daddy – laid off again and again.
Supportive local paper & advertises boycotted (125-6)
Ernie graduated (127) – MLK attended (129)
(129) Flight to Chicago – honors, integrated luxury hotel. More fun than the whole year
(131) Cleveland – NAACP medal, banquet, fun
(133) NY AFL-CIO, NAACP, Thurgood Marshall, fundraiser, Drs. Kenneth & Mamie Clark,
Broadway, Lena Horne, photographer, tourists
(136) multicultural NY summer camps – Minisink – 4 weeks
(139) DC – Elks convention – segregated in capital, American Bandstand, gays, parade,
scholarships.
(140) Returning to hell
Ch.8 – Just a matter of time (141)
Jr. year – legal fights again – all 4 HS in Little Rock closed. Only 5/9 left (143). Mrs. Bates
asked them to stay in town. Hardship on her family, financially.
Football must go on, so teachers report to empty classrooms (144)
Private schooling for 900 white children. 675 students without HS – dropped out, mostly
black.
CWL correspondence school (145) lower quality. I missed learning, but I didn’tmiss the
stress or isolation (146). Bored – completed a year in one semester (148)
Much of Little Rock blamed Mrs. Bates and our parents (147)
(147) New school board (148) fires Sup. Blossom. Faubus wants supportive teachers fired.
(148) to Cleveland to school, with Christophers. (151) Aunt Maude estranged from “white”
siblings (152). Mrs. Christopher sends her back – not needy enough (153).
Accepted to college (153) but not ready (halfway thru Jr. yr). Short of credits – need summer
school (154) in Chicago with Aunt ME and Elmer Cullins Beard
Great Migration of the early 20th century (155) blacks to the north.
Chicago jazz scene, age 15 (156-162)
I looked forward to returning to Central. There was something I needed to finish.
Ch.9 – First semester Senior (163)
School ID card, not harassed at every turn. Chem teacher buddy with roughnecks X
Lonely (165). A few friendly whites + 4 black students, incl. Jefferson. Bunny & Peggy
gone. Little social life (quakers , 166) Telephone negative vibe. Just had to get through the
next several months.
7 Sept. 1959 – bombings of Fire Chief’s station wagon and school board’s office. (168)
Arrested segregationists (169). 3 years only (170)
College applications (171) Antioch said yes, but wait a year (171). Going to Michigan State
(174)
Ch.10 – An explosive night – 9 Feb. 1960 (a month before I was born)
“Call your daddy” (175). Windows shattered, glass on floor. (Family photos)
177-78 Realized that segragationists bombed house because of her attendance at Central –
chill
Back to school the next day – are you sure? Yes (180). Mother turned off the television, and
we never spoke about the bombing, as if clicking off the TV could erase every memory of
that horrible night.
No acknowledgement at school – I felt more isolated than ever (181) I had hoped for some
sign of their humanity
PR battles in press (183). Negroes did it? (184) Low reward. Worldwide support (185)
Friend Herbert Monts and Maceo arrested (186) – go on to school (187)
Herbert to prison
Herbert turned out ok (254…)