Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas Equal education is something that is taken for granted in the twenty-first century, however this was not the case during the 1950’s. After the Supreme Court ruling on Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, school segregation was all too common during the 1950’s, as the “separate but equal doctrine” was accepted. It was evident, however, that facilities for African Americans and whites were clearly not equal, as the black community usually got the short end of the deal. Among other lawsuits, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas attacked this doctrine in 1954, when Oliver Brown was rejected when he wanted to enroll is daughter into the closest elementary school, which happened to be an all white school. Sumner Elementary School was only seven blocks away, as opposed to her all black school, Monroe Elementary, that was a six block walk just to her bus stop. Brown’s victory in the court case overturned the previous “separate but equal doctrine,” paving the way for school integration and other Civil Rights Movements. The issue on school integration erupted in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Little Rock Nine fought to be accepted in Central High School and experienced hardships throughout their high school career to practice their equal rights attained by the 1954 Supreme Court ruling. One of the Little Rock Nine, Melba Pattillo Beals, wrote a memoir, Warriors Don’t Cry, that illustrated her life during the integration process. Numerous novels and films have been written, such as Glory Road (2006) portraying the dilemmas that African Americans faced during this time, a time when they had been given their rights, technically liberated from their cage, but at the same time, trapped by their skin color. Warriors Don’t Cry – by Melba Pattillo Beals The Affects of Brown v. Board of Education on School Integration Warriors Don’t Cry is a memoir of Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine. The Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 ended mandatory school segregation. Thus, after this decision, a group of African American children wanted to utilize this right and go to a previously all white high school, Central High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their decision, however, was not embraced by their community, as the nine “warriors” were threatened and still discriminated against. Beals accounts for a time when her eight friends and their teachers were threatened to be hanged if they continued to attend Central High School. She paints a picture of countless riots, insults, and mob threats that were directed towards her and her African classmates. She writes of a time when a few white girls attacked her in the gym locker room, scalding her with hot water in the shower. The Little Rock Nine encounter similar situations as they are shunned by their own governor, Governor Faubus, who sends the National Guard to Central High to prevent them from entering. Beals’s experience is taken from her diaries and her mother’s notes on the account, formulating an accurate and profound understanding of the hardships that each African American student dealt with during the beginnings of integration. A touching novel, the use of quotes from President Eisenhower and members of the NAACP during the time provides for a detailed understanding affects of the Supreme of the Court decision in 1954. The injustices that each of the Little Rock Nine suffered will always stay with them, as they come back to Central High School for a later, in the beginning of the reunion novel. decades Each student is successful in his or her own life, thus proving that the court’s decision and their own struggle was worth the battle. Glory Road A Walt Disney Pictures Production (2006) The Beginning of Integration in the United States Glory Road is a heart-capturing movie of a collegiate basketball coach and his underdog team in 1966. The movie is centered on a high school coach, Don Haskins, who loves winning – winning with respect and courage, and most importantly, winning with heart. When his dreams finally come true and he is asked to coach a collegiate basketball team, he moves his family to Texas to coach the Texas Western Miners. However, he realizes that in order to win, he needs to play the African Americans who, until now, have been benched against the white players. He recruits more African American players and promises them playing time. By then, the whole college community is stirring by this bold coach’s actions. In the NCAA championships, Coach Haskins makes the decision to start his African American players against an all white team, sending a message to the country about segregation and integration. Winning this championship, the players are able to show the world that they are equal to their white peers. Glory Road is an inspirational movie, as the troubles of these African American college basketball players are portrayed throughout the film. The team is victimized in the different towns they play in, as their hotel rooms are vandalized and spray painted with obscene phrases, and as they are beaten in diner bathrooms. However, their victory in the game and in spirit is what makes this movie motivational for the audience. Their relentless faith and determination, and their coach’s belief in their abilities are what truly make this a profound and meaningful movie.