By Taylor Paraboschi

Elizabeth Eckford, one of the original students part of the “Little Rock Nine” shared her heart-wrenching story to a full audience Tuesday night, as a part of the NAACP’s 100-year celebration.

“I am not a pioneer,” Eckford said as she began to address the audience. “I’m a different person now than I was then. I was a shy submissive child.”

She explained in great detail the less-than-fortunate

circumstances that she, along with many other children, experienced growing up in he rural South. She discussed how before the government started to desegregate high schools in 1955, they built a separate high school solely for

African-Americans. “They just built [the high school] so that they could say that we had something equal to them,” said Eckford. However, the high school that was erected for them was far from being equal to the ones that the white children attended.

When Little Rock, Ark., was finally forced to desegregate their school in 1955, the

circumstances were less than ideal for Eckford. “I expected some people to talk unkindly, but I thought that once they got to know me they’d be kind,” she said as she recounted the verbal and physical abuse she and the other eight African-American students endured as they tried to enter into the school building.

The verbal and physical

taunting didn’t stop once the nine entered the building. Eckford recounts how one of her history teachers was particularly hateful with the comments she made during class. “She made outlandish statements about slaves being treated well and that slavery ultimately lead them to religion,” she said adding that the teacher even refused to come into physical contact with her.

The verbal and physical taunting didn’t just come from the teachers either. Eckford recounted numerous stories of a fellow classmate, Minnie Jean Brown having soup poured on her by other students, among other things.

On one particular occurrence, Brown was hit with a purse. In retaliation she yelled at the girl and was expelled. However the students who poured soup on her and hit her with a purse were never expelled or r

eprimanded in any way. “When we were getting beaten and students turned their backs on us, it felt like we were getting exactly what deserved.”

Even though most students were hostile towards the nine African-American students, there were some students who reached out to them. “There were two students in my speech class who talked to me as though I was a human being,” said Eckford adding that because of their kindness she looked

forward to speech class every day.

When asked if she still keeps in contact with any of the other members of the Little Rock Nine,” Eckford responded that “to this day [they] are tied together like combat soldiers, until death.”

“In extraordinary times,

ordinary people can do

extraordinary things,” said Eckford as she talked about the need to stick out the

harassments that she and the others endured at school. “If we didn’t hold on I don’t think desegregation would have

happened until the 1970s.”

Eckford urged the audience members to “develop their own voice and to never let anyone else speak for them.” She urged the audience to “reach out and support someone,” adding that you never know when your

support “might help someone continue on-to live another day.”

She went on to stress the fact that racism is more than just individuals committing acts of hatred. “Racism isn’t

individuals acting out, it’s supported institutionally. If you don’t change the people you associate with, if you don’t change your beliefs, nothing will change.”

When asked if she had any advice to give to the students here at the University, she urged them all not to give up. “As a student, you will face obstacles, that’s life. Those obstacles will make you stronger.” She went on to stress the need for the ‘N’-word to be abolished. “When a black person uses it, it tells people you have racial self-hatred. It tells other people it’s okay to use the word. Let’s burry the ‘N’-word.”