Little Rock, 50 Years Later

Title: Little Rock, 50 Years Later

Source: Newsweek Magazine

Author: By Ellis Cose

Date of Publication: September 2007

Summary:

This article details the present lives of the Afro American kids who fifty years ago-then aged fifteen- entered for the first time to a segregated school. Elizabeth Eckford, whose photograph appeared around the world; unrelentingly entering the school under the harassment of others kids; leaves aside in this article the halo of conquest and explain that it was not as easy as it seemed. She says that she will not do it again, and the others kids, the Little Rock Nine, now grown-ups agree with her in some points. First, they did not all entered to school the same day, and the one who did, had to do it escorted by officers. Second, some of the people who attended that school say that they felt at firsthand what some dismiss as ’subtle’ racism. What was written in American History as a conquest or even more, the “end of segregation” is highly contrasted by Elizabeth Eckorf experiences, including posttraumatic stress disorder, a hard life, and the feeling of segregation everywhere.

Personal Reaction:

It is incredible what a picture can create in the collective imaginary of a society. The first time I saw the so-well picture as well as some short films, I thought that they actually overcame by their own strength, but now, reading the article, I realize that that exact point was just the beginning of the struggle. They were only kids, wanting to go to school and having to fight against racism, both inside and outside the school. Now, being in their 60’s, these same kids explain how difficult was for them to make a living after school, because this event marked them for life. My critic on this is that little is known about what has happened after big events in history leave the spot light.

Vocabulary :

Probation officer
noun[C]
a person whose job is to regularly see people who have committed crimes and who are on probation, and to help them live honestly.
spirit (MOVE)
verb
spirit sb or sth away/off/out, etc. to move someone or something out of or away from a place secretly:
Somehow the prisoners managed to spirit news out to the world outside.
unruly
adjective
1 Unruly people are difficult to control and tend not to obey rules:
an unruly class of adolescents

2 Unruly hair is difficult to keep tidy, tending to stick up or out:
an unruly mop of black hair

unruliness
noun [U]
unrelenting
adjective FORMAL
extremely determined; never weakening in effort or admitting defeat:
She will be remembered as an unrelenting opponent of racial discrimination.

unrelentingly
adverb FORMAL
tarnish (REPUTATION)
verb [T]
to spoil the reputation of someone or something:
By this time a series of scandals had severely tarnished the leader’s image/reputation.

tarnished
adjective
harass
verb [T]
to continue to annoy or upset someone over a period of time:
Stop harassing me!

harassed
adjective
anxious, annoyed and tired, especially because you have too many things to deal with:
The supermarket was full of harassed-looking mothers with young children.

harassment
noun [U]
behaviour that annoys or upsets someone:
sexual harassment
grapple with sth (PROBLEM) phrasal verb
to try to deal with or understand a difficult problem or subject:
Today, many Americans are still grappling with the issue of race.