The Little Rock Crisis: What Desegregation Politics Says About Us

265 Pages·2015·1.316 MB·English

by  Ravi K. Perry, D. LaRouth Perry (auth.)

The Little Rock Crisis
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The Little Rock Crisis
What Desegregation Politics Says About Us
Ravi K. Perry and D. LaRouth Perry
the little rock crisis
Copyright © Ravi K. Perry and D. LaRouth Perry, 2015.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-41099-3
All rights reserved.
First published in 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—
a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by
Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England,
company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has
companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United
Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-48919-0 ISBN 978-1-137-52134-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137521347
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Perry, Ravi K.
The Little Rock crisis : what desegregation politics says about us / Ravi K. Perry,
D. LaRouth Perry.
pages cm
1. School integration—Arkansas—Little Rock—History—20th century. 2. African
American students—Arkansas—Little Rock—History—20th century. 3. Central High
School (Little Rock, Ark.)—History. 4. Collective memory—Arkansas—Little
Rock. 5. Little Rock (Ark.)—Race relations. I. Perry, D. LaRouth. II. Title.
LC214.23.L56P47 2015
371.829’9607677309045—dc23 2014045759
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by SPi Global.
First edition: May 2015
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To L. N., Marlene, Rudolph, and Kathryn for inspiring
our search for our selves
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Contents
List of Figures ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction: A Meeting of Histories 1
Part I Ideas, Institutions, and Interests in the Little
Rock Era of School Integration 13
1 Perceptions: Black and White Views on Race Relations 17
2 A Life of Courage: Mrs. Daisy Bates’s Motivations and Leadership 27
3 Sacrifice: Profiles of the Little Rock Nine 35
4 Duty to Re-election: Governor Orval Faubus and Political Racism 79
5 Acquiescence: School Leadership Reluctance on Brown 93
6 Redemption of (Their) History: Voices of Active Segregationists 103
7 A Chance at Forgiveness for Little Rock: Media Coverage
of Central High’s Integration 135
Part II Contemporary Proceeds: Telling the Story 149
8 Witnessing the Crisis at Forty: Reflections of D. LaRouth Perry 153
9 Personal Stories: Little Rock Residents’ Oral Histories of the Crisis 167
viii ● Contents
10 Impact: Examining the Post-crisis Political Behavior
of Little Rockians 189
11 Us and the Crisis City: Engagement with Community
for Improved Democracy 207
Appendix 211
Notes 221
References 241
Index 249
List of Figures
10.1 Length of Residency and Crisis Influence 201
10.2 Process of Crisis Effect on Political Engagement 202