[ APPLAUSE ]
>>> SO, AS WE MARK BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE REMEMBER THAT DAY INRY
MONTH, WE REMEMBER THAT DAY IN SEPTEMBER OF 1957, WHEN NINE
BLACK TEENAGERS ENROLLED IN A
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.OL IN LITTLE
ROCK, ARKANSAS. THE TEENS WOULD BECOME KNOWN AS
THE LITTLE ROCK NINE.
AND THEIR ACTIONS SPARKED ONE OF
THE MOST PIVOTAL MOMENTS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.TS OF THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. ONE OF THE LITTLE ROCK NINE IS
MELBA BEALS.
MELBA BEALS.
THEN, SHE WAS A 15-YEAR-OLD HIGH
SCHOOL JUNIOR.
TODAY, SHE IS AN ACCOMPLISHED
AUTHOR AND RETIRED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR WHO JOINS US LIVE.Y
PROFESSOR WHO JOINS US LIVE. FIRST, HER MEMORY OF THOSE DAYS
IN HER OWN WORDS. >> I WAS NEVER UP FOR THE TASK.
PEOPLE THAT CALL US HEROES AND
HERE
HERE
HEROINES DONT KNOW. I ANTICIPATED THAT INITIALLY,
THEY WOULD NOT LIKE US BECAUSE
WE WERE OUTSIDERS.
BUT MY THOUGHT WAS, I HAVE A PONYTAIL, MY SHOES ARE POLISHED.
IN MY INNOCENCE, I THOUGHT, THEY
WILL SEE THAT I AM BRIGHT.
BRIGHTER THAN MOST OF THEM. BY THEN, I KNEW WHO I WAS..
BY THEN, I KNEW WHO I WAS. AND I KNOW WHAT IM CAPABLE OF.
AND I WAS SELF-ASSURED IN THAT
WAY.
WAY. I THOUGHT, AFTER A FEW WEEKS, IT
WILL BE OKAY.
I DIDNT WANT A BEST FRIEND.
THERES NO THOUGHT OF ME THAT
THOUGHT, THESE PEOPLE ARE
PRIMITIVE AND THEY WILL REACH
OUT TO HIT US.
I DIDNT THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE A PERSONAL RISK LIKE THAT.D
BE A PERSONAL RISK LIKE THAT. WELL, THE FIRST DAY I ARRIVED,
WE ARRIVED.
WE ARRIVED. WE HEAR THIS CLOUD GROUP OF
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
WHAT WE NOTICE ON THE WAY TO CENTRAL HIGH, THERES A LOT OF
WHITE PEOPLE IN THE STREETS THAT
ARENT USUALLY THERE.
THE CROWD WAS FIVE-DEEP OR
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING.
WERE LIKE, WHAT ARE THEY ALL LOOKING AT?WHAT ARE THEY ALL
LOOKING AT?
THAT DAY, WE GOT SEPARATED.
I WAS SEPARATE FROM THE GROUP. WE SAID, WAIT A MINUTE. GROUP.
WE SAID, WAIT A MINUTE. THE GUY SAID WE DONT HAVE TO GO
ACROSS THE STREET TO HANGING.
WEVE GOT IT RIGHT HERE.
AND HE IS TALKING TO MY MOTHER
AND ME.
AND ME. MY MOTHER WAS PETITE, SHORTER
THAN ME THEN.
SHE HAD AN HER HEELS.
AND WE STARTED RUNNING AS FAST
AS WE COULD.
SHE IN HER HEELS.
AT ONE POINT, SHE STEPPED OUT OF
THEM.
THEM.
AND AT ONE POINT, SHE STOPPED JUST A MOMENT AND HANDED ME THE
CAR KEYS.
CAR KEYS. AND I SAID, IM NOT LEAVING YOU.
AND SHE SAID, YOU GOT TO GO.
YOU GOT TO GO.
YOURE FASTER THAN I AM.
GO.
GO.
I SAID, NO, MAAM.
NO, MAAM.
AND SHE SLAPPED ME THE ONLY TIME INSLAPPED ME.ED ME THE ONLY TIME
INSLAPPED ME. SHE SAID, SAVE YOUR LIFE, I
WORKED HARD, YOU GO.
>> WOW.
>> WOW.
PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME MELBA
PATTILLO BEALS.
YOU ARE LOOKING AT ONE OF THE
LITTLE ROCK NINE RIGHT HERE.
[ APPLAUSE ] >> THANK YOU.
>> GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
>> MY BLESSING.
MY PLEASURE.
MY PLEASURE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. >> IN YOUR BOOK, YOU WROTE,
GROWING UP IN SEGREGATED LITTLE
ROCK IN THE 1950s WAS A DEEP
FAITH STRUGGLE.
FAITH STRUGGLE. THE FIRST EMOTION ILL WAS A WAS
OF, WAS FEAR.
FEAR IF WE DISOBEYED THE RULES.
AND YET, YOU RAISED YOUR HAND.
YOU RAISED YOUR HAND TO
INTEGRATE THIS SCHOOL THAT
SEEMED, FROM AFAR, MAGNIFICENT
TO YOU.
TO YOU.
>> TO THIS DAY, IM CALLED THE BEST NEWS REPORTER EVER BECAUSE
IM SO NOSEY.
[ LAUGHTER ]
YOU KNOW, IF I CAME TO YOUR
HOUSE, ID IMMEDIATELY ASK TO GO
POTTY SO I COULD CHECK
EVERYTHING OUT, YOU KNOW?
[ LAUGHTER ]
I HAD WRITTEN AROUND CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL SINCE I WAS LITTLE.
DONT SAY I CANT DO SOMETHING.
THATS WHAT IM ALWAYS GOING TO
DO.
DO.
WHEELCHAIR WALKER OR NOT, IF YOU
DEFY ME, I WAS BORN THAT WAY.
THEY SAID, YOU CANT GO TO THIS SCHOOL.ID, YOU CANT GO TO THIS
SCHOOL.
THIS SCHOOL WAS SEVEN, EIGHT
STORIES HIGH WITH ALL OF THE
EQUIPMENT.
IT WAS EIGHT SQUARE BLOCKS IN DIAMETER.GHT SQUARE BLOCKS IN
DIAMETER.
I WAS GOING TO A SCHOOL THAT
EVERY YEAR, THEY WOULD BRING
OVER THE THREE-LEGGED TABLE, THE
BROKEN TYPEWRITER.
AND I SAID, WHO PUT THEM IN CHARGE?AID, WHO PUT THEM IN
CHARGE?
AND GRANDMA WOULD SAY, IF THEY
KNEW BETTER, THEY WOULD DO BETTER.TTER, THEY WOULD DO
BETTER.
GOD LOVES US EQUALLY.
I SAID, LOOK, MOM, I WANT THEM
TO COME OUT AND BE IN CHARGE FOR
SIX MONTHS.
LET THEM DO JANUARY TO JUNE.
AND LET ME DO JULY TO DECEMBER,
IF GOD LOVES US EQUAL.
AND SHE WOULD SAY, NO.
THIS IS GODS TIME AND HIS WAY. WHEN ITS TIME TO PUT YOUR HAND
UP TO GO TO CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL,
DESPITE ANY THOUGHTS OF TYRANNY
OF WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN, I PUT
MY HAND UP.
I DIDNT REALLY ANTICIPATE --
DONT LET YOU BELIEVE THAT IM A
HEROINE.
HEROINE.
I THOUGHT, THEYLL BE MEAN. THEYLL CALL ME NAMES BECAUSE
THEY DO THAT AT ANY NEW SCHOOL.
THEY WONT LIKE MY BLOUSE, THEY
WONT LIKE MY HAIR.
>> DID YOU EXPECT THE THREATS ON
YOUR LIFE?
YOUR LIFE? THERE WERE ROPES PEOPLE WERE
HOLDING, WEAPONS, CALLING YOU
THE "N" WORD.
>> PEOPLE SHOOTING THROUGH MY
LIVING ROOM WINDOW.
PEOPLE THROWING ACID IN MY EYES.
PEOPLE THROWING LIT PAPER OVER
THE BATHROOM STALL.
AFTER A DAY AND A HALF, I
THOUGHT, INTEGRATION IS A MUCH
BIGGER WORD THAN I THOUGHT
BECAUSE I DIDNT UNDERSTAND WHAT
PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO DO TO
AVOID SITTING BY ME.
AND I LIKED ME.
I COULDNT FIGURE THAT OUT.
ALL MY LIFE, MY GRANDMOTHER
SAID, GOD HAS A PICTURE OF YOU
ON HIS REFRIGERATOR.
HE REALLY LIKES YOU.
YOURE PRETTY.
YOURE PRETTY. HE LIKES YOU.
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO KEEP
FROM SITTING BESIDE ME?
>> WHEN THEY PUT YOU IN THE
SCHOOL, THEY SEPARATED THE NINE
OF YOU AND SAID, YOU WANT
INTEGRATION, YOU GOT IT.
>> THERE WERE NINE9 OF US AND 1,
OF THEM.
OF THEM.
AND THE SCHOOL IS TWO BLOCKS
LONG, EIGHT BLOCKS IN DIAMETER.
IT WAS HUGE. WE SAID, COULDNT SOME OF US GO
TO THE SAME AREA.
I WAS IN ROOM 313.
AND YOU COULD SAY THE LORDS
PRAYER 12 1/2 TIMES UP THE THREE
FLIGHTS OF STAIRS.
YOU HAVE TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING. BEFORE THE MORNINGS OVER,THING.
BEFORE THE MORNINGS OVER, SOMEONE IS GOING TO TOSS
DYNAMITE DOWN THE OPEN
STAIRWELL.
STAIRWELL.
ARE THEY GOING TO HIT YOU WITH SOMETHING YOU COULDNT IMAGINE?
THE NAME CALLING YOU CAN GET
PAST, STICKS AND STONES AND ALL
THAT.
THAT.
BUT THE HITTING IS WHAT MAKES
YOU NUTS.
YOU DONT KNOW WHO IS GOING TO HIT YOU AND YOU DONT KNOW HOW.
ARE THEY GOING TO TRIP YOU?
ARE THEY GOING TO HIT YOU WITH
HOT WATER IN THE SHOWER.
WILL YOU OPEN YOUR LOCKER AND
BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN?
>> EVEN IF YOU WERENT FON
CONSCIOUSLY AWARE OF THE COURAGE
AND THE HEROISM, IN THAT ACT
THEN, DO YOU SEE IT NOW?
>> IVE ONLY SEEN IT SINCE I WAS
40.
40.
I DIDNT REALLY SEE -- PERHAPS
IT WAS THAT WHEN THE CONGRESS VOTED THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLDS
VOTED THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL OF HONOR, PERHAPS THAT WAS
THE FIRST TIME I SAW, OKAY,
MELBA.
MELBA.
THE REST OF THE TIME I THOUGHT, OKAY, IM QUITE FAMOUS. THOUGHT,
OKAY, IM QUITE FAMOUS. AND I TRIED TO AVOID THAT AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
IF YOURE SHOPPING IN THE
GROCERY STORE AND YOU HAVE YOUR
TACKY LITTLE LIST AND YOUR
BUDGET, YOU DONT WANT PEOPLE
FOLLOWING YOU.
FOLLOWING YOU.
AND TO BOOT, I WAS AN NBC NEWS
REPORTER.
PEOPLE LOCALLY DID NOT KNOW WHO
I WAS BUT THEY FOLLOWED ME ANYWAY.UT THEY FOLLOWED ME
ANYWAY.
AND SO, I TRIED TO STAY OUT OF
THE SPOTLIGHT UNTIL I WAS
WORKING FOR "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE. AND ONE DAY MY BOSS WALKED IN.
AND ONE DAY MY BOSS WALKED IN AND SAID, YOURE GOING TO TELL
ME THIS IS WHO YOU ARE AND YOU
WORKED IN THIS OFFICE MORE THAN
A YEAR AND YOU DIDNT MENTION
THIS.
THIS.
I WAS CRYING. AND SHE MADE ME DO AN INTERVIEW.
THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF, SHALL
WE SAY, A COMING-OUT PARTY.
>> I LOVE THAT YOU SAY THAT YOUR
GRANDMOTHER BELIEVED THAT GOD
HAD SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR YOU.
DID HE EVER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING
YOUR STORY AND FOR BEING HERE
AND FOR GOING THROUGH WHAT YOU
DID FOR ALL OF THE BOYS AND
GIRLS WHO FOLLOWED.
ALL THE BEST TO YOU.
>> MY BLESSING.
>> MELBAS BOOK, WHICH YOU MUST
GET RIGHT NOW, IS CALLED "I WILL
NOT FEAR: MY STORY OF A LIFETIME
OF BUILDING FAITH UNDER FIRE."
WELL BE RIGHT BACK.