Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision supporting school integration, the Little Rock, Arkansas School Board agreed to integrate by the 1957/1958 school year.
"In 1957, nine brave, black students pioneered a path for thousands of future scholars in the halls of this great school. September 25, 2007, will mark the 50th anniversary of the integration of Central High."
The Encyclopedia of Arkansas has an excellent, illustrated article on the Little Rock Nine, with links to additional articles on the desegregation of Central High, Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, and the Lost Year.
