Go back to Africa

[BOSSHOG]

50 years ago today a 15 year old Black girl attempted to enter Central High School in Little Rock but failed because of National Guardsmen called out by Governor Orval Faubus (to stem violence? Perpetrated by whom?) White students and citizens cussed and spit on the girl and she heard "go back to Africa." As if she and her family got on a plane in Niger or Liberia and flew first class to Little Rock to enjoy the welfare state. 50 years ago today, conservative values in all their glory in Little Rock Arkansas.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. As young as I was at the time (not quite 11 years old)

I remember all that very well.

[yardwork]

2. ...and today, what are some in our country saying?

Thank you for this thread, BOSSHOG!

[BOSSHOG]

3. Yeah

Go back to Africa. Why are you here anyway? How'd ya get here? And why didn't you leave the ninth ward before the hurricane? (The ninth ward was in pretty good shape after the hurricane was north and east of the city, it was those damned corps of engineer levees busting loose that fucked up the day.) Conservative values would be the source of so much humor if they weren't so damned pathetic, sad and dangerous.

[Hope springs eternal]

4. I must be sleeping.....

Becuase my graduating class had more colors in it than a box of crayons. What's the point of this other than to insunate we still live under Jim Crow and inflame people?

[BOSSHOG]

5. Those who forget history are bound to repeat it

and as long as those who attempted to integrate Little Rock Central in 1957 are still alive the story should not be swept under a pile of crayon boxes. Not to mention those who by god wished we still lived back in the good old days.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Are you familiar with the Jena 6?

[Hope springs eternal]

11. Yes I very well am

And believe me, If I found someone who hung a noose anywhere near an African American, they'd be hanging fron a noose themselves. BTW, are you aware of the Knoxville Murders:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18745632/

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. No.

Why should I be?

[Hope springs eternal]

20. Maybe you should click the link then......

Beucase apparently, it's a two-way street.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. I read the link.

It's a random act of violence and has nothing to do with race or the Jena 6, and white supremacists are using it for race baiting purposes.

So why again do you think it's important?

[Clark2008]

43. Not really.

The better articles that explain more about it are in www.knoxnews.com, but you have to be registered to read those.

It's important because of the shitstorm it's created here, btw (I live in Knoxville).

[coco77]

35. We don't have to insinuate...

I heard of a family in the south who still thought they were slaves and wouldn't believe it when the reporter told them they weren't.

[Clark2008]

42. And I heard of a family up North who bought the Brooklyn Bridge

Oh come on... that didn't happen!

[Bethany Rockafella]

39. I believe this month is the 50 year anniversary.

n/t

[Bunny]

6. I astounded by the courage of that girl, and her parents.

This Norman Rockwell painting always got to me, too. It's Ruby Bridges in New Orleans, 1960.

[DangerDave921]

8. OK

Not quite sure what your point is. I think we all know that race relations in the 1950's were abysmal.

And I would suggest that you be careful if you're going to delve back into history as proof of what a party did or did not stand for. If you go back into the first half of this century, you're going to find a lot of southern dems who were not the most enlightened when it came to race relations. Just my two cents.

Let's debate the world as it is today, without having to stir up ugly memories from 50 years ago to score points.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. Unfortunately, those white students who yelled "go back to africa"

50 years ago are in charge of things now.

[cali]

12. Actually, it wasn't white students.

The crowd abusing and yelling the black students was comprised mostly of adults. And they're either really old or dead.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Hardly.

[cali]

22. That picture proves exactly nothing.

Looks like mostly adults to me. In any case, I'm going by what I've read. I'll try and find some stuff.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

25. That picture shows students in their teens, maybe late twenties.

Quite likely live and voting today.

The idea that those people who protested desegregation and civil rights are a thing of the past is just wishful thinking.

[Bryn]

30. Teenaged Girls back then looked so much older

A picture of my mom at 17, she looks 30! It's true. Teenagers look so much younger today. I don't know why. Also my best friend showed me a pix of her mom when she was 14, in that pix, she looked 30 also!

[yardwork]

33. Well, the blonde on the left of thephoto has an armful of school books

Looks like a student to me. So does the brunette woman behind her.

[Bryn]

29. Wow! This beauty looks so cool

with some stupid woman opening her mouth wide behind her and others look on with disapproval look on their faces. Amazing picture, truly.

[yardwork]

10. I think that you are missing the point of the OP. This IS the world as it is today.

Turn on talk radio and you'll hear people screaming that "those people" should just "go back to Africa." Pick up a paper and look at the quotes about "Mexican people taking over our country." Click on the comments section on your local TV news website and prepare to see your hair curl.

Even here on DU.

[DangerDave921]

19. Have to disagree

I drive a lot and I listen to a lot of talk radio from all spectrums. I have to say I've never heard people screming that those people should go back to Africa.

And I have to disagree that 1957 Little Rock represents the world today. That's just wrong. Look at all the progress that's been made.

[BOSSHOG]

26. Isn't it nice to know

the reasons why progress had to be made? You are correct, 57 Little Rock is not the "world" today but come on down to South Mississippi and I'll take you to parts of the world where you can reminisce.

[countingbluecars]

32. Some progress,

but we have a long way to go toward equality. Consider New Orleans after Katrina, prison population statistics, the dropout rate for minority students, hate crimes, homeownership statistics, etc. People may not be screaming go back to Africa, but prejudice is alive and well.

[wicket]

40. Progress has been made but there are still plenty of racists in this country

Anyone who tells you otherwise is living under a rock.

[DangerDave921]

44. OK

Who said otherwise? I just disagreed with the person who said that 1957 Little Rock is our world today. And it simply isn't true. Of course there are a bunch of racists out there.

[wicket]

46. Man, you're all over the place

:hi:

[pampango]

31. You do hear "go back to Mexico" very frequently and not just always

at the RW sites.

Of course, here at DU the phrase is usually classed-up a little and becomes "self-deportation" or "they will leave when the jobs dry up" or something along those lines. It is usually presented as an economic or "rule of law" issue, not an issue of race or ethnicity.

But the "these people should just go "home"" sentiment is alive and well, just not directed at African Americans as often as at other groups today.

[BOSSHOG]

14. The democrats of the 1950's are the republicans of today

Racists changed parties, its as simple as that and was done by design by the grand old party. And racism is a conservative value, that is consistent. Whom am I scoring points with? 50 years ago today Ford introduced the Edzel. To some, that is certainly stirring up an "ugly" memory. Should I pass on that, forget that part of automotive history and concentrate only on the Fusion?

And why pray tell is the world the way it is today? Because of events and peoples actions of 50 years ago? I find it more important to stir ugly memories then just to forget them because that would be convenient and not so messy.

[Lars39]

16. You're referring to the Dixiecrats...they switched parties and became Republicans.

[AspenRose]

45. Those southern dems ended up switching to the GOP

That's why LBJ said the south was lost to the Democrats for a generation after he signed Civil Rights legislation.

[Quantess]

13. Orval Faubus?

His momma should have named him Bubba or Roscoe instead.
:silly:

[BOSSHOG]

15. I've always been confused at his motives

He called out the national guard to quell violence? Who was the implied cause of the violence or the perpetrator of the violence? A 15 year old girl walking to High School? Was his intent to protect her?

[Quantess]

23. Well, in any case, I think it was wise to prepare for violent incidents.

I'd bet the black girl was relieved to have them there.

[yardwork]

34. Republican governor of Ohio called the National Guard to "quell violence" at Kent State

The motives were probably very similar.

[mopinko]

48. as richard j daley famously said, in 1968

after giving chicago police orders to shoot to kill protesters- "the policemen are not there to create disorder. the policemen are there to maintain disorder."

thanks for the history lesson boss. seems it is lost on some.

[Link93]

24. The same sort of things are happening there today.

What a short distance we have come.

[Oilwellian]

27. Bosshog, you might like this video I did a few weeks ago

A Time of Dissent - I used many historical photos from that era.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSw-RGexyic

[BOSSHOG]

28. Thanks very much My Friend

[question everything]

36. We are still sending them back to Africa

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1730469

[Bethany Rockafella]

37. It's still being said by some.

And some may not say it but wish it in their mind.

[wicket]

38. K & R

:kick:

[bobbolink]

41. Ah, yes, "United We Stand"..... = "Go back to Africa, Mexico", etc.

Wadda country....

[wildeyed]

47. Dorothy Counts integrates Harding High School in Charlotte, NC.

The Charlotte Observer did a story about it just yesterday.

On Sept. 4th, 1957, a 15-year-old girl named Dorothy Counts took a walk that changed Charlotte.

A crowd taunted her all the way to the doors of Harding High School.

But she walked through.

And she became one of four black students who integrated the city schools that year. But what about the other people there that day? And How has that day lingered with them over the years?

Today we tell a story not just about Dorothy Counts, but about the other faces in the crowd. And about the photograph that captured them all.

And from another article they ran....

"One thing that surprised me," Tommy said, "is that even though we've written about Dorothy several times over the years, nobody from that school ever contacted her and apologized. Not the teachers, not the principal, not the police. And you can tell that, deep down, this still bothers her."

More here. http://www.charlotte.com/counts/

[Spazito]

49. An excellent article, very thought provoking

Thanks for posting this, Dorothy Counts was a very brave young woman with a great deal of dignity and grace.

[wicket]

52. Amazing

Finding out where a lot of those people are now - great link!

[kineneb]

50. I remember seeing the photos, as a child.

My grandparents could not stand racism and were appalled at the treatment of people in the Civil Rights movement. I was not yet 10 years old when MLK Jr. was assassinated, so I know what you are talking about.

How little has truly changed, especially among the "conservative" (racist) crowd.

[wicket]

51. .

:kick: