AR HR1008

Six African-American seniors (Richard Lindsey, Gerald Persons, Harold Smith, Eugene Hall, Frank Henderson, and William Henderson) from Scipio Jones High School attempted to enroll at North Little Rock High School on September 9, 1957, accompanied by four ministers.

The students were physically blocked from entering the school by other students and white segregationists; by noon, a crowd of approximately 200 segregationists had gathered despite police presence equipped with nightsticks.

Superintendent F. Bruce Wright advised the six students to remain at their all-black high school, stating he did not believe integration would work given the hostile crowd's temperament.

The North Little Rock School District did not desegregate until September 3, 1964, when eight African-American students were admitted to the all-white Clendenin and Riverside elementary schools.

The House of Representatives honors the courage, dignity, and perseverance of the North Little Rock Six and their families in their struggle for civil rights.