A Mighty Long Way

A Mighty Long Way Synopsis

The nine black students who were chosen to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1957, were known collectively as the Little Rock Nine, but they were also individuals, each with a distinct personality and a different story. At fourteen years old, Carlotta Walls was the youngest member of this brave group, and this is her courageous true story. The journey to integration in a place deeply against it would not be not easy. Yet Carlotta, her family, and the other eight students and their families answered the call to be part of the desegregation order issued by the US Supreme Court in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case. As angry mobs protested, the students were escorted into Little Rock Central High School by the 101st Airborne Division, which had been called in by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower to ensure their safety. What the teens experienced was traumatic and life-changing. The effort needed to get through that first year in high school was monumental, but Carlotta held strong. Ultimately, she became the first Black female ever to walk across the Central High stage and receive a diploma. Adapted for young readers from the critically acclaimed nonfiction work for adults, readers will be moved and inspired by Carlotta's true story of courage, dignity, and perseverance. The struggle for equal rights continues. This account shows how the United States has come a mighty long way but still has a long way to go.

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