Arkansas State press., 1957-10-18


ned the following poem, and dedicated to the chd,
are attending school at Central hi under the protect
the federal government
Nine boys and girls in Little Rock
Went to school when it opened but received shock
Instead of being allowed the door to walk thru
Armed guardsmen pulled them back saying this amt
for you.
The children stunned by the awful blow
Followed the guardsmen from the door
With heavy hearts and puzzled minds
They walked behind them thru the lines
AS they walked past shouting, jeering mob
NO doubt they were wondering where is God?
Am to be denied education because I'm nlack?
I'm sure God will see that they take us back.
Where ever the pledge of allegiance is given
We always stand up with the rest
With our faces turned toward the Red White, and
Blue;
And our hands upon our breast.
We not afraid of the shouts and the ieers
Nor the faces of the angry mob
We are just shocked to know that in Arkansaw
There are SO many who know not God.
Elizabeth Eekford and Dorothy Counts
Will go down in history
They walked through the ieering shouting mob
With courage and dignity.
Why armed guards should be summoned to keep us
from school.
The whole world wants to know;
Nine boys and girls in a Little Rock
A city in Arkansaw
You may be keeping Crispus Attacks,
Who was the first for freedom to fall
Or Benjamin Banneker who made the first clock
To hang Americas wall
You could be keeping out Harriet Tubnan or
Sojourner Truth,
Two who made history
In the fight for freedom showed courage and strength
For the of liberty
1t could be Frederick Douglas you're keeping out
Or great Scientist
Like George Washington Carver who startled the
= world
With his God given discoveries
Don't keep the nine of us back guardsmen
For have news for you
There may be among us Mary McCloud Bethune
Who was one of Americas Who's Who.
Arkansaw you can't hold us back
We due education.
Among us there may be Daniel Williams,
Who performed Americas first heart operation
You remember World War Il when you needed
blood?
We gave to you a Charles Drew
Who created the idea of blood plasma
For that reason you should let through
Don't stop u.s. guardsmen let us go
# our faces are black night
Like other American Boys and girls should go
thru that door
Blood of our fathers and brothers gave us that right
Who have always obeyed the law.
We can't help it because we saw the light of day,
In Little Rock In Arkansaw
Take us back, guardsmen, must go to school,
We must have education.
Remember you may need another Ralph Bunche
On the Board of the United Nations.
Baseball time is here, remember Jackie Robinson,
Joe Louis and Sugar Ray made fame
So don't keep us back for have the notion
To make for ourselves a name
Who gave to America her folk music?
Who taught her to laugh and sing?
1t was that race of Aemricans from which we come
Who can cry laugh, and make the walls ring
Come on guardsmen, let's 60 back
/ hear somebody singing,
It's contrato voice, it's Marian Anderson
Listen, it sounds like bells a ringing.
Look guardsmen, here comes Uncle Sam
With his soldiers to guard through,
We knew he would come and save the name
OF the Red, White and Blue
Thanks, Uncle Sam Gro what you've done
We're going to obey the law
We're the nine boys and girls who had an awful
shock
In a Little Rock in Arkansaw