Little Rock, 1957-1961
Biographical / Historical
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students who were the first to enroll at Little Rock Central High School following the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The members of the Little Rock Nine are Ernest Green, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls.
Scope and Contents
Includes coverage of Little Rock Nine and the racial violence that occurred as a result of their enrollment at Little Rock Central High.
Extent
9 folders
16 oversize and legal-size folders
Dates
- Creation: 1957-1961
Arrangement
Arrangement of the General File series is alphabetical by subject, with document types and material from across the AFRO's regional offices interfiled. Subjects are primarily original description assigned by the creators of the collection over the history of its creation and use.
Terminology used in original folder titles evolved across many offices and generations of staff, resulting in similar collection content filed under varying terms. Researchers may benefit from searching a variety of related subjects and names.
Processing Information
This series has been processed using accelerated processing procedures. Folders have been sorted alphabetically by folder title, metal printing plates (called cuts) have been removed, damaged folders have been replaced, and the content of thick folders has been divided into multiple folders for physical stabilization.
Accelerated procedures use a minimal approach to editing existing legacy metadata for each folder. Folder titles are compared to titles on the physical folders, and discrepancies are resolved. Married women’s names are added when missing if their names are found in folder content. Unlike detailed processing, dates and document types are not added to folder records. The content of folders that require no physical remediation during processing is not reviewed because the folders are not opened, so in those cases legacy description created prior to the processing project begun in 2023 has not been verified, though it has been preserved and labeled “Legacy Description.”
For some large subjects in the series, more granular arrangement and description is done to facilitate research. For such subjects, dates, document types, and other details may have been added to description.
Researchers may discover errors and gaps in the description, or folders that need content warnings or notes about documents found in fragile condition. Archives staff welcome information to help us improve collection description.
Original Location
TN0504, TUB 080; TN0505, TUB 081; TN0305, TUB 041
Repository Details
Part of the AFRO American Newspapers Archives Repository