Fire from the Rock is a historical fiction novel that is set in 1957 Little Rock Arkansas when their schools are forced to desegregate.
Summary of Fire from the Rock
Sylvia Patterson looks forward to going to high school. The latest and biggest issue in Little Rock is that the schools are ordered to integrate. Sylvia’s older brother Gary wants to be one of the chosen students that will integrate Central High School in the fall. However, due to Gary’s short temper, he is not one of the chosen students. Instead Sylvia is one of the selected students to be interviewed because she is smart and level headed.
The students who are chosen to integrate Central High are prohibited from school functions or participating in school clubs. For some students, participating in school activities is more important to them than taking a huge step to make history. On the other hand, some of the students are willing to sacrifice school dances and clubs in order to open the doors for future generations.
Throughout the summer, several acts of violence are committed around town. As the first day of school approaches, Sylvia is unsure if going to Central High School is worth it. She faces pressure on what decisions she should make. Now Sylvia must decide if she is ready to make this big step.
Beyond the History Books
Students today can’t imagine what it was like to attend segregated schools. They also can’t imagine the pressure, injustice, and frustrations faced by Sylvia, her brother Gary, and the real life nine students who integrated Central High School. For many, this may just be a story from history and something that happened a long time ago. They may not fully understand how it connects to them and the challenges and obstacles older generations had to endure.
Sharon M. Draper discusses and explains the pressures and obstacles these students faced before and after they integrated Central High School in a way that any student can understand. Sylvia and her family face injustice and acts of violence. Despite these challenges, they still maintain a hope for a better future.
The Arkansas Nine
On May 24, 1955 the Little Rock School Board adopted a plan to desegregate its school. This plan was known as the Blossom plan or the Little Rock Phase program. The plan called for the desegregation of Central High School in the fall of 1957. This plan also called for gradual desegregation of lower grades within the next six years.
The Little Rock Nine included Carlotta Walls, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Terrence Roberts, Miinijean Brown, and Melba Pattillo. The Nine’s entrance into Central High School sparked nationwide attention and crisis when Arkansas governor Oval Faubus defied the federal court order by calling on the Arkansas National Guard to prevent The Nine from entering Central High School. President Eisenhower responded by sending in the National Guard and units of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne division to protect and escort the students into the school on September 25, 1957 and remain at the school throughout the academic year.
Even though The Nine were finally permitted to enter the school, they had to endure harassment, which included shoving, kicking, and verbal harassment. While the National Guard escorted the students to class, unnfortunately they could not protect them everywhere they went.
All of the nine students endured physical and verbal harassment. However, Minnijean Brown responded by retaliating. She was suspended and later expelled for dropping a lunch tray with a bowl of chili on two white male students. Minnijean later referred to a white female student as "white trash."
The other eight students remained at Central High School, and on May 27, 1958 Ernest Green became its first black graduate. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended the graduation ceremony.
Source:
Draper, Sharon M. Fire From the Rock. 2008. Speak. ( ISBN:13: 978-014241995).
The Little Rock Nine.The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture.
