Warriors Don’t Cry
Melba Pattillo Beals

 

Chapter 1 Notes  (1-11)

 

• Melba is 15 years old when she integrates Central High
• Born on Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7, 1945)
• Scalp injury at birth due to the doctor’s use of forceps
• Nurses in the white hospital failed to wash her wound in Epson Salts as directed by the doctor
• Melba almost dies
• By the age of 4, Melba realizes the differences – colored bathrooms and water fountains
• By the age of 5, Melba learns she has no place in the white man’s world (Merry-Go-Round)
• Page 3, paragraph 3…read and know the importance. “…Blacks aren’t born expecting segregation…”
• Melba lived with her mother (English teacher), her father (worked on the railroad), her grandmother India and brother Conrad
• Mr. Waylan – the grocer who overcharges Melba’s family
• Melba’s father wanted to argue, but couldn’t for fear that Mr. Waylan would cut them off
• Melba disappointed and realizes for the first time that her father cannot protect her from the white man.  The white man was in charge

 

 

Chapter 2 Notes (12 – 23)

• May 17, 1954 –the U. S. Supreme Court rules in Brown vs BOE of Topeka, Kansas that “separate but equal” is illegal an unconstitutional
• Teacher – fearful of citizen response;  kids are sent home from school early and warned to watch for trouble
• Marissa – an older and bigger girl that Melba is afraid of;  she has behavior problems
• Marissa comes to Melba’s defense when an angry white man attempts to rape Melba
• The man is angry over the Supreme Court’s decision
• Marissa hits him over the head and tells Melba to run to escape
• Grandma India has Melba soak in a tub of water to “..wash away the white man’s evil…”  She then burned the clothes Melba was wearing
• Mother Lois, Melba’s father and Grandma India decide not to report the attempted rape to the police for fear that the white policemen might do something even worse
• News about the Brown case fills newspapers and TV
• The papers report that Little Rock had adopted a plan to limit integration into Central High School
• Meanwhile, Melba, unbeknownst to her mother or father, signs up to attend the white (Little Rock) High School in the fall
• The school year ends and Melba and the family (minus her father) drive to Cincinnati, Ohio to visit Uncle Clancey and Aunt Julie
• Melba loves it in Cincinnati as she is accepted there by the white people
• Whites smile at her and are friendly
• The vacation comes to a halt when Melba’s father calls to tell Mother Lois that Melba was chosen to attend the white high school in the fall
• Mother Lois is furious as Melba made this decision without consulting the other family members and the danger she has put them in
• Melba just wants to stay in Cincinnati, but now must prepare to return to “all Hades breading loose”…as Grandma India puts it

 

 

Chapter 3 Notes   (24-32)

• Melba and family return from Cincinnati to Little Rock
• Life had changed.  It was all about the integration now
• Melba’s life was full of meetings with school board members, superintendents and NAACP officials
• Daisy Bates = Arkansas state president of NAACP
• The original 17 black students who applied to Central High dwindled down to 9 as a result of threats of violence
• Those nine students became known as …The Little Rock Nine

 

1. Ernest Green – the oldest, a senior – warm and friendly
2. Terrance Roberts –a junior, verbal, funny and very intelligent
3. Jefferson Thomas – quiet, soft-spoken and a good athlete
4. Elizabeth Eckford – petite, quiet and very private
5. Thelma Mothershed – had a heart condition
6. Minnijean Brown – Melba’s best friend
7. Carlotta Wells – athletic, “girl next door”
8. Gloria Ray – delicate and meticulous
9. Melba Pattillo Beals

• All nine students came from strict parents.  All were church going
• Governor Faubus (gov of Arkansas) sends troops to Central and announces that he can’t promise to protect people and their property from the violence likely to occur
• Melba’s family receives a bomb threat
• Grandma India now sleeps with Mr. Higgenbottom by her side – her shotgun
• Melba begins to regret her decision of going to Central High
• Superintendent Virgil Blossom tells parents not to accompany kids to school on day one
• Federal judge, Ronald Davies orders the integration of classes at Central High to begin on Wednesday, September 4, 1957

 

 

Chapter 4 Notes  (33-46)

 

• Mother Lois is shunned by once friendly neighbors as she drives Melba to school
• Large crowds surround Central High for blocks
• Arkansas National Guard surrounds the school
• Mother Lois parks the car and they proceed by foot to chants of “ 2-4-6-8-we aint gonna integrate”
• They see Elizabeth Eckford all alone closed in by an angry crowd and the National Guard who won’t let her bread their line and enter the school building
• Melba and her mom become afraid as they are noticed by the crowd and a white man threatens them
• They run for their car and are chased by the man and 4 others – one with a rope
• They finally reach the car and escape unharmed but terrified
• The National Guard had turned Elizabeth Eckford and 2 others away from school
• Melba tries to meet her friend Minnijean later on that evening but Mother Lois forbids Melba from going out at all
• Later on that evening the phone rings and Grandma thinks it might me Vince, a boy from Melba’s church
• She calls Melba to the phone.  The voice at then other end is not Vince’s, but a harsh threatening voice that promises to “get her”
• Melba didn’t tell her mother or Grandma about the threat, but Grandma India sleeps that night with Mr. Higgonbottom on her lap

 

Chapter 5 Notes  (47-60)

• Melba prepares to go to the wrestling matches and to take her mind off threats and integration
• The newspaper reports that the Little Rock school board asks Judge Davies to suspend integration of Central High
• The U S President (Eisenhower) rebukes Governor Faubus and orders him to obey the law
• On Saturday, Melba plans all day on going to the wrestling matches that night as always with Grandma India.  She was hoping to meet up with Vince –whom she did have a crush on
• Grandma India and Mother Lois, however, consider it far too dangerous for Melba to be out in any crowd and they tell her she can’t go.
• That night Melba writes in her diary… “Freedom is not integration.  Freedom is being able to go with Grandma to the wrestling matches.”
• Melba’s sadness is temporarily relieved when she sees the Sunday newspaper with a picture of the hateful, angry, twisted faces of the ugly mob that surrounded Central High the day before, with a comment from a white man who blasted all those who took part for their bigotry
• She felt better still, when Vince caught up with her after Sunday services and flat out asked her to be his girlfriend
• She was happy and embarrassed when she got special mention during services and the congregation prayed for her and continued strength.  They also prayed for Gov. Faubus
• A meeting at President’s Eisenhower’s vacation spot in Rhode Island was to take place
• Tutoring sessions were being held for the students missing school. 
• The Little Rock Nine had a conference with Mrs. Bates and Thurgood Marshall who urged them to be ready to testify in federal court

 

Chapter 6  (61-68)

• Arkansas Gazette. Friday, Sept. 20, 1957 – Faubus heads into court
• Melbas hopes to see Faubus face to face.  The Little Rock Nine, Mrs. Bates, Thurgood Marshall, Wiley Branton and many others Melba didn’t know, enter the federal building through the side door
• A crush of people –photographers, reporters, protestors, all on hand
• Mrs. Bates tells kids to straighten shoulders, smile and stand tall
• Courtroom held 150 people, many were black
• Whites continue to heckle and taunt and intimidate
• Thelma takes sick and there is concern as to whether to let her go through with integration due to all the stress and pressure on her heart
• This could hurt their cause as the segregationists would claim that integration killed her and create still more controversy
• Judge Ronald Davies presided over the first court hearing – horn-rimmed glasses, huge eyes, smooth dark hair, pleasant round face.  All-seeing, all-knowing eyes
• Tom Harper (lawyer for Gov Faubus) claims the case should be dismissed because the governor feels this is not the federal court’s call.  He claims this is a state’s issue
• Amicus curiae (friends of the court) lawyers support integration
• Over 100 witnesses from the Justice Dept say that the threat of violence due to integration is not sufficient cause for the governor to call out troops
• Argues that the Little Rock Nine were selected on the basis of scholarship , health, and mental ability
• Judge Davies denies Harper’s move to dismiss and rules to move forward with the integration of Central High – beginning the following Monday morning

 

Chapter 7  (69 -89)

• Little Rock Nine are escorted to school on  Monday morning in 2 cars –one group in a car driven by Mrs. Bates and the other in a car driven by NAACP member Frank Smith
• Hundreds of white angry white people gather outside school shouting racial slurs and threats
• Once inside the nine meet in principal’s office with Mrs. Huckaby the VP for girls
• Each are assigned a different homeroom on different floors and different parts of the building – basically to deliberately sabotage them
• Fist period class teacher ignores the threats and bad behavior of the white kids toward Melba
• Mrs. Pickwick, the shorthand teacher is an anti-racist and is much nicer to Melba
• The crowds break barricades and become more threatening
• Gene Smith, Assistant Chief of Little Rock Police comes to escort them safely home
• After arriving home, Melba and her family listen to radio reports of crowds armed with sticks, clubs and guns rampaged through the school in search of the black kids
• Three black reporters at the school were beaten because they cooperated with the police to help the nine kids escape

 

Chapter 8  (90 – 106)

• The President sends 1200 battle-equipped paratroopers to Little Rock to see that integration is carried out without any more violence
• Melba’s family receives a special night-time visit from messengers of the President who promise to protect her
• The kids meet at Mrs. Bate’s house –lined with 50 uniformed soldiers from the 101st
• Reporters clustered, cameras flashed, lots of people of both races standing about
• The kids were driven to school in a convoy – a station wagon protected by jeeps in front and behind the wagon.  The jeeps were equipped with guns mounted on the front
• The kids arrive at school joined by more soldiers with rifles and bayonets
• Melba has mixed emotions –proud that her President would go to so much trouble for nine black kids and sad that he needed to
• Each of the kids is assigned a soldier to protect them.  Melba is assigned to Danny from the 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles)
• 50 uniformed soldiers from the 101st stood guard in front of the school
• Once inside the school, the kids go to the principal’s office and are greeted by Jess Matthews, the principal of Central High – forced smile as he greets them
• The nine kids go their separate ways, each followed by a soldier
• Danny accompanied Melba to class but was instructed to wait outside
• Melba is told to sit away from the door in study hall.  Spitballs are thrown at her and notes with mean things are written and passed on to her
• Then Mrs. Pickwick’s class where things settle down a bit
• Melba goes to the lady’s room to find vile things written on the walls
• Later that day, the girls were taunted in the cafeteria over lunch
• Then gym class and Danny had to protect Melbas from a group of kids who had gathered
• Then in French class, Melba thought the kids were being nice, but they dept referring to sun tanning and “getting too dark” – all in French
• Then to study hall where the teacher instructed  Melba to take a seat away from the door despite Melba’s reminder that she was supposed to sit by the door in view of Danny
• The teacher sat and read the newspaper and ignored threats and the throwing of spitballs
• That day Melba was taken home by helicopter and an army staff car
• Sarge was their driver – the kids told their stories of the day’s event on the way home
• Back to Mrs. Bate’s house where they moved into the station wagon
• A reporter from the New York Post asked Melba to write down what she was thinking after her first full day at school
• When Melba arrived home – more reporters
• Melba thanks Danny for protecting her that day when she wrote in her diary that night

 

Chapter 9 (107-113)

• Melba’s escorted ride to school continues
• Melba meets Danny (guide) at the front door
• Danny’s presence doesn’t stop the attacks
• Melba is kicked, pushed to the floor and taunted by white kids on the way to homeroom
• Danny doesn’t intervene because he was there only to deep her alive
• Melba is cross-examined once she is taken to the office and explains what happened
• Despite the soldiers and Danny witnessing the abuse, she was told there was nothing that could be done
• Melba was never even offered medical assistance – just told to get to class
• Pranks continued all day with Danny keeping a safe distance
• Danny’s instructions are to remain in the background and to intervene only when life is being threatened
• Melba is disgusted and just wants to run away
• Melba goes home and gets a good night’s sleep and returns to school next day
• The usually crowded stairways were empty during the change of class
• Melba is alone – except for Danny.  Danny screams for Melba to “get down!”
• Someone had tossed a stick of dynamite into the stairwell.  Danny grabbed it and handed it off to another soldier who sped away with it
• Later that day, Melba finds out she is to attend the school football pep rally – without Danny
• Melba was terrified to be in the crowd of kids unattended and prayed
• Suddenly she was thrown against the wall by 3 – 4 football player type boys
• She was choked and threatened – then let go
• Melba sees Danny by the door and tells him what happened
• Danny tells Melba she has to defend herself
• Danny said that each of the LR9 kids should have been given training in self-defense
• Melbas complains that its too late for that now
• Danny responds…”its never too late – it takes a warrior to fight a battle and survive.  This here is a battle if ever I’ve seen one”
• Melba thinks about Danny’s words later that day and decides she needs to get a plan to better protect herself
• That night she writes in her diary”…after 3 full days inside Central High, I know that integration is a much bigger word than I thought”
  

 

Chapter 10  (114 – 123)

 

 

Chapter 12  (141 – 150)

• Melba turns sweet 16
• Melba attacked by a white boy and fights back (kicks him in the groin)
• Background info (personal history) of the LR 9 is being printed in the news
• Melba plans her sweet 16 party and invites old friends from Horace Mann
• The night of her party, only one guest showed up – Vince
• Melba finds out that the kids were afraid to go to her home…SND…Ann had planned a Christmas party for this very same night.  That’s where all the kids were
• Vince stays only a short time and then he too leaves to attend Ann’s party
• Melba is saddened
• Tuesday, December 17, - the last day before Christmas bread, Minnijean is involved in an incident in the school cafeteria
• A group of white boys taunt her and block her from moving to a table
• Melba could see her and wanted to help, but she and the others were instructed not to intervene for each other
• After several minutes of Minnijean going back and forth at her attackers, she dumped the a bowl of chili on her lunch tray on the heads of the boys
• The cafeteria help- many of them black – applauded…BUT…Minnijean gets suspended from school and Melba is threatened …”one down and 8 to go”

 

Chapter 13  (151 – 156)

• Arkansas Gazette – Wednesday, December 18, 1957…”Negro girl is suspended from school after incident”
• Minnijean was not allowed to re-apply to Central High until 6 days of school had passed
• Instead of rest and relaxation, this meant Melba would remain embroiled in integration over the Christmas break
• A bright soft during the break came when the National Organization of Delta Sigma (a professional women’s sorority) gave a party in Melba’s honor to show support for her.
• This was the first time Melba’s people showed support for her
• Melba felt proud as she was encouraged and honored by this committee
• That night in her diary she wrote of the joy their support gave her and she prayed that Minnijean could get back into school
• Vince stopped by to visit with Melba during Christmas bread, but it was strained.  They were growing further and further apart
• Her father came by the house with presents for Melba and Conrad and the family
• The big surprise was a TV with a big screen papa had hidden on the front porch
• Melba and Conrad learned to accept the fondness betw3en their divorced parents without hoping for reunions that would never come
• Melba’s New Year’s Eve wish was to do her best to stay alive till May 29 –the end of the school year

 

Chapter 14  (157 – 173)

• Melba withdraws from French class in the New year
• Hostile students continue their pressure
• Minnijean and parents meet with Superintendent Blossom and is permitted back into school provided she not respond to any attackers in any way
• Segregationists more vocal and organize a process of phoning LR( homes at all hours to harass
• Prank calls and bomb threats telephoned to their homes
• School officials not in control
• Melba doubts she can tough it out writing in her diary…”I wish I were dead.”
• Grandma India blasts Melba for her despair
• She accuses Melba of giving in to the segregationists
• She scolds Melba about future newspaper headlines that might read “ Melba Patillo dies by her own hand because she was afraid of facing God’s assignment for her””
• Melba decides Grandma is right and she and Grandma take on a project…keeping track of Explorer satellite that put the US into the space race
• Mother Lois urges Melba to invite Vince to dinner more often
• They pray for Minnijean who ignored the first soup bowl attack in the cafeteria
• She is attacked a second time by the same boys with another bowl of soup while others yell “White Trash”
• Minnijean responds and is suspended.  The newspaper reads…”They bother me all the time..” as she explains how the white kids throw rocks, spit ink, spit on her and douse her with soup and call her names
• Superintendent Blossom recommends Minnijean’s expulsion
• Thurgood Marshall says the treatment of the LR 9 is unbearable for the kids
• Melba is attacked in school stairwell with raw eggs
• Grandma makes light of it saying its food for her hair
• Melba complains the segregationists rob her of her dignity every day
• “Dignity is a state of mind” Grandma tells her
• She tells Melba to change her strategy – to change the rules of the game by telling her attackers “Thank you” with a smile
• She said this would no longer make Melba the victim
• Melba tried it when two boys tried blocking the doorway so she couldn’t pass
• They were speechless and Melba found a new sense of power
• Feb. 14th – Valentine’s Day – it snowed and the LR9 are bombarded with snowballs filled with rocks
• The Arkansas National Guard did nothing
• Vince sent Melba a Valentine’s Day card, but Melba is sad that she can’t fit him into her schedule.  Her life is consumed with “integration”
• Minnijean is expelled and the NAACP can’t reverse it
• NAACP arranges for Minnijean to attend a famous private school in New York by scholarship
• Minnijean and Melba say goodbye – Melba has mixed emotions as she is happy for Minnijean but will miss her
• Minnijean also feels sad as she feels she is making it harder on the others by leaving
• Segregationists celebrate Minnijean’s expulsion by increasing the attacks of the LR8 – spitting on, slapping, threats, being hit with a tennis racket
• March, 1957 – Melba continues to smile and say “Thank you” to her attackers
• She receives a warning from Link –one of the white boys, to get out of the 16th Street entrance hallways before she is hurt by a kid named Andy
• Andy means Melba real harm and Link tells her that even though he (Link) calls her the names and threatens her like Andy, that he is really only trying to help her from getting hurt
• He tells her he must act the part with his friends, but he is really on Melba’s side
• Link and his other friends have Melba alone in the 16th Street entrance and are approaching fast
• Link tells Melba there is no time.  He leaves his car keys on top of his car and tells Melba to grab them and take his car – and to do so fast
• Andy gets closer and Melba grabs the keys and speeds away in Link’s car
• She is not sure she did the right thing, but she reasons that at least she got away and gets to live one more day

 

Chapter 15  (174 – 182)

• Melba guns the engine of Link’s car and heads for her own backyard
• Grandma India upset over Melba having his car and covers it with sheets
• Grandma India begins to think Link really is one of God’s good white people
• Link calls Melba and arranges for her to drop the car off at Double Deck Ice Cream
• Melba asks Link why he stuck his neck out for her
• Link responds that he helped because Andy really means to kill her
• Mother Lois follows Melba to the ice cream place and drove her safely home
• Melba’s locker is broken into next day at school
• Melba is surrounded by a group of side burners in the cafeteria – Link was among them
• Again Melba doubts his trust
• The group he was with were threatening her over and over
• Someone from the group g\threw a golf ball wrapped in paper at Melba
• The group was reluctant to openly attack Melba for fear of suspension, but they were trying to set Melba up to responding so that she would get suspended Melba was determined not to weaken and “thanked” the group for each of the verbal insults
• When she refused to take the bait, they became more serious about attacking her
• Melba heard Link say that Melba wasn’t worth having to stay in for detention all week and that they could “get her” later