In order to walk through the threshold of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., during the 1950s, Ernest Green and eight of his peers needed the National Guard to help them push their way through an angry crowd. The "Little Rock Nine" member and MSU alumnus is now greeted by friendlier crowds.
More than 300 people welcomed Green on Wednesday at a Lansing Center dinner, which was one of a string of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which is today.
Green discussed how the end of the "separate but equal" doctrine allowed him to be the first black student to graduate from his high school.
"As the year went on, it became an international phenomenon," he said. "But that certainly wasn't what we expected in the beginning. We just wanted to get the best education we could in Little Rock."
In a trial that combined four cases from around the nation, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously to no longer deny someone of a good education on the basis of skin color. Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first black Supreme Court justice, argued the plaintiff's case.
Other events in honor of the decision included Green's appearance at a rally at the Capitol last week and the Lansing branch of the NAACP's public forum yesterday afternoon.
Although the crowd of opposition has faded into the past, Green said the walk toward a good education is still a long one for many.
"Education is the key to one's future life," Green said. "We've got to work on policies that allow young people from poorer school districts to be able to have the same opportunity."
Able to continue his education, Green enrolled at MSU the same year as MSU President M. Peter McPherson. Both interacted through campus political groups in the late 1950s.
When introducing Green at the dinner, McPherson conveyed views that mirrored Green's in respect to what the education system needs to do - provide opportunities for every student, regardless of financial background.
"We just have to keep pushing it," McPherson said Wednesday. "I think stronger K-12 programs are important. I think universities have a role in recruiting and retaining. For some students, it just has to do with income level."
Community, civil rights and education leaders from all over the state attended the dinner and rally, in addition to families and students. Psychology senior Kierra Hill and her friend stayed after the dinner to wait in line for Green's autograph.
Although blacks consist of the largest minority group at MSU - 8 percent of the total student population - according to the 2003-04 university statistics, Hill stressed how much further the education system needs to go in creating a diverse environment.
"A university can only be as diverse as any of the high schools are," she said. "The whole problem lies within the elementary, middle and high schools."
As a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events planning committee at MSU, Hill also is helping the community work toward better race relations. She said schools have come a long way since the Brown v. Board of Education decision, but that doesn't mean society should stop striving to improve.
"It allowed us to get a really good perspective on where we're at now, where we come from and also where we need to go," Hill said.
