Summary: There are eight of the students left in Central High School. Segregationists have failed with their telephone threats and more to try and get the students out of Central. They now begin to target their parents. Money becomes low to them and many lose their jobs. Carlotta says when she came from school one day, she overheard her father saying how he got laid off. Many of the other 7 students' parents had problems with their jobs too. The segragationists also targeted the Arkansas Gazette newspaper because it supported intergration. One day, the newspaper puplished an unsigned letter that was going around the neighborhood, on the front page. The segregationists considered the stores, that were advertised in the newspaper, as being supporters too. They were going to go against these stores.
Ernie, one of the nine, was graduating from Central. He had persevered. Carlotta wanted to go to his graduation, but everyone only got 6 tickets for the closest family members. Carlotta listened form the radio instead. Once Ernie got on stage, there was total silence everywhere, but he got his diploma anyway. The media also mentioned that Martin Luther King was there too.
Soon summer arrived. The eight took a plane to Chicago to be honored by the Chicago Defender. Minnijean met up with them there making that nine of them. They were honored in many different states and cities that summer like New York and more. They traveled all over the place. Carlotta says it was the best summer ever. Later, she went to Camp Minisink that same summer and enjoyed it a lot. Washington D.C. was their last stop before their summer ended and then they went back to Little Rock.
Carlotta's junior year was delayed because of intergration issues again. Faubus was determined to not intergrate Central. Many of the eight moved and now only Jefferson, Elizabeth,Thelma, Melba, and Carlotta was to attend Central. The sports schedule of the school continued, but their was no education going on for anyone, not even the whites. The Dunbar community center arranged for students to study courses there. Carlotta worried about her education. Later, she gets sent to Cleveland on a new adventure, to finish high school there with the Christopher family. Soon, because the Christophers want to help a child with no support, Carlotta gets sent to Chicago. She still doesn't have enough credits from the courses to complete 11th grade, so she goes to Chicago to attend summer classes. She stayed with her relatives. Here in Chicago she falls in love with music and goes to many of the music events. She's having so much fun.
Central allows intergration again and now it starts very early in August. Only Carlotta and Jefferson are left at Central. Carlotta's summer classes don't end untill the last few weeks of August, so she begins her senior year a little late. Jefferson is left to comfront the school by himself but Elizabeth tags along even though she already completed high school, just so he won't go alone.
Quote: "Much of white Little Rock blamed Mrs. Bates and our parents for the crisis" (Lanier 147).
Reaction: The economy of Little Rock was suffering. There was no education going on and Faubus kept telling the whites that if it wasn't for them, the schools could have been opened. It isn't their faults, it's Faubus' fault.
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