Jerry Jones slammed for 'racist' past as pic of him stopping Black students from desegregating goes viral
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: A new photo of 14-year-old Jerry Jones standing with a group of white students at North Little Rock High School in Arkansas blocking six African-American teens dating back to 1957 has been making the rounds. Jones is seen as part of the group blocking the Black students from entering and integrating into the school. Jones has since admitted to being in the photo but has not apologized for it.
in 1955, the North Little Rock school board voted to integrate classes for seniors, but Arkansas' acting governor, Orval E Faubus, disagreed. Despite the governor's disapproval, six students attempted to enter the school and ran into a crowd - including the current owner of the Dallas Cowboys. The incident occurred Sept 9, when Richard Lindsey, Gerald Persons, Harold Smith, Eugene Hall, Frank Henderson, and William Henderson tried unsuccessfully to enter the school. They eventually enrolled in another school. Seven years later, North Little Rock High School was officially integrated. The photo has been making the rounds on social media since the Washington Post unearthed it. The year and the incident were pivotal moments in the civil rights movement and desegregation.
