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Hillary Clinton Statement On The Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine

September 25, 2007

"What we saw here in Little Rock in the Fall of 1957 shocked us and changed us. Mothers and fathers across America saw in those nine children the vulnerability and promise of their own children. They saw in that hateful mob the ugliness of their own prejudices and fears. And they were forced to ask themselves: "Is that who I am? Is that who we are?" The brave men and women on this stage paid a high price for the answers to those questions. And we are all so grateful for their courage and their sacrifice.

"Today, fifty years later, America is still struggling to finish their work. We have seen schools re-segregating and a Supreme Court chipping away at Brown v. Board of Education. We have seen in Jena, Louisiana and elsewhere that the scales of justice are seriously out of balance - and discrimination is a daily fact of life.

"The Little Rock Nine did - and continue to do - their part, and now it is our turn. We must ensure that one day, the nine students we honor tonight can tell their children and grandchildren about how we finally overcame. How we finally came together and did what was right for America. How, while it took far too long - and cost so many people so much - we finally finished what the Little Rock Nine started all those years ago."

Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Statement On The Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/293920

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