Evenings with History Lecture to Uncover Little Rock Desegregation History

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is set to host an educational lecture to illuminate Little Rock’s desegregation history.

UA Little Rock’s next Evenings with History lecture will be presented by UA Little Rock Professor James Ross and will discuss the details of desegregation in Little Rock. The lecture will take place March 5, in the Ottenheimer Auditorium at the Historic Arkansas Museum at 200 E. Third Street in Little Rock. Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. and the lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The lecture will delve into the seldom-discussed details of Little Rock desegregation, and their significance in the broader context of civil rights.

The Little Rock School Board rescinded their agreement to integrate Little Rock schools in 1958, halting progress. The board filed a lawsuit to urge the federal court to stop integration until 1961, stating that their students’ ability to learn was being hindered by violence. After initial support from the federal court, the upper courts overturned this decision, allowing integration to resume after a four-month pause.

Ross’s lecture addresses what this series of events reveals about the motives that drove Little Rock elites during the period of desegregation happening in the 1950s and 1960s.

For more information, contact Ross at jdross2@ualr.edu.