1. BECOMING A WARRIOR CH 4-8
MS. OLSON

2. CH 4-8 REVIEW
On Wednesday, September 4, Melba and the other eight African American students are to walk to school with several ministers. As Melba and her mother head for the place where the group is to meet, they spot one of Melba’s friends, Elizabeth Eckford, standing alone with a line of soldiers in front of her and an angry mob at her back. Unable to get past the soldiers, Elizabeth retreats to a bus stop even as the crowd continues to heckle and taunt her. When a few men in the crowd threaten Melba and her mother, the two quickly flee the area.

3. Melba’s shaken mother tells Melba to keep their experience a secret
Melba’s shaken mother tells Melba to keep their experience a secret. She also urges her daughter to return to her segregated school, but Melba’s grandmother counsels persistence. As Melba gives way to her own fears and disappointment, her grandmother tells her: “You’re a warrior on the battlefield for your Lord. God’s warriors don’t cry, ’cause they trust that he’s always by their side.” Melba decides to remain at Central High, but it will be 17 days before she is able to do so.

4. For well over two weeks, city and state leaders argue over whether integration ought to proceed as planned. Although Melba feels lonely and uncertain, she finds comfort in the support of her church and the many volunteers who keep her and the others from falling behind in their studies. Finally, on Friday, September 20, a federal judge orders the governor to stop interfering with integration. Faubus responds by removing the National Guard. The following Monday, Melba and the other eight students are to return to school.

5. What If? Elizabeth Eckford
TV footage of Elizabeth Eckford in Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, Episode 2: Fighting Back (1957–62).
How did the crowd physically and emotionally isolate Eckford? What part did the soldiers play in her isolation?
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Play 0-3:30 for background info
Elizabeth all alone 7:52-12:30

6. Back to Central Question!
Would you have been that ONE white woman who helped her to bus and safety?
What can we do alone and with others to confront racism? How can we as individuals and as citizens make a positive difference in our school, community, and nation?

7. Freedom
In this section of the book, Melba reflects on the meaning of the word freedom.
How are her experiences at Central High altering or deepening her understanding of the term?
What does the word freedom mean to you? What experiences have shaped your understanding of the term?

8. Groups
Each group will discuss one of the questions. Please discuss the question and prepare an succinct answer to share out to the class.
Group ONE: What other secrets has Melba kept over the years? How do those secrets shape the way she sees herself and her family? 

Group TWO: Melba’s grandmother likens Melba to a “warrior on the battlefield for your Lord.” What is a warrior? How is a “warrior for one’s Lord” different from other warriors?
Group THREE: In what sense are Melba and the other eight students “warriors”? What qualities do warriors have? Which of those qualities do you think they will need to make it through the school year?
Group FOUR: Do you agree with the advice Melba’s grandmother gives her? When is crying a sign of weakness? A sign of strength? Who decides? Is it different for men? For women? For children? 


9. Groups continued
Group FIVE: What role does the media seem to play in the crisis? How important is that role?
Group SIX: Gov Faubus! Why do you think Governor Faubus tried to stop integration in Little Rock rather than in one of the other communities in the state that had already desegregated or was planning to do so? Ashmore implies that Faubus was a hero only to the mob, but polls taken in 1957 indicate that he was one of the 10 most admired men in the United States. In 1958, he was elected to a third term as governor. He would go on to serve an unprecedented three more terms. What does his popularity suggest about the “silent majority”—the people who did not harass or threaten Melba and the other African American students?

10. Share out
Groups 1-6 Share out findings.