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Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas
This Day in Arkansas History
May 17, 1979
Terrence James Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine (the nine African-American students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957), was able to meet Orval Faubus face to face on ABC’s Good Morning, America. He said, “I really feel it was a violation of public trust to practice your own personal policies of racism in that position. You endangered not only my life, but the lives of hundreds of other people, both black and white.” In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented the nation’s highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, to the members of the Little Rock Nine. In 2009, Roberts published a memoir, Lessons from Little Rock.
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About the Encyclopedia
The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.
Our overview page covers everything you would want to know about our beautiful state, including state symbols, demographics and more!
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