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Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has declared Feb. 20th as Daisy Lee Gatson Bates Day in Arkansas.
Daisy Lee Gatson Bates was born on November 11, 1914, in Huttig, Arkansas. Bates’s life began marred by the atrocities of racism when her mother was assaulted and beaten by three white men, leaving her in the care of family friends;
After marrying Lucious Christopher Bates in the early 1940s, Bates and her husband moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where they operated the Arkansas State Press, one of the few weekly African American newspapers that supported civil rights;
Bates became president of the Arkansas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1952 and played a crucial role with desegregation of Arkansas;
Despite the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, African American students in Arkansas who tried to enroll in white schools were frequently turned away;
After careful vetting, nine students – later known as the Little Rock Nine – were chosen to integrate Little Rock Central High School with Bates acting as their leader and mentor.
On September 4, 1957, the Little Rock Nine arrived at Little Rock Central High School where they were met by a mob of angry white students, parents, and other members of the community. This, in combination with the Arkansas National Guard sent by Governor Faubus, prevented the African American students from entering the building. It was not until September 24 that the Little Rock Nine, with the assistance of federal troops, could finally attend classes.
Bates served as a personal advocate and supporter to the Little Rock Nine. Her house was subject to gunfire, cross-burnings, and other acts of anti-integration violence.
The Arkansas General Assembly voted to replace its existing statues in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. Bates was chosen as one of the statues to be displayed, serving as a tribute to her tireless, courageous efforts.
