Daisy Bates

February 15, 2009

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Profile America for the 15th day of Black History Month. Daisy Bates is best remembered as the mentor of the Little Rock Nine during the high school desegregation crisis in the Arkansas city in 1957. While the situation unfolded into one of national scope, the students gathered at her home for advice on how to handle the dramatic events. Her impact was such that there is now an elementary school in Little Rock named for her, as well as a street, and she is honored as part of the state holiday for Washington’s birthday each February. In 1957, just under 24 percent of African-American adults had completed high school. Today, that figure is 82 percent. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 380
Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB09-FF.01
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/013007.html