07 Robin White: Civil Wrongs to Civil Rights

Transcript:

And my coming into the park service was no picnic. I had my share of challenges as well, and been labeled many things. When you are forward, as Minnijean Brown was outspoken, then you’re considered an agitator, or you’re aggressive. You’re not articulate or you’re not assertive, you know, the nice words. You were, you know, given the harsh words. But you know, revolution means change, right? Just a concept, just an idea. That’s all it means is trying something new and doing something new. But sometimes it’s turned into something bad. And the Little Rock Nine, they were revolutionists. They had an idea. They just wanted to do something different. In doing something differently, they were labeled. But they came out on the other end during all of that, transforming civil wrongs to civil rights. Coming out on that end and enduring we say that unwarranted injustice. Who does that? Where does it come from? Our babies, our youth, as council of elders, our youth need to know that there were others out there that open up the doors. There are others out there that pushed open the doors, that kicked open the doors. There were others out there, the young people, that went to jail, that were imprisoned for a reason. That they stood out on the frontline by choice, that they wanted to make a difference, that they needed to make a difference because why? They wanted something better in life. It wasn’t about black and white. It was about what was right. It was about what is mine. What is rightfully mine in governing the constitution because everything turns back to the constitution. In following that constitution, in knowing the constitution, those are your rights. And today, we are right now surrounded by lawlessness in that we still have to teach our children that this right here is what we live by. This right here is what’s going to get you your rights. And you keep fighting for this and standing by this as did the Little Rock Nine.