Daisy Bates
Daisy Lee Gatson Bates was born on November 11, 1914 in Huttig, Arkansas - November 4, 1999 in Little Rock, Arkansas was an American civil rights leader, journalist, publisher, and author.
Bates' mother was killed while resisting three local white men who were attempting to rape her. Her father left the family shortly after her mother's death and she was raised by friends of the family, Orle and Susie Smith. It wasn't until much later that Daisy knew the Smith's were not her real parents. When she relized that her mother had been killed in such a tragic way, she secretly vowed to vindicate her mother's death.
Daisy first experienced prejudism against Black people when she was 7 years old. She went to buy meat and a butcher was very ugly towards her. These kinds of things at a young age built a fire in her that called out for civil rights for her race.
When Daisy was only 15 years old, she fell in love with an insurance saleman named L.C. Bates. Three years later, they were married. It was her husbands desire to start a newspaper and eventually he took the opportunity to do that. Daisy and L.C. sarted the Arkansas State Press renting space at a church. On May 9, 1941 they printed their first issue.
The State Press was a channel for many persecuted people to get their storied told. These included soldiers who, even though they fought for ttheir country during WWII, were riduculed and even sometimes tortured when they returned home.
In 1952, Daisy Bates was elected president of the Arkansas State Conference of NAACP branches.
Bates and her husband L.C. Bates were important figures in the Little Rock Integration Crisis in 1957. The Bates' published a local Black newspaper, the Arkansas State Press, which publicized violations of the US Supreme Court's desegregation rulings.
Bates guided and advised the nine students, known as the Little Rock Nine, when they attempted to enroll at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The students' attempts to enroll provoked a confrontation with Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, who called out the National Guard to prevent the students from enrolling.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened by federalizing the Arkansas National Guard and dispatching the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas to ensure that the court orders were enforced. The students attended the high school. Records indicate that they did very well. Mr. Green, one of the "nine" became an aide to President Johnson.
Their involvement in the Little Rock Crisis resulted in the loss of much advertising revenue to their newspaper and it was forced to close in 1959. In 1960, Daisy Bates moved to New York City.
Then, Bates moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for the Democratic National Committee. She also served in the administration of President Lyndon Baines Johnson on anti-poverty programs. In 1965, she suffered a stroke and returned to Little Rock.
In 1968, she moved to the rural black community of Mitchellville, Desha County, Arkansas. She concentrated on improving the lives of her neighbors by establishing a self-help program which was responsible for new sewer systems, paved streets, a water system, and community center.
Bates revived the Arkansas State Press in the 1980s. Her memoir, The Long Shadow of Little Rock, won a 1988 American Book Award.
Daisy Bates died in Little Rock, Arkansas on 4 November 1999.
Honors and awards
- 1988 American Book Award
- Arkansas General Assembly Commendation
- Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, University of Arkansas
- Diamond Cross of Malta from the Philadelphia Cotillion Society
- Arkansas has established the third Monday in February as "George Washington's Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day," an official state holiday.
- The street that runs in front of Little Rock Central High School has been renamed for her.
- The Daisy Bates Elementary School in Little Rock is named in her honor.
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
