Several Black community members gathered to celebrate the legacy of Daisy Gatson Bates, the late civil rights leader, on what would have been her 110th birthday.
Monday’s celebration was an all-day event that began at Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock, the largest Black cemetery in Arkansas, and where Bates is buried. Attendees then gathered for brunch at North Little Rock’s Lindsey’s Hospitality House & Barbecue, with the celebration concluding near downtown Little Rock with a tour of the L.C. and Daisy Bates Museum.
In 1914, near Huttig, a city only about three miles away from the state border with Louisiana, Bates was born. Her childhood was marred by racist violence, particularly the rape and murder of her mother by three white men when she was three years old. However, according to many at the event, she was able to overcome.
Bates would eventually serve as leader of the Arkansas Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and in 1957, she gained national recognition for her role in the Little Rock Nine’s desegregation of Central High School.
Cleodis Gatson, Bates’ nephew, attended the event and highlighted the importance of keeping his aunt’s legacy alive.
“Aunt Daisy was someone that was determined to do things, to make things happen,” the military veteran said. “She overcame a lot of obstacles that were in her life, and she wasn’t afraid to speak up.
“I think when we celebrate her, we’re keeping her alive. We’re keeping alive what she done and what she stood for,” he said.
The president of the Daisy Bates House Museum Foundation, Charles King, said that Bates’ home was the headquarters of the civil rights movement in Little Rock. According to him, that makes remembering Bates critical.
“This house stands as a stark reminder of the history of this country’s effort to become one,” said King. “We’re not only talking about the struggle that Bates as the president of NAACP went through, but also what the families of the nine went through and all the people that came through here.”
According to King, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and other civil rights leaders stayed in her house.
Deborah Robinson, who helped to put on the event for Bates’ family and wrote “Daisy Bates in Her Own Words,” wants people to remember Bates and what she stood for.
“It’s important that we remember what she did because sometimes if you don’t see it, you can’t be it. This is an opportunity for us to show young people who she is and what she did so they can aspire to do the same,” she said.
“She is a role model, not just to African American children, but to every little girl,” Robinson said. “This was a woman who in 1957 led a movement that changed the world.”
Photo Gallery
The Little Rock Nine in photos
On Sept. 25, 1957, nine African American students were escorted by federal troops and entered Little Rock Central High School. A look back at the events of and surrounding that day in pictures.
