Daisy Gatson Bates was a trailblazer in the Civil Rights Movement and played an integral role in the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957. She served as the president of the Arkansas Chapter of the NAACP. Her work made her a household name, and, on Feb. 19, 2001, the state of Arkansas declared that the third Monday of February would be Daisy Bates Day. This year, we celebrate Daisy Bates Day on Monday, Feb. 17.
Not only is Arkansas PBS delighted to observe Daisy Bates Day, but we also are pleased to announce “Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash” – an original documentary from Arkansas PBS and award-winning filmmaker Nathan Willis. The film explores the creation and installation of Arkansas’s newest statues in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall and the enduring legacies of two of the state’s most iconic figures. The documentary will premiere Thursday, March 20, at 7 p.m. on Arkansas PBS, at myarpbs.org/live and in the PBS App. If you’d like a sneak peek at the documentary, join us Wednesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at Robinson Center, 426 W Markham, Little Rock.
Championing Civil Rights
Daisy Lee Gatson Bates (1914-1999) was born in Huttig, Arkansas. She and her husband, L.C. Bates founded Arkansas State Press, an African American newspaper solely dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement.
With the 1954 Supreme Court ruling segregated schools unconstitutional, Bates began helping African American students to enroll in white schools. Some schools refused, and Bates used Arkansas State Press to publicize the schools that did not follow the ruling. In Arkansas, Bates began to take charge and organized the Little Rock Nine. She drove the students to school and was relentless in making sure they were protected from violence.
Bates continued to work tirelessly to improve the status of African Americans in the South. Because of the role she played in the advancement of African Americans, Bates was not only invited to the March on Washington in 1963, but she also spoke at the march.
She is one of the first African American women honored with a sculpture in the National Statuary Hall. She was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1999.
Though Bates is no longer with us, her influence is still making an impact today across multiple generations.
Continuing the Legacy of Daisy Bates
To find out how this Arkansas icon has impacted others, we spoke with those close to her and those who were inspired by Daisy Bates.
Little Rock Central High School students continue the legacy of Daisy Bates, as well as other Civil Rights leaders, by joining The Memory Project, which immerses students in the oral history of civil and human rights through hands-on, intergenerational learning.
Janis F. Kearney joined the Arkansas State Press as the newspaper's managing editor in 1987. She developed a strong relationship with Bates, who Kearney calls a mentor. Kearney is the author of “Daisy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place” chronicling the life of Bates. Kearney is the president/founder of the Maya Project.
Charles King is the current president of the Daisy Bates Museum Foundation Board. The Daisy Bates Museum is recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the United States government. King serves as a tour guide for the Bates House Museum, located at 1207 West 28th St., Little Rock. He is also the current executive director for development at Southeast Arkansas College.
Mary Louise Williams has helped promote the legacy of Daisy Bates through the Bates House Museum Foundation. Williams, a friend of Bates, was a trailblazer for Black women as she was one of the first African Americans selected to break the color line during the integration of Little Rock Public Schools. Williams retired as an educator after 42 years of work in the state of Arkansas.
"She was going to figure out how she can make a change in the world and how people are treated. And, that's what she did,” Williams said. “She wanted to make changes in the education system. She did a good job doing that. Just watching her life and the paper after she got married and the things that they were doing to improve the community around there was interesting. I hope that we will remember her work. That's what I'm concerned about."
HOW TO WATCH
“Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash” will premiere Thursday, March 20, at 7 p.m. on Arkansas PBS, at myarpbs.org/live and in the PBS App.
PREVIEW SCREENING AND DISCUSSION
A free advance screening of the film will be held Wednesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at Robinson Center, 426 W Markham, Little Rock. Registration is free, but required.