Black History Knowledge
Black History Knowledge — September 2
What happened on this day. These are the September 2 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.
1957 — Governor Faubus surrounds Central High with the National Guard
On September 2, 1957, Arkansas governor Orval Faubus ordered the National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School to block nine Black students from enrolling. His defiance of federal court orders launched the Little Rock crisis, one of the defining confrontations between state resistance and constitutional rights.
1960 — Wilma Rudolph wins the Olympic 100-meter final
On September 2, 1960, Wilma Rudolph won the 100-meter dash at the Rome Olympics, the first of her three gold medals at those Games. A childhood polio survivor from segregated Tennessee, Rudolph became an international star and later insisted her homecoming parade in Clarksville be integrated, the city’s first such event.
1963 — George Wallace blocks school desegregation in Tuskegee
On September 2, 1963, Alabama governor George Wallace ordered state troopers to surround Tuskegee High School to prevent thirteen Black students from desegregating it on opening day. His obstruction across Alabama that month forced President Kennedy to federalize the National Guard to enforce the court orders.
