Nine teenage faces reflected off
the sharpened bayonets of the
Arkansas National Guard, as the
first black students were denied
their right to register at Little Rock
Central High School.

That event, a dramatic mile-
stone in the civil rights movement,
was 40 years ago this month, and a
burning question of how much has
changed still looms over the nation.

Today, President Clinton and
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will
lead the same ex-Arkansas stu-
dents, known as the "Little Rock
Nine," through the front entrance
of Central High, symbolically defy-
ing the segregationist policies of
the past.

On Sept. 4, 1957, nine blacks
attempted to enter the high school
to begin the first day of class but
were met with cries of hate from
the white student body and were
barred entrance by armed guards-
men.

It eventually took a direct presi-
dential order and 1,000 members of
the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne
Division to integrate Central High.

Currently, 65 percent of Central
High is black and has its first black
female class president this year.

However, questions remain
about how far racial integration
has come in the ’90s.

Public schools in some major
cities are as segregated now as they
were 40 years ago.

According to U.S. census data,
seven out of 10 whites in Little
Rock live in segregated neighbor-
hoods. Sixty percent of their chil-
dren attend private schools.
These ongoing race questions
are prevalent on this campus as
well.

The Georgia Board of Regents
reports that 6.8 percent of the
University’s student body is black,
while 86.9 percent is white. The
percentage of blacks in the popula-
tion of Georgia is close to 30 per-
cent.

"In almost every situation, stu-
dents of color are in the minority,"
said Leslie Bates, director of minor-
ity services. "I think the South has
progressed in leaps and bounds
but we are not where we need to be.

Most students at the University
have never had a black professor."

Student Government
Association President Kevin
Abernethy believes minorities have
a fair shot on campus.

"I do think the University is
doing well (with race relations)," he
said. "I’d love to see more minori-
ties run for student government."

He thinks the low minority
numbers are not the University’s
fault but are largely influenced by
the presence of prestigious majori-
ty-black institutions in Atlanta.

Shakendra Toombs, a senior
from Augusta, said minorities must
endure more pressure than white
students.

"As an African-American stu-
dent, I always feel I have some-
thing extra to prove," she said.
However, she said she thinks
minorities are stronger for being in
numerically inferior situations.

"When I was a senior in high
school, I thought I wanted to go to a
majority black college, but I think
we as a people must learn to work
with people of all races," she said.
Bates said the University is tak-
ing action to alleviate pressures on
minorities.

"We know that freshmen seek a
comfort zone, so we try to provide a
cultural atmosphere that is good
for all students," he said.

All interviewed found Clinton’s
and Huckabee’s actions to be posi-
tive and look to new University
President Michael Adams for simi-
lar leadership.

"It is important for tone setting,"
Bates said. "I hope our new presi-
dent, Michael Adams, will also set a
tone for the University. I think it is
important that (Adams) promotes
systemic change. We can not be
afraid of being sued. We need to
take the lead and have the courage
to bring about change."