Public gets peek into 'Little Rock Nine' safe home

The Associated Press

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The nine black students who confronted angry white mobs as they integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957 took solace each day at the home of Daisy and L.C. Bates.

Carlotta Walls LaNier was among the so-called Little Rock Nine and says the home was nurturing yet "like a war room." It's where they got ready for school and talked about their day.

Two charities want to preserve the tan, brick home as a civil rights museum. They're giving tours Wednesday to show off $75,000 in restorations.

File - Former President Bill Clinton, at podium, speaks at a fund raiser in front of the home of late civil rights activist Daisy Bates, in this April 18, 2002 file photo taken in Little Rock, Ark. Every day before heading to Little Rock Central High School in the fall of 1957, nine black students gathered at Daisy and L.C. Bates's home to prepare for the angry mob they faced as they integrated the all-white school. The L.C. and Daisy Bates Museum Foundation Inc. and the Christian Ministerial Alliance, which owns the house, planned a ceremony Wednesday to show off $75,000 in repairs and offer tours.

- Mike Wintroath, File /AP Photo

A plaque in the yard marks the small house as a national historic site, but it's easy to miss. Supporters say they want to change that and honor the Bates' contribution.

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