Minnijean Brown-Trickey's suspension notice February 6, 1958

Description:

Throughout the 1957–58 academic year, the Little Rock Nine were frequently harassed at school, both verbally and physically. But it was Minnijean Brown who received a suspension notice from the Little Rock Public School administration on February 6, 1958, for attempting to resist the daily torment. During an argument with a fellow classmate, Brown had responded by calling the girl “white trash,” after which the student threw her large purse at Brown. School administrators expelled Brown; the white student went unpunished.

The school system claimed the expulsion was warranted, as she’d been given a warning to resist retaliation for any bullying after receiving a six-day suspension in December for dumping a bowl of chili on an abusive white male student. Brown’s parents appealed the suspension with a letter to the school board, stating that the repeated attacks against Minnijean represented a concentrated effort to have her expelled, and that she was verbally defending herself because school officials hadn’t intervened. The appeal was unsuccessful and Minijean was expelled. To complete her high school education, she moved to New York City under the guardianship of noted phychologists and desegregation activists Doctors Kenneth and Mamie Clark. While she had to move away from her family during this time, she received an excellent education at New Lincoln High School and graduated on time, unlike many who remained in Little Rock.