Black History Hero You May Never Have Heard Of

By Maggie Maloney, Bianca Rodriguez and Zoe Guy

Daisy Bates

Bates was a civil rights activists best known for her work on behalf of the Little Rock Nine. Bates and her husband founded the Arkansas State Press, a weekly African-American newspaper that advocated for civil rights. In 1952, Bates became the president of the NAACP’s Arkansas chapter and in 1957, Bates fought for the Little Rock Nine, the nine Black students who were attending an all-white school as part of the schools desegregation. Bates escorted and advocated for the students amid intense opposition, and is honored by the state of Arkansas with a state holiday on the third Monday of February.