The Arkansas State University Museum has on exhibit, Women of Central High Crisis: The Politics of Gender and Desegregation, through July 13 in the Museum lobby. The Arkansas History Commission, the Central High School National Historic Site and the Public History Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock developed this traveling exhibition.

Little Rock Central High School, now Central High School National Historic Site, is a national emblem of the often-violent struggle over school desegregation. In 1957, nine black students, referred to as the Little Rock Nine, enrolled at Central High School. Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to stop the students from entering the school. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort the students. 

Between 1957 and 1959, women in Little Rock came together to voice their opinion and fight for the education of their children. This exhibition describes the roles of various women in this historic event, including Daisy Bates; the six female African-American students who were part of the Little Rock Nine; the Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools; the Mother's League of Central High; and the teachers. 

The efforts of these women are an important part of Arkansas history and the Civil Rights Movement. The Arkansas State University Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The public is welcome. Admission is free. For more information contact the Museum at (870) 972-2074.

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