The home of late civil rights leader Daisy Bates, where the Little Rock Nine gathered each morning during the desegregation of Central High School, was honored Tuesday with a new state historical marker.
The blue marker at Bates’ residence in south Little Rock is part of Arkansas’ commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Bates, who co-owned the Arkansas State Press with her husband L.C. Bates, served as a mentor to the nine Black students who integrated Central High in 1957. Her home, built in 1955, functioned as a daily meeting place where the students assembled before school and returned afterward.
Mary Hardin, now a tour guide at the home who first met the Bateses as a high school student, described the residence as a central hub of the movement.
She said the house served as a “command post for desegregation.”
The home is now a National Historic Landmark operated by the nonprofit L.C. and Daisy Bates Foundation. Foundation president Charles King said visitors travel from across the United States and around the world to learn about the state’s civil rights history.
Inside, the house has been restored to reflect its appearance in 1957 and includes artifacts related to Bates and the Central High crisis. King said the foundation hopes to eventually add a visitor center to help preserve the property and accommodate growing interest.
Monday marked an Arkansas state holiday honoring both Bates and George Washington. In 2019, a state law also replaced one of Arkansas’ statues at the U.S. Capitol with one depicting Bates. She served as president of the Arkansas NAACP and was the only woman to speak from the main stage at the 1963 March on Washington.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, speaking at the ceremony, said Bates risked her career, property and personal safety for the principle that all children deserve equal treatment regardless of race.
The Bates marker is the second of 11 planned statewide as part of Arkansas’ America 250 celebration. The first was unveiled in Bauxite to recognize the town’s role in supplying ore for aircraft production during World War II.
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