Daisy Bates (1914-1999) was a firebrand in the desegregation of the American education system.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Local Legends, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
For those of you tuning in for the first time, welcome! Here’s the deal: Every weekday, we’re highlighting the stories of women you may not know about, but definitely should. We’re talking about women from around the world and throughout history. Each month is themed. This month is all about Journalists.
Our first journalist was a firebrand in the desegregation of the American education system. Her strong-willed nature facilitated her turning early childhood trauma into motivation for driving social change. She recognized the role of the press and exploited its power in her life’s work. On this first day of Black History Month, let’s salute Daisy Bates!
Daisy Bates was born on November 11, 1914, in the sawmill town of Huttig, Arkansas to Hezakiah Gatson and Millie Riley. Daisy faced immense tragedy when she was three years old: Her mother was sexually assaulted and murdered by three white men. Daisy’s father then abandoned Daisy. She wouldn’t see him again. Friends of the family, Orlee and Susie Smith, took Daisy in. Daisy quickly took to Orlee and the two developed a special bond.
It wasn’t until Daisy was 8 years old that she discovered the truth about her mother’s murder. This was a pivotal moment in Daisy’s life as it led her to develop a deep-rooted disdain for white people and racial discrimination. For Daisy, the reality of being Black in America set in very quickly and very early. The result of Daisy’s discovery about her mother was a withdrawal from her friendships with her white friends and a determination to bring her mother’s murderers to justice. It’s rumored that Daisy came across one of the men responsible for her mother’s murder and continuously and purposefully put herself in his path, daring him to face her and feel his guilt. In the end, none of the men were convicted. Still, Daisy’s fight for justice continued.
When Daisy was 15 years old, she met L.C. Bates, the man she would eventually marry. At the time, he was a 27-year-old insurance salesman who had a background in journalism. They started dating when Daisy was 17 and L.C. was in the process of divorcing his first wife. Their romance blossomed as did a joint business venture. In 1941, empowered by L.C.’s journalism expertise and Daisy’s knowledge from her business administration and public relations classes, the couple launched their own newspaper, the Arkansas State Press. Daisy and L.C. married in March of 1942 and created a home base in Little Rock.
Daisy established herself in Little Rock as the editor of the Arkansas State Press and a prominent member of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP. Daisy and L.C. were not afraid to push the envelope with their coverage. One of the purposes of the newspaper was to directly address race relations in all areas of American life. This unsettled and infuriated the local white community. They boycotted the publication and Daisy and L.C. became the targets of hate crimes at the hands of the KKK and other perpetrators of hate and racism. They had crosses burned on their yard and at one point a rock inscribed with the message “Stone this time. Dynamite next” was thrown into their home.
But the duo would not be deterred.
They continued to use their newspaper as a vehicle for change and at the age of 38, Daisy was elected president of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP. During this time, the association was focusing its efforts and resources on desegregating schools. After the renowned 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case, where the Supreme Court ruled segregated schools unconstitutional, Daisy devoted her time to ensuring that Black students were able to attend white schools and receive the same quality of education. She wielded the power of her statewide distributed newspaper to put pressure on schools to uphold the mandate.
With her fellow board members, Daisy spearheaded the plan to integrate Little Rock Central High School. They handpicked nine Black students out of many volunteers to enroll. Daisy took it upon herself to not only educate the students on the importance of this action and the hardship and danger they would encounter, but also to ensure their safety. Orval Faubus, Arkansas’ Governor at the time, deployed members of the Arkansas National Guard as a measure to block the Black students’ access.
But on September 25, 1957, the nine students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were escorted by federal troops sent by President Eisenhower into the school through a crowd of angry and aggressive protesters. Because of Daisy’s thoughtful, and determined actions, these students were able to enter the doors of Central High School. Some question the prominence of her position in this historic moment, but most support her significant leadership. One of the Little Rock Nine students described Daisy as “the poster child of Black resistance”
In 1957, her commitment to the civil rights movement earned Daisy the Woman of the Year Award by the National Council of Negro Women. And a year later, Daisy and the Little Rock Nine received the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement.
Daisy reflected on her life and her role as a civil rights crusader and published an autobiography in 1962, titled The Long Shadow of Little Rock: A Memoir. The book won a National Book Award in 1988 after its reprint.
At the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Daisy was the only woman to give a speech on the national stage. The speech, entitled “Tribute to Negro Women Fighters for Freedom”, was inspirational for highlighting the significance of women activists in the Civil Rights movement.
During an era when the majority of Civil Rights leaders were Black men, Daisy distinguished herself as a formidable force. With this momentum, Daisy and L.C. moved to Washington, DC, and she worked on refining and implementing anti-poverty programs under the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.
The two moved back to Arkansas after Daisy suffered a stroke. From 1966 to 1974, Daisy regained her strength and worked as a community organizer for the Mitchellville OEO Self-Help Project. L.C. died in 1980 and Daisy honored her late husband by reviving Arkansas State Press from 1984-1987, it had previously been forced to shut down in 1959 due to advertising boycotts. Daisy’s final act of strength was carrying the Olympic torch in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In 1999, following a series of strokes, she died at the age of 84. That same year she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal along with the members of the Little Rock Nine. Daisy is the first Black woman to lie in the Arkansas State Capitol building. And the state of Arkansas honors her legacy by proclaiming the third Monday in February, Daisy Bates Day.
All month, we’re talking about journalists.
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Talk to you tomorrow!