Melba Pattillo Beals

Melba Joy (My Picture)

Melba was dying. She was born on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941 and her mother was having trouble during Melba’s birth. The doctor had to use forceps to get her out, but had serious scalp damage. The doctor told the nurse to tell them to put Epsom salt and warm water in every hour, but since it was a white hospital and herself and her mom where African American, the nurse decided not to tell them. Melba was getting worse everyday. The priest came to bless her; Melba’s grandmother prayed for her all the time, and the time came when they all had to say their last goodbyes. When the African American janitor saw Melba’s mother crying in the hall, he said, “I guess the Epsom salts didn’t work.” Mrs. Pattillo had no idea what he was talking about. He explained and wondered why she didn’t know. The janitor overheard the doctor and the nurse talking before and thought it was a horrible thing to do because he also was African American. But, Melba Joy survived.

Melba was raised by her mother, grandmother and father, but her father left and she has very little memory of him. She went to an all African American school. When Melba was twelve, the Brown v. Board of Education decided to integrate schools. There was a sign-up sheet for who wanted to go to Central High in a few years, an all white school. She always talked to her grandma India about how it would be all white, but her grandma always disagreed. Melba talked to God through her journal everyday, asking what should she do. Melba Joy made her decision, she was going to Central High. When the time came, her family was visiting Melba’s aunt and uncle. The Beals’ got a call from their neighbors who were checking on their house for them while they were gone. The Beal’s neighbors called because someone said that the African American students are meeting soon because they are getting ready to enter Central High. Melba never told her family that she had signed up. It has been about a year since she actually thought about it. Phones were off the hook, every T.V. was on, and the Pattillo family was worried as they ever were. Random people were calling Melba’s relatives’ house, threatening to bomb it. Grandma India stayed up all hours to take guard of the house. It was time to go back to Little Rock to face the dangers the Beals family had never dreamed of facing.

The day the Brown v. Board of Education decided to integrate schools, Melba Joy’s school let out early. Melba’s teacher seemed to be very frightened. The teacher told her class go leave in groups and to not come back until tomorrow. The Students all left, but Melba forgot a piece of her homework. Melba went back, but her teacher excused her. Melba started to walk with her classmates, but she decided to take a short cut through a meadow. Sometimes, when Melba takes this short cut, a bully comes and chases her. This time, Melba Joy was all alone. Melba starts to sing and enjoy herself, but a white comes behind her and asks if Melba wants a ride. Melba starts to run, but she is too frightened to move too quickly. The man chases Melba and slaps her, putting on the ground. The man tried to rip Melba’s clothes off, but all at once the man moaned, frowned, and turned to the side. It was the bully, Marissa. Marissa was hitting the man in the head with her book bag and screamed to tell Melba to run. Marissa caught up with Melba and started to drag Melba safely home. Melba was almost raped.

When the first day of school came, Melba and her mom could barely get out of the house. They left the house around seven in their car, and got into a parking space at the school around seven fifty five. There were mobs of people, students, teachers, and adults throwing things and yelling at the new enrolling students. A few days later, they decided to have troops help the Little Rock 9 students move throughout the school. Someone tried to choke Melba, and many more things happened to the new students. The Little Rock 9 started to get used to the school. Some smiled at the students, others gave them directions, and some even told Melba what page to turn to in her text book. Melba even had her first date while attending Central High. The Little Rock 9 students sometimes met at someone’s house to do homework or compare notes. The time finally came when one year came after the integration, their goal was successful.

Melba graduated from Central High and became very successful. Melba Joy went to college at San Francisco State University and got a graduate degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. Melba worked as a reporter for NBC-TV. Today, Melba Beals is a communications consultant in San Francisco and author of books. Melba Joy Pattillo Beals is a perfect example of never giving up and keeping on with what you believe.