Carlotta and The Little Rock Nine - Part 2
Ooh You're In Trouble
Mortified Media and TRAX from PRX
4.6 • 670 Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2020
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Imagine showing up for your first day of high school only to be greeted by armed troops and angry mobs. In the second installment of our special 2-part episode, we travel back to 1950’s Arkansas to hear the story of The Little Rock 9 — a group of courageous African American teenagers who challenged the status quo and made history in the process. Featuring Carlotta Walls LaNier.
Ooh, You’re In Trouble is a proud member of TRAX from PRX. Listen to the entire series.
*A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School *by Carlotta Walls LaNier.
Donate to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesTranscript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The following story is true. However, unlike others we've shared, this one contains subject matter |
| 0:06.3 | about a moment in history that may be difficult for certain age groups to hear. |
| 0:11.7 | Welcome to part two of our very special episode of, ooh, you're in trouble as we return to the |
| 0:18.3 | 1950s to continue the story of a brave teenager who risked everything |
| 0:22.1 | to fight the system. |
| 0:23.7 | It was about access to an opportunity. |
| 0:27.3 | In part one, we met Carlotta, a teenager in Arkansas who'd been selected to become one of the |
| 0:32.5 | first black students at Little Rock's top high school. |
| 0:35.5 | The problem? |
| 0:36.6 | It was the 1950s, when people of different |
| 0:39.2 | races were separated by law. You would see water fountains that said white and color. And back then, |
| 0:46.0 | the school system in Little Rock was no different than its water fountains. You know, that's the way it was. |
| 0:52.0 | So as Carlotta woke for her first day at Central High School, she was about to break a tradition |
| 0:56.7 | a lot of people didn't want change, all of which posed the question, how far should you go |
| 1:02.7 | to fight for something you believe in? |
| 1:06.7 | I was not what you call nervous on my first day. September 4th, 1957. I was excited. I was not what you call nervous on my first day. |
| 1:11.4 | September 4th, 1957. |
| 1:13.6 | I was excited. |
| 1:14.9 | I probably had butterflies. |
| 1:17.4 | Like any kids starting high school, |
| 1:19.3 | Carlotta was eager to make a good first impression. |
| 1:22.3 | So she got dressed. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Mortified Media and TRAX from PRX, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Mortified Media and TRAX from PRX and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.