Melba Pattillo Beals bolted into the spotlight as a teenager in 1957 when she, a black girl, enrolled at Central High School, an all white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. As a part of the Little Rock Nine, Melba quickly became a leader in the Civil Rights movement; and later, an accomplished journalist and author. We had the honor of sitting down with Melba where she talked about her sense of belonging, growing up fast, how society today has regressed in civil rights, and finding the strength to march forward. To become a patron and help this program continue producing Mood Altering Substance, go to www.patreon.com/hellohuman and pledge any amount. For more of Melba: Website: http://melbapattillobeals.com/ Her two latest books: March Forward Girl I Will Not Fear For more of us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelloHumans_co Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellohumans.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellohumans.co/ And if you’d like to buy us a coffee (or burrito) once a month to help us keep going, you can become a patron by going to https://www.patreon.com/hellohuman and making a pledge of any amount.