Biography of melba pattillo beals

American journalist and college educator

Melba Joy Patillo Beals (née&#;Pattillo; born December 7, ) is an American journalist and educator who was a member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of black students who were the first to racially integrate Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Biography of melba pattillo beals

Early life and education

Born on December 7, , Beals grew up in a family that prioritized education. Her mother, Lois Marie Pattillo, was one of the first black graduates of the University of Arkansas in who worked as a middle school English teacher.

Her father, Howell Pattillo, worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Beals' brother, Conrad S. Pattillo, served as U.S. Marshal of the Eastern District of Arkansas during the Clinton administration.^[1]

High school education

Main article: Little Rock Nine

While attending Horace Mann High School in Little Rock, an all-black high school, Patillo became aware that she was not receiving the