50 years later in Little Rock Central Documentary I watched on HBO last night.

I found it fascinating that even though the first barrier was broken that the next step has yet to be taken. As one of the nine is now a teacher at that very school and was disappointed that the students themselves still separate within the classroom. There were some who did integrate such as the Student Body President.

In school I had a teacher who was the first Black male teacher in a Catholic School. He was one of the best teachers ever. He brought new ideas and motivated students. He didn't have it easy as many wanted to take their sons or daughters out of the school. He told us the story of a story he had heard about to make a difference in this world. The story is similar to Pay It Forward. His went when you see someone several times on your way to school or even at school that you don't really know stop and say hello. Sometimes a conversation can occur and that it presents an opportunity.

I did several things that year 1967/68 that many parents didn't agree with and told their sons or daughters not to play with me. One was after hearing that story I stopped a lady that I had seen several times walking up and down the street. I knew she had a daughter who had many things wrong with her and the other children made fun of. I stopped and said "Hello" when she went up the street. A few hours later I said hello again as she walked down the street. She looked sad and I asked her what was wrong. She told me and I said that I could help her. I ran across to my home and brought back the special doll she was looking for. It would help her daughter get better after her operation. I was no longer playing with my dolls and she needed it more than I did. (the woman was black and her daughter was white). (The doll I gave was black.)

The teacher found out about it and wanted to know if it was okay to give my student picture to this woman. I said it was okay. He drove me home to see where I lived. I was nervous and I think he thought it was because of what the other students were saying. I wasn't worried about that. Something had happened years before and I didn't know how to tell it so I said kind of.

He was one of the teachers I remembered who made education fun and interesting.

At the time of the aforementioned, it wasn't intended to make me stand out, it was to make a difference in someone elses life whom I was able to help. I wasn't the only one at that school who made a difference there were others.

So when the girl in the documentary said "She didn't want to be the only one who was integrating." I guess she didn't know who the Student Body President's best friends were.

The second step sometimes is the hardest to take and the longest time to accomplish.