'Testament: The Little Rock Nine Monument,' Little Rock, Arkansas

© Rex Lisman/Getty Image

Courage and conviction. Black History Month

They were just high school kids, named Ernest, Elizabeth, Jefferson, Terrence, Carlotta, Minnijean, Gloria, Thelma, and Melba, who made history in 1957 when they became the first Black pupils at their school, in the face of fierce opposition. We start Black History Month here in Little Rock, the state capital of Arkansas, at the Little Rock Nine Monument, named for that group of kids who played an important role in desegregating public schools. Their contributions to the civil rights movement are a moving reminder of how far we've come as a nation, and of how very different life was for Black Americans not so long ago.