The Leonard Lopate Show
The Little Rock Nine
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
On today’s show, we’ll look at how school desegregation in the South began with nine students at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Then, an illustrator discusses the third sequel to his classic children’s book. Also Jane Alexander on sex and intimacy in her latest film and HBO drama series. Plus, how the founding of al-Qaeda can be traced to a Muslim fundamentalist takeover of the Grand Mosque in 1979.
Little Rock: 50 Years Later
The wave of desegregation that transformed the South in the 1960s began in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Nine African-American students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated Little Rock Central High School; after President Dwight Eisenhower intervened, they were later allowed into the school. Contributing editor to Vanity Fair David Margolick spoke with Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, about being immortalized in the now iconic photo from 1957.
Visit Vanity Fair to read David Margolick’s article, “Through a Lens, Darkly," a web exclusive
Little Rock Central High School Today
50 years after Central High School was desegregated, it still isn't fully integrated. Filmmakers Brent Renaud and Craig Renaud looked at the legacy of the struggle for equal education and examined the lives of contemporary Central High Students in their HBO documentary, “Little Rock Central.”
"Little Rock Central" will air this Thursday at 9pm on HBO
You can learn more about the documentary here
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
Forty years ago, Eric Carle launched a cottage industry with the now-beloved classic children's book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Mr. Carle joins Leonard to discuss his third (and last) sequel, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?.
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is available for purchase at amazon.com
Jane Alexander on Sex and Intimacy
Jane Alexander is an award-winning actress, author, and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. She joins Leonard to discuss playing the role of therapist Dr. Mary Foster in HBO’s new drama series, “Tell Me You Love Me,” and her latest film, “Feast of Love.”
The Siege of Mecca
In 1979, Muslim fundamentalists staged a violent takeover of Islam’s holiest shrine, the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia. This incident was largely unreported in the West, but Yaroslav Trofimov argues that it inspired al-Qaeda and countless other Islamic revivalist movements to even greater acts of violence. Trofimov's new book about the takeover and its aftermath is The Siege of Mecca,
The Siege of Mecca is available for purchase at amazon.com
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