Spirit Tawfiq

When my mother was just a teenager, she made history as federal troops escorted her and eight other black students into Little Rock Central High to desegregate the school, as a white mob yelled racist remarks and tried to block their entrance. The group became known as the Little Rock Nine.

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When they finally made it inside the school doors, the verbal and physical abuse continued for years. 

 

As the civil rights movement grew she met my father, a white man, and they organized nonviolent protests and fought for change.  When you’re a biracial daughter of the civil rights movement… well, it’s complicated!