#Elizabeth Eckford

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Two members of the Little Rock Nine — the group of Black students who in 1957 integrated the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School while being threatened by an angry mob — are blasting the Arkansas Department of Education over restrictions placed on an Advanced Placement African American Studies course set to be offered this year.

After Arkansas earlier this week said that the course, which remains in its pilot stage, would not be counted toward high school graduation credits, six schools said that they would still continue teaching the course. In the North Little Rock and Jacksonville North Pulaski school districts, officials announced that the course would count as a "local elective" instead.

The Arkansas Department of Education has argued that there is uncertainty as to whether or not coursework goes against an executive order signed earlier this year by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that bars "critical race theory" from being taught in the state's classrooms.

In interviews with NBC News, Little Rock Nine members Elizabeth Eckford and Terrence Roberts spoke out against the state's actions.

"I think the attempts to erase history is working for the Republican Party," Eckford told the news outlet. "They have some boogeymen that are really popular with their supporters."

Roberts, who told the outlet that the group "suffered physically and emotionally" in the effort to integrate Central High, said that at a "bare minimum" laws prohibiting what students can and cannot learn shouldn't be on the books.

Roberts recounted that at some commemorations of the group integrating Central High, some have sought to shield the images of the angry mob incensed that Black students dared to believe that they could belong at the high school as well. He also slammed the prohibition of critical race theory — which is almost exclusively taught at a collegiate level — as "ridiculous."

The Arkansas Department of Education in a statement stood by its decision.

"Until it's determined whether it violates state law and teaches or trains teachers in CRT and indoctrination, the state will not move forward," the Department said. "The Department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination."

During a Thursday interview on Fox News, the Governor reaffirmed the decision of the Education Department and stated that she wanted schools to focus on "the basics of teaching math, of teaching reading, writing and American history."

"We cannot perpetuate a lie to our students and push this propaganda leftist agenda teaching our kids to hate America and hate one another," she said.

The AP African American Studies course was offered by Central High during the previous school year, and it will also be an option for students during the new school year.

One of the defining images of the civil-rights movement is a photograph of a then-15-year-old Eckford as she walked to Central High wearing sunglasses and holding her schoolbooks as she faced an angry mob.

Huckabee Sanders, who was elected to the Governorship last November after serving as White House press secretary under then-President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, is also a graduate of Central High.

[sixbucks]

[imkeepinit]

[helloparkerrose]

[valkyries-things]

ELIZABETH ECKFORD // ACTIVIST

“She was a member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. She only spent one year at Little Rock Central High where she and the other black students were tormented throughout. In the years since, she has struggled through life, and twice attempted suicide. She was subsequently diagnosed with PTSD.”

[blackdollenthusiast]

Elizabeth Eckford

[whitesinhistory]

Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of black students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas. - @AfricanArchives

Hazel Massery; the lady screaming at Eckford.

[runningallthetime]

15 year old Elizabeth Eckford facing angry

mobs on the first day of school during desegregation, 1957. photos by Johnny Jenkins

Elizabeth Ann Eckford made history as a member of the Little

Rock Nine, the nine African-American students who

desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

"As I stepped out into the street, the people who had been across the street started surging forward behind me. So, I headed in the opposite direction to where there was another bus stop. Safety to me meant getting to that bus stop. It seemed like I sat there for a long time before the bus came. In the meantime, people were screaming behind me what I would have described as a crowd before, to my ears sounded like a mob."

[aiiaiiiyo]

[odinsblog]

Weird how transphobia and racism keep showing up at the same parties together.

After reducing the entire movie down to (Amandla’s) “excessive cleavage,” Lena somehow manages to unironically recommend that everyone go see Jennifer’s Body, a movie best known for it’s lack of cleavage. Like, at this point just say you hate Black people and gtfo.

Other relevant tweets that hit the nail on the head:

Finally, someone brave enough to come for truly the most powerful and over represented group - queer, Black women.

"I don't want anything more to come out of this... But now I will post this video which will 100% guarantee that more will come out of this, rather than, say, reply privately”

“I don’t want this person who has more social power than me to think that it’s fucking okay to do something like this.” <<image of Elizabeth Eckford being harassed by white women>>

Social power didn’t have a thing to do with this. It was a DM not a public exchange. This film critic brought “social power” into this by making it public over social media. Just a typical Karen/white tears situation.

It was a direct message? How is she display her “social power” if she came to you directly and privately? YOU made it public. 🤡

Here are more shots of what the characters wear throughout the film. (Also cannot stress enough that there’s not even any nudity in this movie, let alone a sex scene or anything resembling an ad for cleavage.)

Lord, if you're hearing this, I'm down for the worst day of my life being someone sending me a soft jab in a DM.

Let’s put the context behind the response. (video)

It needs to be noted that Lena Wilson apparently has some history of shitting on films with Black leads or mostly Black casts. This is a good example of white feminism™ that body shames, objectifies, sexualizes & polices Black people’s bodies; and seeks to replace privileged straight white male gatekeepers with privileged cis gay white gatekeepers. And when called out on her racialized misogyny, Lena retreats back to the familiar position of “powerless” white woman who was “attacked” and “victimized” for no reason. (Hint: this is a good example of weaponizing white femininity against BIPoC).

As much as Wilson likes to tell everyone she attained her “success” by hard work and pulling herself up by her own bootstraps, please remember that her mommy and daddy are prominent industry insiders. So her life hack, her secret sauce is just more of the same old “nepotism & being born into a privileged wealthy white family” that keeps journalism and Hollywood so disproportionately white.

[heronstill]

Elizabeth Eckford

Little Rock High School, 1957

[whataweirdfeeling]

HELLO Welcome to WAWF WEDNESDAY your monthly WAWF update [1st Wednesday of each month]

*Excusing this month as the 'end of hibernation' was Feb 2nd and the first Wednesday of this month was the 1st of Feb*

WAWF will NOT be skipping Black History Month 2023

Read below to find out what else WAWF is up to this month

WAWF NEWS: Black History

Poster 1: Harriet Tubman[far left, holding pan] posing with a group of people she helped escape slavery[late 19th century]

Poster 2: Rosa Parks sitting in the front of a bus after segregation was ruled illegal on the city bus system, circa 1956

Poster 3: Elizabeth Eckford[of the “Little Rock Nine”] is followed with threats by an angry white mob on her way to class…

Poster 4: Line of Black Panther party members outside the New York County Criminal Court for a trial[“Panther 21”] on jailed Black Panther members accused of shooting at police stations/bombings

What We’re Cranking:

- Recent: Let’s Start Here[Album] - Lil Yachty

Honorable Mentions: Five Easy Hotdogs - Mac Demarco, Bin Reaper 3: New Testament[Album] - BabyTron, It’s Only Me[Album] - Lil Baby, SOS[Album]- Sza

- Low-Key: First Week Out[Album] - RX Papi,

Honorable Mentions: No Limit[Song] - Draft Day, That Time of the Year[Song] - 1xsimon

- Still in Rotation: My Turn[Album] - Lil Baby

Honorable Mentions: Flawless Like me[Album] - Lucki, Pink Heartz[Album] - Sofaygo, Ben Lomond Mountain[Song] - NBA Youngboy, Drip Season 3[Album] - Gunna

- Throwback: Rebirth[Album]- Lil Wayne

Honorable Mentions: Graduation[Album] - Ye, Take Care[Album] - Drake, Late Registration[Album] - Ye

WAWF’s Wearing:

Fit 1[Left] - @fitzgodwin_ on Instagram @humansunderglobalhatred on tumblr

Fit 2[Right] - @vyngak on Instagram & tumblr

*send your best fit pic to @whataweirdfeeling on Instagram for your own possible feature in the 'WAWF’s Wearing' section next month*

WAWF Magazine pushes art fashion culture and much more Stay tuned for all of the exciting things we have planned for 2023

Words/Curated by: @vyngak

[sixbucks]

https://x.com/alimbrady/status/1694912945702985797?s=12&t=glgr4pgG44k2S36WjSEREA

[delux2222]

Sep 4, 1957, Orval Faubus, governor of Arkansas, called out the National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling in Central High School. Here, Elizabeth Eckford, turned away from entering Central High School by Arkansas National Guard by order of Governor Faubus, is followed by hostile whites, Little Rock, Arkansas.

[mamusiq]

Songs You Totally Misunderstood, Explained

These songs have more to their meanings than meets the eye—or ear.

Have you ever been singing along to your favorite tune and suddenly realized that the song might be about something completely different than you previously thought? Don't worry, you're not alone. In fact, there are more than a handful of hits that have more to their meaning than what meets the eye. For instance, if you like dancing along to "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People, you'll be floored to find out that it's actually about mental illness. And did you know that the early 2000s novelty hit "Who Let the Dogs Out" is a feminist anthem? To help clear things up—from The Beatles to the Boss—here are the famous songs that have been totally misunderstood.

1 "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men

As much as we love our four-legged friends, this Caribbean classic is not about canines. After eight years of research, Ben Sisto got to the heart of the titular question in his documentary Who Let the Dogs Out, which premiered at SXSW in 2019. The final answer? The steel drum-infused song is actually a feminist anthem.

According to The Daily Beast, Trinidadian artist Anslem Douglas wrote the song—originally titled "Doggie," but famously known as "Who Let the Dogs Out" thanks to Baha Men's 2000 cover—as a "rallying cry" against cat-calling. Hence the lyrics: "Well the party was nice, the party was pumpin'/And everybody havin' a ball/Until the fellas started name callin'/And the girls responded to the call/I heard a woman shout out/'Who let the dogs out?'" And for other reputable remakes, check out The 50 Best Cover Songs of All Time.

2 "Blackbird" by The Beatles

In terms of symbolism, "Blackbird" is one of The Beatles' best metaphors—and no, it doesn't have any aviary connection. The British band was fascinated and appalled by the American civil rights movement happening in the '60s. They wrote the song "Blackbird" after hearing about the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who fought to desegregate the school system in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2016, Paul McCartney tweeted, "Incredible to meet two of the Little Rock Nine—pioneers of the civil rights movement and inspiration for Blackbird," following a meet-and-greet with Thelma Mothershed Wair and Elizabeth Eckford.

3 "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind

This '90s hit from San Francisco rockers, Third Eye Blind, isn't what it seems. Despite its upbeat sound, the lyrics have a much darker undertone. In a 1997 interview with Billboard, frontman, Stephan Jenkins, calls "Semi-Charmed Life" a "dirty, filthy song" about, well, sex, drugs, and rock n' roll.

"I think people hear 'Semi-Charmed Life' as a happy summertime jam. And that's fine with me," Jenkins said. "I don't think the song should be so blatant that I have to come out and say, 'Couples who take speed tend to break up, so don't do it.'"

Even the title itself refers to "a life that's all propped up," Jenkins adds. "You know, the beautiful people who lead bright and shiny lives that on the inside are all [messed] up." And for more music about relationships gone wrong, check out, The 100 Best Breakup Songs of All Time.

4 "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler

This breakup ballad is not about your typical "boy meets girl" scenario. In fact, Jim Steinman who wrote the song for Bonnie Tyler, told Playbill that he based the song off a fantasy about vampires. No joke. It was originally called "Vampires in Love," which explains all the creepy lines such as, "Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time/I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark."

5 "Waterfalls" by TLC

Who could ever forget this carpool-karaoke staple? You loved singing the 1994 TLC hit, but you may have overlooked the song's serious subject matter. It's actually about the AIDS epidemic, as referenced in the line: "His health is fading and he doesn't know why/Three letters took him to his final resting place."

"Anything that's self-destructive, that's chasing a waterfall," singer Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas told The Guardian. "We wanted to make a song with a strong message—about unprotected sex, being promiscuous, and hanging out in the wrong crowd." The music video furthered this message by showing a kid dealing drugs and a man contracting HIV.

6 "Slide" by Goo Goo Dolls

Don't be fooled by this popular 1998 song by the Goo Goo Dolls. "Slide" is not a love ballad, but rather, a story about an unplanned pregnancy. In a 2018 interview celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album Dizzy Up the Girl, lead singer Johnny Rzeznik told Billboard, "I was thinking a lot about the neighborhood I grew up in. 'Slide' is about a teenage boy and girl. They're trying to figure out if they're going to keep the baby or if she's going to get an abortion or if they're just going to run away. They're dealing with these heavy life choices at a very early age. Everybody grew up way too fast."

Don't believe it? Just take a glance at these lyrics: "Don't you love the life you killed?/The priest is on the phone/Your father hit the wall/Your ma disowned you."

7 "Macarena" by Los Del Río

The choreographed moves are almost as iconic as the tune itself. But this '90s Spanish cult-classic isn't as innocent as our childhood memories would expect. The rhythmic hit is actually about a woman who cheats on her boyfriend (with his two friends!) while he's being drafted into the army.

8 "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5

Maroon 5's breakout album, Songs About Jane, may be full of steamy love songs, but "Harder to Breathe" is not one of them. In fact, it is actually about a different suffocating relationship—with the group's record label.

"That song comes sheerly from wanting to throw something," frontman Adam Levine said in a 2002 MTV interview. "It was the 11th hour, and the label wanted more songs. It was the last crack. I wanted to make a record, and the label was applying a lot of pressure, but I'm glad they did."

9 "One Way or Another" by Blondie

Blondie frontwoman, Debbie Harry, pulled from personal experience to create the '80s rock classic, "One Way or Another." But, what sounds like a cat-and-mouse game between lovers is a scarier situation in reality. "I was actually stalked by a nut-job so it came out of a not-so-friendly personal event," Harry told Entertainment Weekly. "But I tried to inject a little bit of levity into it to make it more lighthearted. I think in a way that's a normal kind of survival mechanism. You know, just shake it off, say one way or another, and get on with your life. Everyone can relate to that and I think that's the beauty of it." And for other earworms from the '80s, check out 25 Songs Every '80s Kid Knows By Heart.

10 "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People

This head-bouncing bop sounds like it has simple origins about a teenager with sweet new shoes. In reality, it's trying to raise awareness for mental illness and gun violence, as seen in the chorus: "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks/You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun."

"I remember that week, there was some shooting that happened, and it really bothered me, because I recognized that it was going to continue to get worse," lead singer Mark Foster told Billboard in 2019, setting the scene of the song's creation. "And then that song popped out."

11 "Gangnam Style" by Psy

As one of the earliest viral sensations—reaching 3.5 billion views on YouTube—Psy's "Gangnam Style" swept the globe with its infectious beat and dance moves. But behind the South Korean artist's lyrics, lies a sharp social satire on the ultra-rich residents of Gangnam, a neighborhood known as the Beverly Hills of Seoul. In the music video, he pokes fun at the   glamorous lifestyle, but even doing that didn't bring him much satisfaction. According to The Atlantic, Psy said: "Human society is so hollow, and even while filming, I felt pathetic. Each frame by frame was hollow."

12 "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen

At first glance, the title track of Bruce Springsteen's seventh album seems as patriotic as patriotic can get. According to The New Yorker, the 1984 hit was even used in Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign. This quickly prompted the Boss to clarify things a bit, saying that "Born in the U.S.A." was "the most misunderstood song since 'Louie, Louie.'" From then on, he played an acoustic version of the hit that made its darker tone—about Vietnam veterans—more obvious to listeners.

In a 1984 Rolling Stone interview, Springsteen said: "When you think about all the young men and women that died in Vietnam, and how many died since they've been back—surviving the war and coming back and not surviving—you have to think that, at the time, the country took advantage of their selflessness."

13 "S&M" by Rihanna

If you thought Rihanna's 2010 bop, "S&M," was about a racy relationship, guess again. The songstress intended it to be about her tumultuous experience with the media. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Rihanna told Vogue in 2011, "The song can be taken very literally, but it's actually a very metaphorical song. It's about the love-hate relationship with the media and how sometimes the pain is pleasurable. We feed off it—or I do. And it was a very personal message that I was trying to get across."

14 "London Calling" by The Clash

Although "London Calling" was known as a political punk-rock anthem in the late '70s, the song was much more relevant to a topic of today's time: climate change. According to The Wall Street Journal, the British band was scared after reading a 1979 London Evening Standard article about the Thames river flooding the streets of London. Originally, frontman, Joe Strummer, focused his lyrics on the subject of drowning but then broadened his approach to include an array of dire circumstances. You can hear it for yourself in the chorus, "The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in/Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin/Engines stop running, but I have no fear/'Cause London is drowning/I live by the river."

15 "Royals" by Lorde

Although the lyrics to Lorde's 2013 hit "Royals" depict the idea of rejecting fame and fortune, the true meaning is literally in the song's title. The New Zealand pop artist was flipping through a 1976 issue of National Geographic, and stumbled upon a picture of George Brett, a Kansas City Royals baseball player, who was surrounded by screaming fans begging for his autograph. In an interview with VH1, Lorde explained, "his shirt said Royals… I really like that word, because I'm a big word fetishist. I'll pick a word, and I'll pin an idea to that."

16 "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran

Soothing acoustics aside, "The A Team" is a melancholy story inspired by Ed Sheeran's experience performing at a charity concert for Crisis, a foundation that helps the homeless in the U.K. After visiting the shelter and hearing their stories, Sheeran went home and wrote the lyrics in 20 minutes. You can pick up some of the references, especially in lines like, "Ripped glove, raincoat/Tried to swim and stay afloat/Dry house, wet clothes/Loose change, bank notes/Weary-eyed and dry throat."

17 "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga

Since she first stepped onto the scene in 2008, Lady Gaga has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and representation. And on her debut record, The Fame, she explores her own bisexuality in the song "Poker Face." According to NBC, the pop star said the song was "about being in a relationship with a man but fantasizing about a woman; hence, the man must read her poker face."

18 "American Pie" by Don McLean

Don McLean's catchy 1970s ditty may be the perfect campfire sing-along, but it's not as happy-go-lucky as it seems. In fact, the line "the day the music died" nods to the tragic 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (a.k.a. The Big Bopper), and Ritchie Valens.

"The lyrics had to do with the [deteriorating] state of society at the time," McLean told The Guardian. When he auctioned the song's original manuscript at Christie's in 2015, McLean said, "Basically, in 'American Pie' things are heading in the wrong direction. It is becoming less ideal, less idyllic… it is a morality song in a sense."

19 "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan

This Sarah McLachlan song may conjure those sad SPCA animal commercials, but there's more to the tear-inducing tune. According to ABC News, McLachlan penned the piece in memory of Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, who died from a heroin overdose in 1996. "The story shook me because though I have never done hard drugs like that, I felt a flood of empathy for him and that feeling of being lost, lonely, and desperately searching for some kind of release," McLachlan wrote on Quora in 2014.

20 "Closing Time" by Semisonic

You've most likely heard this crooner at the end of a late night out with friends. But contrary to popular belief, "Closing Time" isn't about the last call at a bar. Semisonic lead singer, Dan Wilson, actually wrote the piece for his daughter, who was born prematurely. At his college reunion at Harvard in 2008, Wilson told the crowd, "I hid it so well in plain view that millions and millions of people heard the song and didn't get it. They think it's about being bounced from a bar, but it's about being bounced from the womb."

https://bestlifeonline.com/misunderstood-songs/

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The 65 Best Cover Songs of All Time Admit it, these tracks are so good, you actually thought they were originals. April 28, 2021

30 Famous Songs Everyone Misinterprets Wait—"Hey Ya!" means what?! September 27, 2018

[marcel334]

Are you familiar with the song “Blackbird” by The Beatles? Most of us are, but few know the REAL meaning behind it…

Paul McCartney was visiting America. He was sitting, resting, when he heard a woman screaming. He looked up to see a Black woman being surrounded by the police. The police had her handcuffed, and were beating her.

He thought the woman had committed a terrible crime, only to find out that "the crime" she committed was to sit in a section reserved for whites.

Paul was shocked. There was no segregation in England. But, here in America, the land of freedom, this is how Blacks were being treated.

McCartney and the Beatles went back home to England, but he would remember what he saw, how he felt, the unfairness of it all.

He also remembered watching television and following the news in America, the race riots and what was happening in Little Rock, Arkansas, what was going on in the Civil Rights movement.

He saw the picture of 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford attempt to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School as an angry mob followed her, yelling, "Drag her over this tree! Let's take care of that n**ger!'" and “Lynch her! Lynch her!” “No n**ger b*tch is going to get in our school!”

McCartney couldn't believe this was happening in America.

He thought of these women being mistreated, simply because of the color of her skin. He sat down and started writing.

Last year at a concert, he would meet two of the women who inspired him to write one of his most memorable songs, Thelma Mothershed Wair and Elizabeth Eckford, members of the Little Rock Nine (pictured here).

McCartney would tell the audience he was inspired by the courage of these women: "Way back in the Sixties, there was a lot of trouble going on over civil rights, particularly in Little Rock. We would notice this on the news back in England, so it's a really important place for us, because to me, this is where civil rights started. We would see what was going on and sympathize with the people going through those troubles, and it made me want to write a song that, if it ever got back to the people going through those troubles, it might just help them a little bit, and that's this next one."

He explained that when he started writing the song, he had in mind a Black woman, but in England, "girls" were referred to as "birds." And, so the song started:

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting

for this moment to arise."

McCartney added that he and the Beatles cared passionately about the Civil Rights movement, "so this was really a song from me to a Black woman, experiencing these problems in the States: ‘Let me encourage you to keep trying, to keep your faith, there is hope.’

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life

You were only waiting

for this moment to be free."