Little Rock Nine US civil rights leader captivates Auckland teens

It's been 61 years since Minnijean Brown-Trickey attended the segregated all-white Little Rock Central High in Arkansas with eight other African-American students.

The group known as Little Rock Nine would endure months of racist remarks and physical abuse from fellow students.

They were spat at, yelled at and pushed and shoved in the corridors for being black.

Brown-Trickey was just 15 years old - the same age as many of the students she spoke to at Alfriston Colleage in Manukau on Tuesday.

Participants in an anti-integration rally at the Arkansas State Capitol protest in August 1959 against the admission of the "Little Rock Nine" to Central High School. Photo / Getty Images

The civil rights activist described how she held back her tears during the day and only let them fall at night, out of sight of her mother.

"And when I got angry I told myself, don't get mad, get even. So be the smartest most amazing girl you can be," she said.

Brown-Trickey was asked if she was consciously aware that she was making history, to which she replied with a defiant "yes".

"The President sent troops to protect us, so kids could make Presidents act," she said.

She's hopeful her words will inspire young Kiwis.

"It's amazing how those lesson resonate in the current context," she said.

"So I'm fortunate that I have the images of that time so I can maybe help young people understand that we're all young at a certain point and things are going to come to us to make us stand tall for some reason."

A National Guard soldier accompanies the Little Rock nine as they leave after finishing another school day. Photo / Getty Images

Brown-Trickey's advice spoke volumes to the 150 odd students in the room.

One of them was Yukta Brma, 17: "It showed how brave she really is and the things she went through that someone her age, who is pretty much our age, shouldn't go through."

And Sabeehakhalil, also age 17, said: "She didn't think of it as fighting hate with hate. But she thought of it as getting even. And her way of getting even was waking up each day, walking to that school ... no matter what they threw at her."

Minnijean Brown-Trickey, alongside author and activist Professor Clarence Lusane, is visiting a handful of schools around New Zealand over the next 10 days.

The "Little Rock Nine" formed a study group after initially being prevented from entering Little Rock's Central High School. Photo / Getty Images

Elizabeth Eckford ignores the hostile screams and stares of fellow students on her first day of school at Little Rock Central High. Photo / Getty Images