By  Dianne Anderson

Students today can barely imagine the harrowing walk of nine black students into the Little Rock Central High School in step with the National Guard, past the jeering gnarled faces of white hatred, parents, teachers and the Klan.

Last week, Stone Houston sat through his first screening of the woman behind it

all, who took the fight for desegregation in the thick of the civil rights movement.

Daisy Bates: The First Lady of Littlerock became the historic symbol of early integration of public schools.

For 10-year-old Houston, it was his first time seeing such things. He can’t imagine having to sit in class, and study under that kind of social pressure. He said that his grandmother, Thelma Houston, had to break down some unfamiliar terminology during the movie, and explain the backdrop of the time.

“This is actually pretty new to me,” he said. “Some words I didn’t understand, like the meaning of discrimination.”

He hasn’t heard or read of the Little Rock incident in history books, and hasn’t seen the familiar photo that most baby boomers grew up with. About the only African Americans they’ve studied in class are the most popular people, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges.

“My reaction was that was totally wrong in how they treated African Americans,” said Houston, who attends Jackie Robinson Elementary School, and wants to be an astronomer or an artist when he grows up.

On January 31, the community is invited for a free screening of the Daisy Bates: First Lady of Littlerock documentary, sponsored by the Long Beach Public Library, Long Beach Branch NAACP and MusicUNTOLD. Starting at 6:00 p.m., the event will be held at the Long Beach Main Library Auditorium located at 101 Pacific Ave.

Bates, whose birth mother was raped and killed by three white men, later became the leading figure against segregation of the Little Rock Central High School.

John Malveaux, founder of the nonprofit MusicUNTOLD, said the event is part of three consecutive tributes to historical Black women in the coming weeks.

On February 4, he is also hosting a piano recital with internationally acclaimed pianist, Althea Waites, who is recognized for her works of Black female composers. In addition to international tours, she is also a professor on faculty at Cal State Long Beach. That event will be held at the Long Beach Public Library at 1:00 p.m.

On February 9, MusicUNTOLD partners with the Long Beach branch NAACP to bring famed African American ballerina soloist, Mitsy Copeland to Long Beach, who will present at San Pedro High School, Poly High School, California State University-Long Beach and the Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro.

“This is a bomb,” Malveaux said. “We are bringing her here. She was just selected as the new American Ballet Theater lead dancer for Stravinsky's Fire Bird, which will tour the world.”

Copeland is only the third African American soloist in the past 20 years with the American Ballet Theater.

Big names, “absolutely,” says John Malveaux, “and it's all free.”

Each year, he puts on extravagant productions through his nonprofit that hits a cultural high note for Blacks in nontraditional arts.

Always trying to lift the veil off less publicized areas of accomplishment for African Americans, Malveaux said the community needs to know that they don’t have to be squeezed exclusively into jazz, hip hop or R&B based genres.

Classical interest is not an unlikely combination with soul. He thinks it’s a process of education.

“What we’re trying to show is the full range of human potential, as opposed to just being stereotypical, that’s overwhelmingly portrayed in the media,” he said.

For more information, call (562) 570-7500 or see www.musicuntold.com.