Fire from the Rock

Sylvia spends Labor Day inside with her family watching the news about what might happen the next day on the first day of school. They hear the governor call for the National Guard to prevent the Black students from entering Central High School. He also makes an announcement saying that there is a caravan of white supremacists heading to Little Rock and he wants to prevent violence. In an effort to make everything sound equal, he also bans white students from entering Horace Mann School. Sylvia and her brother laugh out loud as they try to imagine why any white person would want to try and attend their school.

Sylvia and Gary prepare to head off to the first day of school. They decide to watch the news first to see what happens at Central. They see reporters interviewing white students who enter, including Rachel. Rachel tells the reporter she does not want to see any more hatred. Sylvia is proud of her friend. Sylvia sees Calvin at school, and he tells her she can lean on him any time. He also says Reggie sends them a few dollars a week as promised. Everyone talks about what is happening over at Central High School and wonders if the soldiers are there to protect the kids trying to enter or keep them out.