and my guest today is one of them, elizabeth eckford.asjust 15 in 1957, but one extraordinary photograph ensures that her role will be forever remembered. hardtalk theme music plays. elizabeth eckford, welcome to hardtalk and thank you very much for inviting me into your home. you are very welcome. let me begin by asking you something that just struck me, as i was walking into your house, you have had six decades of people eating a path to your door, you have had six decades of people beating a path to your door, wanting to talk to you because, as it happened, you played an extraordinary role, as an individual, in the civil rights movement here in the united states. i just wonder whether you ever sometimes wish that things had gone differently, that you did not have all of this attention upon you? well, you know, when i was a child, i was very, very shy. i was a submissive child from a household where my parents, frankly, were benevolent oligarchs. we knew that they loved us. each worked two jobs to take care, six kids, paid a car note a

only elizabeth eckford whose family didn't own a telephone arrived alone. >> elizabeth didn't get thege that we were going to meet at the 14th street side of the school and not the 16th street side of the school. we had the protection of each other and this group of ministers and elizabeth didn't have anybody. she really took the brunt of it that day. >> this black young teenager all by herself being frightened and screamed at, it's the first of a series of images showing how powerful and virulent southern white racism was. >> reporter: traumatized by the reaction of the ground elizabeth refused to speak to news crews. >> can you tell me your name, please? are you going to go to school here at central high? don't care to say anything, is that right? >> reporter: there was one journalist elizabeth agreed to talk to, moses newson a newspaper reporter for "the baltimore afro-american." >> when i heard about it and rushed over and she recognized me and she said she would talk to me. you know, she sat there talking about what had happened to her, and she said -- as soon as they say we can

elizabeth eckford.asjust 15 in 1957 but one extraordinary photograph ensures that her role will be forever remembered. little rock central high school little rock central high elizabeth eckford, welcome to hardtalk and thank you very much for inviting me into your home. you are very welcome. let me begin by asking is something that struck me entering your house. you have had six decades of people eating a path to your door, wanting to talk to you because, as it happened, you played an extraordinary role as an individual in the civil rights movement in the united states. do you ever sometimes wish things had gone differently? that you did not have all this attention? when i was a child, i was very shy, i was a submissive child from a household where my parents, frankly, were benevolent ali oligarchs. we knew they loved us. two jobs benevolent ali oligarchs. we knew they loved us. twojobs to benevolent ali oligarchs. we knew they loved us. two jobs to take care, six kids to take care of. in this house? it