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Jerry Jones slammed for 'racist' past as pic of him stopping Black students from desegregating goes viral

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has admitted he is in the photo, but says he did not join protests against integration and watched curiously without animosity

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: A new photo of 14-year-old Jerry Jones standing with a group of white students at North Little Rock High School in Arkansas blocking six African-American teens dating back to 1957 has been making the rounds. Jones is seen as part of the group blocking the Black students from entering and integrating into the school. Jones has since admitted to being in the photo but has not apologized for it.

in 1955, the North Little Rock school board voted to integrate classes for seniors, but Arkansas' acting governor, Orval E Faubus, disagreed. Despite the governor's disapproval, six students attempted to enter the school and ran into a crowd - including the current owner of the Dallas Cowboys. The incident occurred Sept 9, when Richard Lindsey, Gerald Persons, Harold Smith, Eugene Hall, Frank Henderson, and William Henderson tried unsuccessfully to enter the school. They eventually enrolled in another school. Seven years later, North Little Rock High School was officially integrated. The photo has been making the rounds on social media since the Washington Post unearthed it. The year and the incident were pivotal moments in the civil rights movement and desegregation.

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Moreover, President Dwight D Eisenhower had to dispatch federal troops to Little Rock's Central High at this time to escort Black students to class after they were harassed and spit at by racist protestors. Jones told Daily Mail, "I don't know that I or anybody anticipated or had a background of knowing … what was involved. It was more a curious thing." The Internet, of course, did not waste any time in charging at Jones and the NFL as well. 

Internet reacts to unearthed Jerry Jones pic standing against Black students

One user tweeted, "Before he is allowed to continue owning an NFL team, Jerry Jones should have to: 1) Hire a Black head coach 2) Meet with Dr. Umar on 60 minutes 3) Publish a positive review about his favorite Tyler Perry film 4) Donate $5M to the ACLU 5) Apologize to the Black folks in this pic" Another user wrote, "Lmao Jerry Jones caught on film being racist to the actual Little Rock kids is the thanksgiving gift I truly didn’t know I needed. Can’t wait to see how the NFL tries to gloss over it tomorrow in literally one of their biggest games of the year." One user wrote, "That Jerry jones picture funny because everyone assumed he was racist already.. but that’s some historical racism he was a part of in that picture. Something you’d see in a 9th-grade history textbook lol." Another user wrote, "During NFL demonstrations about police violence and institutional racism Jerry Jones made clear Cowboys players would have their “toes on the line” and would not protest or they would not play— because he is a racist. This who he is"

One sarcastic user tweeted, "@NFL@nflnetwork@dallascowboys who is this racist white supremacist that terrorized a couple of innocent Black students who only wanted to go to school and get a quality education? This couldn’t be Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones because the NFL is about decency and oh nvm" Another user wrote, "Say it isn’t so.. Cowboys fans? NFL franchise owner Jerry Jones was one of the bullies trying to stop his Black classmates from desegregating Central High in Little Rock in 1957. This just took America’s team to a whole new level!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online