Before Elizabeth left, her mother called the family together and they all prayed. Alone and unprotected, Elizabeth approached the school, and the crowd started to scream at her: “Here she comes! Here comes one of the niggers!” But she saw the National Guard troopers and was not scared, because she thought the soldiers would protect her. She tried to walk into the school, but a guard thrust his rifle at her and blocked her way. She walked a few feet further down to get by the guard but was blocked again by two other soldiers. Some white students were being let in at the same time, she noticed.
