The 2007 Little Rock Central High School Desegregation Silver Dollar was one of two commemorative coins issued by the U.S. Mint that year, marking the 50th anniversary of the historic desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas.
Authorized by the Little Rock Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law 109-146), the coin was created to honor the significance of the desegregation event, which tested the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision. In the Act, Congress emphasized that the 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School represented a major challenge in the nation’s efforts to end racial segregation in public schools.
A total of 500,000 coins were produced in both proof and uncirculated versions.
The obverse design features the legs of a group of students being escorted to class by a soldier, symbolizing the struggles faced by the “Little Rock Nine” — the first group of African American students to integrate the school. Surrounding this imagery are nine stars, each representing one of the students, alongside the inscriptions: DESEGREGATION IN EDUCATION, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 2007. This design was created by Richard Masters, a designer from the United States Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program, and sculpted by Charles Vickers.
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On the reverse side, the coin features a depiction of Little Rock Central High School as it appeared in 1957, the year of the desegregation crisis. This design was crafted by Don Everhart, a U.S. Mint Sculptor-Engraver, and includes the inscriptions LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, ONE DOLLAR, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Proceeds from the coin’s sale, in the form of surcharges, were directed to the Department of the Interior. These funds were used for the preservation, maintenance, and educational programs related to the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The money also supported restoration efforts in the surrounding areas, including Park Street and Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, to maintain the historic integrity of the site.
