The Lions Of Little Rock

When Marlee arrives at school on the morning of her presentation, she can’t find Liz. The teacher says that Liz has the stomach flu, but rumors soon start flying that Liz was a colored girl passing for white. Everyone is shocked, none more so than Marlee: “In the bathroom, I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t […] I was careful not to glance in the mirror and see my brown hair and brown eyes that looked so much like Liz’s” (64). When Marlee recovers, she goes back to class and insists on doing the presentation by herself. Much to her surprise, it is well-received by her classmates.

When Marlee gets home after school, she asks Betty Jean about Negroes who pass for white. The maid tells her how dangerous this is since anyone who tries might get lynched. Distraught, Marlee runs up to her room. When Judy arrives to check on her, she confesses that Liz is Negro. Judy is sympathetic but ambivalent about allowing colored kids to attend school with whites. At dinner, Marlee’s parents discuss Liz and argue about how Marlee is supposed to feel toward her. To escape the bickering, Marlee goes to hide in her room.