March Forward, Girl: Chapter 18–Epilogue

by Melba Pattillo Beals
In 1957, Melba Pattillo Beals was one of nine African-American students who integrated Little Rock Central High School, an experience she discusses in her celebrated memoir Warriors Don't Cry. In this follow-up, she recounts growing up in the South under oppressive Jim Crow laws.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Preface–Chapter 2, Chapters 3–10, Chapters 11–17, Chapter 18–Epilogue

Here is a link to Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals.
35 words 83 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    Looking at me with a stern stare he said, "I see, child, that you've had a major lesson in disobeying your parents. Why did you decide that was a good idea? You frightened us to death. We sat up all night praying for you.”
  2. considerable
    large in number, amount, extent, or degree
    At this point, Grandma said, “I think we should give some consideration to the Asian art of binding the chest. That would rid her of one distinct physical characteristic and alter her appearance considerably."
  3. emergence
    the gradual beginning or coming forth
    That began my emergence as a new and dreary person.
  4. submissive
    inclined or willing to give in to orders or wishes of others
    It made me more quiet and more submissive.
  5. crusade
    a series of actions tending toward a particular end
    I stopped my social crusade to fit in among the popular students in my class.
  6. ratified
    formally approved and invested with legal authority
    It was a ratified, agreed-upon system.
  7. doctrine
    a belief accepted as authoritative by some group or school
    In 1896, the Supreme Court heard his case, but they ruled eight to one that the separate-but-equal doctrine was not in violation of his constitutional rights.
  8. constitutional
    sanctioned by or consistent with or operating under the law
    In 1896, the Supreme Court heard his case, but they ruled eight to one that the separate-but-equal doctrine was not in violation of his constitutional rights.
  9. lynch
    kill without legal sanction
    One of the ways the laws were enforced was by lynching.
  10. foxhole
    a small dugout or pit to shelter soldiers from enemy fire
    Now African-American and white soldiers shared things like sleeping quarters, meals, equipment, foxholes, trains, planes, and cars.
  11. sash
    a band of material worn around the waist or across the chest
    You’d have to be blind not to see them, I thought as I looked into the mirror, surveying my profile in my favorite pink organdy dress with a fitted waist and a sash tied in the back.
  12. persimmon
    orange fruit resembling a plum; edible when fully ripe
    After school, I walked as fast as I could, lickety-split, up the street and across the persimmon field.
  13. corsage
    an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present
    At fourteen, I attended my first church dance and received my first corsage from a boy.
  14. hypnotic
    attracting and holding interest as if by a spell
    I imagined her as a lovely colorful bird that could fly if she chose when she played the piano, and her voice soared in the most hypnotic tones.
  15. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Grandma had a smug grin on her face and agreed to allow me to stop my afternoon reading that day so I could sit down and touch the keys, dust the cover, and try to play the songs in the new book of show tunes that came with it.
  16. stately
    impressive in appearance
    Central High’s building was so tall and so stately that I thought it looked like a university as well.
  17. rally
    a large gathering of people intended to arouse enthusiasm
    First of all, loud and angry crowds of white people had now begun to gather in rallies in public places, shouting that we would never sit in their schools beside their children.
  18. integration
    incorporating a racial or religious group into a community
    The white school board knew that the rest of the white community was set against integration.
  19. bluff
    pretense that your position is stronger than it really is
    Grandma said, “This is an invitation to call their bluff. How many times are we going to kowtow? How many chances have we had in the past? How many will we have in the future? We have to go with it now.”
  20. appease
    make peace with
    While the adults were threatening to hang one of us, some of the Central High students appeased themselves by hanging an effigy on the front lawn.
  21. effigy
    a representation of a person
    While the adults were threatening to hang one of us, some of the Central High students appeased themselves by hanging an effigy on the front lawn.
  22. harrowing
    causing extreme distress
    It turned out to be one of the most harrowing events of my life up until that time.
  23. bayonet
    a knife fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon
    These soldiers came with tons of warring equipment, including helicopters, tanks, jeeps with machine guns, and long rifles with bayonets.
  24. spiteful
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    Despite the acid thrown in my eyes, the kicking, the tripping, the full-time name calling, and all the other spiteful activities dreamt up by my aggressors, the worst part was the anticipation, the prospect that all these things were going to happen and I didn't know when or where.
  25. hostile
    characterized by enmity or ill will
    I do not mean to imply that every one of the 1,900 students there were hostile.
  26. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    By the summer of 1958, Governor Faubus, who had been vehemently against integration from the beginning, closed all the high schools in Little Rock for the following school year.
  27. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
    We have since received hundreds of accolades for bravery and commitment to the battle for human rights.
  28. inception
    an event that is a beginning
    By 1997, the United States Congress had voted some 280 Congressional Gold Medals to civilians since its inception in 1776.
  29. prestigious
    having an excellent reputation; respected
    In November of 1998, it voted to give that prestigious award to me and the eight other black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock.
  30. preside
    act as executive officer
    President Bill Clinton presided over the ceremony, which included crisp-uniformed soldiers from several branches of the military, an endless parade of dignitaries, numerous congressional representatives, members of the press, and family members who had accompanied us there.
  31. dignitary
    an important or influential person
    President Bill Clinton presided over the ceremony, which included crisp-uniformed soldiers from several branches of the military, an endless parade of dignitaries, numerous congressional representatives, members of the press, and family members who had accompanied us there.
  32. lavish
    bestow or expend profusely
    We smiled at one another that day in the White House as the speakers on the program lavished us with praise for our courage in surviving that school year in Central High School.
  33. etch
    cause to stand out or be clearly defined or visible
    This day is forever etched in our minds.
  34. affirmation
    a statement asserting the truth of something
    This medal, this ceremony—this incredible moment—was one more affirmation that indeed, as my Grandmother India told me, there are times when YOU MUST GO WHERE YOU'RE NOT WELCOME, or you will become trapped in the places where others assign you.
  35. pomp
    ceremonial elegance and splendor
    Through it all, through the applause and the lights and the pomp and circumstance, I remembered that I was just a little girl from Little Rock, Arkansas—a girl my grandma called a baby warrior—who once was forced to ride in the back of city buses and drink only from a water fountain marked COLORED.
Created on Fri Feb 08 15:26:14 EST 2019 (updated Mon Feb 11 15:02:38 EST 2019)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.