LIFE-LASTING IMPRESSIONS
Youth development organization Junior Marines aims to create positive experiences for participants
The Junior Marines have experienced “life-lasting impressions,” from visiting Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson to visiting the Dr. Martin Luther King’s death site at the Lorraine Hotel and the civil rights museum in Memphis, Tenn.
Junior Marines organizer Eric Darden, who helped to create the impressions, serves on the Miller County Quorum Court as a District 1 Justice of the Peace and was appointed as the county’s youth development liaison.
The Junior Marines started from Darden’s sixth-grade math class at College Hill Middle School in Texarkana, Ark.
“It was first just a basketball team. I was pondering hard about a name for the team. We were almost named the Footballers, cause of my preferred sport. Also, we were almost called the Wild Hogs, then it came to me that Marines would be a unique name,” Darden said.
“I served in the Marine Corps in the ’90s. After the season, the Lord put it on my heart to continue being involved with these young men. That’s how we became a youth development organization called the Junior Marines,” he said.
“As teachers, it’s a must that we advocate for the youth within our occupation and outside of our occupation,” Darden said.
He is working with about 22 Junior Marines, ages 9 to 13.
Last month, the group visited with Hutchinson at the governor’s mansion in Little Rock.
Then the group toured the Little Rock Nine Monument.
The Little Rock Nine Monument honors the nine African-American students who courageously integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The monument faces the governor’s office window. It is the first civil rights monument located on any state capitol grounds in the South, according to the monument message.
Then the group traveled to Memphis and visited the site of King’s death at the Lorraine Hotel in the civil rights museum. The Junior Marines also played in a basketball tournament in Memphis.
“This experience has a life-lasting impression. My focus is to create experiences of this nature, hoping to lure as many children as possible to a fruitful path in life,” Darden said.
The project seems to be working, based on statements from some of the students.
In their comments, the students expressed respect for the courage of the Little Rock Nine.
“People were fighting and never gave up. They did the right thing. People were bullying the nine kids, and they were brave enough to stand up for what the people had done to the nine kids,” said Jamargun Ford, a third-grade student at College Hill Elementary.
“The courage from Little Rock motivates me to love … each other no matter the race. When I saw the Little Rock Nine, that motivated me to be more thankful. Without them, schools would still be segregated. I know it must have been hard for the Little Rock Nine to go to an all-white school. They were pushed around a lot and even were threatened to be killed,” said D’montre Ellis, a sixthgrade student at College Hill Middle School.
“They still went to school after all they had been through, and I am so thankful for that. When you see the Little Rock Nine, there was also one girl who walked by herself and there were women who helped,” D’montre said.
“The nine people had courage to walk in the building and the white women had courage to walk the black girl through that angry crowd. They had courage to get bullied,” said Jadariuis Curry, a sixth-grade student at College Hill Middle School.
Daniel Vasquez, a sixth-grade student at College Hill Middle School, said the nine children who walked into Central High encouraged him to respect others.
“I think the nine children who walked into Central High really encouraged me not to hate and like other races, even if they are hateful. I think even though you should give them respect and they should also respect and follow proactive people. They should do good things in life and not bad things, I wish that killers who like to kill that they would stop because that can affect our world and population,” Daniel said.
Darden used fundraising projects to pay for the trip, which cost about $3,200.
“I did a fundraising campaign that consisted of asking my fellow teachers for support at College Hill Middle School, selling jumbo peppermint sticks and put on a basketball tournament (Marines Classic) at Arkansas High School,” Darden said,
“The fact that those churches were going to play each other attracted a lot of their members and spectators who paid $3 admission. That tournament allowed us to pay for admissions to the Civil Rights Museum for 22 Marines, then to an incredible pizza play station for 22 Marines and eat at Wendy’s for 22 Marines,” Darden said.
The following churches also played a 4x4 half-court games during the halftime of the children’s games: New Hope MBC in Doddridge, St. James, LifeHouse (College Hill), Charity Baptist, Grace & Mercy, Pilgrim Rest, Lonoke Tabernacle, Church of the Living God, Mount Grove and Macedonia.