Not many students had to enter their high school in the fall with a soldier in full battle dress beside them.

But Minnejean Brown Trickey did 51 years ago, along with eight other students known as the “Little Rock Nine.”

“Every time I think about that, it blows my mind,” she said. “Sometimes, I don’t even understand that I was part of it.”

On Tuesday night, she discussed the event and personal history during her lecture, “Return to Little Rock: A Seminal Moment in American Education and Civil Rights,” in Schofield Auditorium.

Trickey said when she and her fellow students tried to enter the school on September 3, 1957, they were blocked by the Arkansas National Guard by order of the governor, and were harassed by mobs.

After that, they waited three weeks until they were allowed to enter the school with members of the United States Army, per the order of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

She said at the time she didn’t know what was such a big deal about her attending school, but the media did.Their contribution has helped Trickey in her life.

“It’s footage that gives me the possibility of talking about the experience and the lessons to . inspire, encourage,” she said.

The coverage provided a social shock to Americans and Trickey herself. News traveled around the world and was used as fodder by U.S. enemies.

“Hey, aren’t you liberty and justice for all?” she said, portraying U.S enemies. “What about those children in Little Rock?”

Despite the armed guard, Trickey said physical and verbal abuse occurred in classrooms and bathrooms, including being spit on, kicked down steps and body slammed into lockers.

Trickey related a story to the audience about a member of the ‘Nine’ who put pins in her binder. This caused a decrease in body slams, causing audience laughter as she described the retaliation as ‘creative non-violence.’

During the question-and-answer session following the lecture, community member Aaron Hartung asked Brown about what she thought the biggest barrier today that still needed to be overcome. He said her response, ignorance, didn’t really surprise him.

“I guess I was expecting anything,” he said. “I think it’s really telling that she said ignorance in a year like this after what’s occurred at the national level . that barrier’s been overcome because Obama’s president, but it’s just something that persists.”

While in Eau Claire, Trickey met with students, faculty and community members on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Junior Maureen Tomal said she attended the lecture because of her history major and thought Trickey was an elegant and personable speaker.

“I really enjoyed getting a personal perspective of what was going on during this period,” she said, “something you can’t really get from reading a primary source or seeing a documentary.”