On September 16, 1958, in Little Rock, Arkansas, fifteen-year-old Johnny Gray bravely wagged a cautionary finger before delivering a striking blow to one of the two white boys. The altercation unfolded as they attempted to intimidate Johnny and his sister, Mary, by forcing them off the sidewalk on their way to the segregated school. The heated exchange culminated in a fierce fist fight, during which Gray tenaciously pursued the white boys, chasing them down the block.