NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Shipbuilding is preparing for a keel-laying ceremony Saturday for a new Virginia class submarine, SSN800 Arkansas, that honors an important moment in our nation's history.
The Little Rock Nine were the first African American students to attend an all white high school in 1957. They're also the sponsors of the Arkansas.
“It is very important for young people to understand why they’re in a classroom with others who don’t look like them," said Little Rock Nine member Carlotta LaNier, "If we had not been successful this whole process would have taken that much longer.”
Several of the Little Rock Nine's initials will be welded into pieces of metal, then attached to the Arkansas.
“It’s heartwarming, it really is,” LaNier said.
President of Newport News Shipbuilding Jennifer Boykin said this is a reminder that their projects are bigger than just a ship.
“Combining those two stories and those two groups of people who have served this nation in unparalleled ways, it’s just a tremendous honor for us to be part of that,” Boykin said.
The Arkansas is expected to be completed in 2025.
