Final answer:
The picture of Elizabeth Eckford is important as it symbolizes the struggle against segregation in public schools and the opposition black students faced during the Civil Rights Movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The picture of Elizabeth Eckford is important because it captures a pivotal moment in the American Civil Rights Movement and the desegregation of public schools following the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
As one of the Little Rock Nine, Eckford's attempt to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, was met with a hostile crowd determined to prevent the integration of black students into a previously all-white school. This image is an iconic representation of the struggle for racial equality and the resistance to integration in the United States during the 1950s.
Figures like Kenneth and Mamie Clark, and their research on the psychological effects of segregation on black children, highlighted by the 'doll test', helped influence the Supreme Court's decision, which Eckford was relying upon. The photograph of her stoic demeanor in the face of blatant racism and aggression paints a stark, human picture of the Civil Rights era, emphasizing the personal bravery required to enact societal change.