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Carlotta LaNier
Born 1942
Inducted 2004
Adopted by Your Friends at the University of Northern Colorado
In 1957, at age 14, Carlotta Walls LaNier and eight
other students integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
This act of courage and defiance became the catalyst for change in
the American educational system. The Little Rock Nine, as they would
eventually
be called, became ‘foot soldiers’ for freedom. Concerns for
family safety and continued employment persuaded the family to move to
Denver in 1962. In 1968 Lanier earned a bachelor’s degree from
the University of Northern Colorado and accepted a position at the Denver
YWCA. Since then, she has married, raised two children, founded her own
real estate company, and worked for 30 years as a real estate broker,
currently with Cherry Creek Realtors. In 1997 the Little Rock Nine returned
to Central High School for a fortieth anniversary celebration. In a symbolic
and emotional gesture, the school’s principal, the mayor, the governor,
and the President of the United States opened the school’s doors,
which had been blocked by the Arkansas National Guard in 1957. In 1999
at the White House, members of Congress and the President bestowed upon
Lanier and the other member of the Little Rock Nine the nation’s
highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, for their sacrifice
and contribution to the cause of equality.
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