LaNier believes in changing the world

Little Rock Nine member discusses her experiences with desegregation

By Marcus Hill

During Carlotta Walls LaNier’s Jan. 17 speech at Pikes Peak Library District’s Library 21c, the audience applauded, laughed and cried as she talked about her experiences during school desegregation in the 1950s.

Most importantly, the Little Rock Nine member conveyed to attendees the importance of understanding someone else’s struggle.

“I can’t live what she experienced in her life, but I can understand her story,” says Ron DeValk, who drove from Woodland Park with his wife to attend the event. “I can empathize with her and say, ‘Hey, thank you for sharing that because now that I know your story, this can make me a better person.’”

LaNier is the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of Black students who were the first to integrate into Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

Before the event, LaNier spoke with the Express about the importance of young people — those bullied because of their appearances, as well as positive changes she hopes to see.

Talk about your experience during desegregation in the 1950s and ‘60s?

I was never taught hate. I look at racists, bigots and those kinds of people; I know their anger is based on ignorance. They don’t understand how this country was built. For those who are against minorities, I feel sorry for them that they’ve gone down the wrong path and, in some cases, purposely misled others into their ignorant beliefs. We all want the same things in this country. We don’t want more than the next person, we all want the same thing. If we could all work together to get it, life would be easier for everyone involved. As far as the atrocities that I read about, saw and felt, those were disheartening, even as a kid. I remember Emmett Till, I remember [Our Lady of the Angels School] being burned. So many hateful things have happened, but we all worry about the same things. We all worry about how we’re going to pay our bills, take a vacation, what the next job is going to be. We all have those same worries. Life could be easier if those white people and others guilty of inciting violence understood that.

Is it frustrating that people fail to understand we can work together to improve the world?

Yeah, all of it is frustrating. What we had to go through to get [Donald Trump] out of office was frustrating. What we had to do to accept No. 45 was frustrating. We have to be vigilant with how we learn about politics and make sure that the message of hate isn’t one that a president, or anyone, can spread so easily.

How can we improve?

Kids. The youth are part of the solution to helping improve the world. It’s encouraging to see what kids are doing in politics. I remember in the 1960s when there were protests for the Vietnam War, there were a lot of young people. We didn’t have enough people protesting the Gulf War or the [Iran-Iraq] War. But now, I’m proud to see how some of these college students are stepping up and getting involved. They’re the ones who are going to run the world. The young people from [Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting], if they ran for office, I’d vote for any one of them. They stood up and spoke to the world about gun control. They’re articulate and composed themselves in a respectful way despite what happened.

What would you tell kids who have struggled because of how they’re perceived?

It’s important for them to know who they are and why they’re there. People are going to be cruel and mean, and it doesn’t always have anything to do with you. Sometimes it could be something they’re dealing with in their personal life. As a kid in Little Rock in the 1950s and 1960s, I heard it all. Of all the things I went through in my childhood and as a teenager, name-calling wasn’t the problem. It’s important for kids to focus on their goals. You matter and you can’t let anyone think that you don’t.

You’ve seen a lot of change during your life. Is there something specific you hope to see?

Young people need to understand our history. By ‘our history,’ I mean U.S. history. Society has made progress throughout my life but people in this world want to undo some of those improvements with book bans, health care laws and such. We want everyone to be able to learn our history or to be able to afford health care. Going to the doctor’s office isn’t something someone should have to skip because of the potential cost. Also, voting. I think young people have been lied to so much with politics that they don’t appreciate the value of a vote anymore. I know that some understand and appreciate what voting means, but I want to see our youth show up to vote more.