Their story became national news when Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the students' entry to the campus. President Dwight D. Eisenhower countered by ordering federal troops to safely escort the nine students into the school.
Today, seeing some of the same cultural forces that suppressed Black history and access to education when she was a girl gaining ground nationwide, LaNier has released a young adult version of her book. Having made history herself, LaNier is wary of it repeating.
The Little Rock School Board interviewed those 80 students ahead of the effort to desegregate and, ultimately, 17 students were chosen. Although it was a victory for LaNier to get accepted into Little Rock Central High School, she said racism took out all the fun of being a teenager.
LaNier said the Black parents were the real heroes because it took a lot for them to allow their children to go inside a hateful environment. LaNier said the parents, her own included, feared their children would not come out alive.
LaNier holds a photo of her with her family. LaNier remained in Colorado, where she raised her family and continues to work as a real estate broker to this day. LaNier not only has high hopes for Black youth but for all of those who have been oppressed, including other racial and cultural groups.
