A pivotal figure in the U.S. civil rights movement will present the Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture Series at Emporia State University.
Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the “Little Rock Nine,” will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 12, just days before the 50th anniversary of the 1957 desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School.
Brown Trickey’s speech, “Return to Little Rock,” will focus on the events of Sept. 25, 1957, when the then-16-year-old and eight other students defied death threats, hostile white demonstrators and even the Arkansas National Guard to attend the all-white Little Rock Central High School. Shortly after her speech at ESU, the national spotlight will follow Brown Trickey as President George W. Bush and former U.S. presidents commemorate the 50th anniversary in Little Rock.
“It is an honor to have Mrs. Trickey on our campus,” said ESU President Michael R. Lane. “Her words will be a valuable reminder to all of us, that we must remember this nation’s past while striving for equality. The ‘Little Rock Nine’ took a courageous stand, and in doing so they took part in one of the defining moments of the civil rights movement. Their courage perfectly reflects the spirit and purpose of the Bonner and Bonner series.”
The Bonner and Bonner Diversity Lecture Series was established in 1992 in honor of Thomas and Mary Bonner, Emporia State University’s first and second African American faculty members. The series, created to recognize Emporia State University’s commitment to diversity, has featured nationally known speakers such as author Cristina Garcia, former NAACP chairman Julian Bond, civil rights lawyer Morris Dees and Muslim politics expert Vali Nasr.
Brown Trickey’s role in 1957 changed the lives of African Americans around the country, but it was just the beginning of a long career as a crusader for civil rights. She served in the Clinton administration as deputy assistant secretary for workforce diversity at the U.S. Department of the Interior. As a consultant, she has trained national and international audiences in anti-racism, diversity, feminist research, cross-cultural communications and organizational change.