Met Carlotta Walls LaNier, author of A Mighty Long Way, last night. She was one of the nine black students who broke the color bar at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. It was not a popular thing to do. She was threatened, her house was bombed, and eventually President Eisenhower was forced to send troops from the 101st Airborne in escort her into the school. As soon as she graduated Walls Lanier turned her back on Little Rock and moved to Colorado. Over time her bravery came to recognized in a number of ways including a statue of her in front of Central High! Still I sensed in meeting her the experience had left its scars. From a spiritual perspective the worse experience of her life gave her a prestige and created glamorous opportunities (such as being on Oprah) she never would have enjoyed otherwise. Clearly those around her benefited, but was this enough to make up for the rent caused to the fabric of her life?
