Page 9 - MLK 2022 Booklet

2022 Keynote Speaker 2022 Keynote Speaker

Dr Carlotta Walls LaNier Ernest G. Green

Carlotta Walls LaNier was born on December 18, 1942, to Ernest G. Green was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on
Juanita Walls and the late Cartelyou Walls. At the age 14, September 22, 1941 to Lothaire S. and Ernest G. Green,
she was the youngest of nine courageous Black students to Sr. His parents instilled in him confidence and self-respect
integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in that helped him to become a leader among his peers
1957. and a civil rights advocate. He was one of the first black
students to integrate at Central High School in Little
Rock, Arkansas, following the Supreme Court ruling to
Following her graduation from Central High in 1960v,LaNier desegregate in 1954. Green is the oldest of the “Little
attended Michigan State University for 2 years before Rock Nine,” a group of high school students who entered
moving to Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Colorado Central High School on the morning of September 25, 1957,
State College (now the University of Northern Colorado) with an escort of paratroopers. Governor Orval Faubus had
and began working at the YWCA as a program administrator summoned National Guardsmen to turn away the black
for teens. In 1977, she founded LaNier and Company, a real pupils in direct defiance of the federal government, which
estate brokerage company. had already approved a desegregation plan for the school.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, for the first time since
Reconstruction, sent in federal troops to protect the rights
LaNier and the Little Rock Nine have received numerous
awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1958, and the nation’s of the beleaguered students, and the students ultimately
highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, which was bestowed upon them in 1999 by President Bill prevailed. Green graduated from Michigan State University
Clinton. She has been a member of the Urban League, NAACP, and was the first and only president of the Little with a B.A. in 1962 and an M.A. in 1964.
Rock Nine Foundation, a scholarship organization dedicated to ensuring equal access to education. She is a past
trustee at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and the University of Northern Colorado. In 1965, Green became involved in employment law with a building-trade apprenticeship for the Adolph Institute,
a project to help minority women in the South find opportunities for professional careers. He then directed the A.
Phillip Randolph Education Fund from 1968 to 1976. Between 1977 and 1981, he served as assistant secretary in the
LaNier was named a “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts in 2000, and was inducted into the Colorado
Women’s Hall of Fame in 2004 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2015. Other awards received are the Labor Department under President Jimmy Carter. Since 1981, Green has worked in the private sector for consulting
National Shining Star Award from NOBEL/Women (National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women), Pere firms. He was a partner for Green and Herman from 1981 to 1985, owned E. Green and Associates from 1985 to
Marquette Award, Abraham Lincoln Leadership Award, and five Honorary Doctorates. 1986, and has been with Lehman Brothers since 1985.

Green has been on the boards of various organizations, such as the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, AfriCare and
For over 50 years, she has worked as a professional real estate broker. An author of “A Mighty Long Way,” My
Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High. She and her husband, Ira (Ike) LaNier have two grown children, the African Development Foundation. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the
Whitney LaNier and Brooke McClean and two grandchildren. NAACP Spingarn Award, the Rockefeller Public Service Award, and honorary doctorates from Tougaloo College,
Michigan State University, and Central State University.

He is married to Phyllis Green and they have three children, Adam, Jessica, and McKenzie.

8 • 37th Annual MLK Day of Celebration 37th Annual MLK Day of Celebration • 9