Today's sessions included some very definite highlights and more role models for the girls - both male and female.
The morning started with Ernest Green. Yes, one of the "Little Rock Nine" who changed the face of American education forever! Mr. Green earned his high school diploma from Central High School in Little Rock, AR. He and eight other black students were the first to integrate Central High, following the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that declared segregation illegal. On November 9, 1999, President Clinton presented Green, along with the rest of the "Little Rock Nine," the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor given to a civilian, for outstanding bravery during the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957. He is presently the managing director of public finance for Lehman Brothers' Washington, DC, office. He has also been appointed as chairman of the African Development Foundation, and chairman of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Advisory Board.
I had the distinct honor to meet and share the stage with Mr. Green along with eight other Heads of Color at the conference. The entire audience was surprised to learn that there are only 53 people of color holding top leadership positions in over 1400 independent schools in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). We have come so far, but have a ways to go.
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