Reported by Ben Evans, ’08

ALBION, Mich. –  Ernest Green, civil rights activist and member of the "Little Rock Nine," will speak on his experiences Tuesday, February 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Albion College’s Goodrich Chapel.

As a high school student, Green was one of nine pupils who entered Central High School on September 25, 1957, under new desegregations laws passed during president Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration. The governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, ordered the Arkansas National Guard to block the nine students from entering the school. President Eisenhower ordered in federal troops to assist the students in gaining access to the school, setting federal power against the states for the first time since Reconstruction.

The only member of the “Little Rock Nine” to eventually graduate from Central High School, Green attended Michigan State University, where he earned bachelors and masters degrees. He has worked since his graduation in 1964 for the cause of civil liberties in areas related to labor and education in both private and government capacities.

Albion College senior Rachael Lyon contacted Green last summer, as part of a thesis project. She, along with a substantial number academic departments and student groups here on Albion’s campus, has worked since September to organize the event. Green’s lecture is additionally made possible by a private grant from Albion College alumnus David Johnson, ’70.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact English professor Helena Mesa at 517/629-0340 or hmesa@albion.edu.