2020 has certainly been an unprecedented year. No doubt it will stand out in history because of the darker shades it painted the outlook on humanity. A litany of crises including pandemic, economic distress, catastrophic weather, fire, floods, locusts, Black Lives Matter protests and counter-protests can attest to the assertion. It brought enormous challenges and pain, particularly to people of color.
I pondered how we could conclude this year in some way that can ignite hope for the upcoming year. So I reached out to civil rights legend Carlotta Walls LaNier: what better way to end this year than with the wisdom of an icon?
I hope you will enjoy reading her thoughts on 2020 and views on the upcoming year.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
- Thank you so much, Carlotta, for agreeing to let me interview you! It’s really an honor, and I’m grateful to you for accepting. When you decided to sign up to be one of the Little Rock Nine, what were your hopes? Do you think your hopes were fulfilled? If not, why?
Carlotta: Sure, It’s my pleasure. All right. Well, you must keep in mind that I was 14 years of age. I was very familiar with the unanimous Brown v. Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court that affirmed I had the right to attend Little Rock Central High School — mind you, the school was ranked the top 40 in the nation. I really wanted to be a doctor at that time, and I knew in that school two kids would be standing around a frog dissecting it, versus 10 at Dunbar High School where I attended. So it was about access to an opportunity and the best education available. I had always been taught by my parents to prepare to do well: get all the education possible, attend the best school you can and do whatever you are able to do. There were high expectations in my family, and even at my segregated school, the expectations were high. So, you know, it was a no-brainer. When that opportunity became available, I immediately signed the papers. I was going to a new high school that had everything I knew I deserved.
I will also say that I had no inkling about going down in history, and none of us in my family did. So, that was not the reason for my decision. It was about gaining access to opportunity. I still say today that we have to open those doors for people to have access
- How do you see opportunities for people of color today? Do you think the opportunities you wanted have been made available for others the way you hoped?
Carlotta: Well, it has not improved to my satisfaction (laughs). I have to say that improvements have taken place over the last 60 plus years. However, this past year has been disheartening to be honest with you. Yes, there’s been progress but not as much progress as I had expected at 14. I really did expect a rainbow community during my early days. I really did. I thought that once they integrated schools and educated students on an equal basis, that we would grow into a more equitable community throughout the country
- What are your views on the US electing its first African American woman Vice President?
Carlotta: Yes, so, we’ve elected the first African American President, and now we’ve also elected a Black VP, a person of color. In both cases, you know, these are highly qualified people. But we’re going to have much more work to do. Thereare many professional African American leadersfrom different industries than ever before. There have always been many leaders from the world of sports. So, things are better, but have we reached perfection? Of course not.
When I was a younger person, we always knew that we had to be twice as good to be able to get whatever we wanted to achieve. My parents taught me to be prepared to go through the door where there’s a crack that you can go through. It was hard to follow those rules under the leadership at that time — the swatting of the rules, the bending of the norms, the low level of language used — it is discouraging to see how all of those things have been brought forward and tolerated in these past four years. The electorate rarely called politicians to task. Hopefully, this will change starting from January 20th, and will put us on the path of recovery.
My personal feeling is that there are some terrible similarities between 2020 and the 1950s: I had Emmitt Till, while these young people have George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and others. This year all I could think about was Emmitt Till. Emmitt was just a year older than me when he died. These killings are the events that today’s young people are going to remember and think about when they decide which path they are going to go down.
This is more of the perspective of history as I see it: from 1619 to 1954 is 300 and more years of people living certain ways. The Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision changed the way we lived. But it didn’t change everything. You can’t eradicate 300 and some odd years of entrenched systems in just 60 years. We have progressed a great deal, but at the same time there are people who want to take us back to 1954 or even prior to that. I refuse to do that. I just refuse to do that. One must be vigilant and find a way to make things better for most people and to give everyone more equitable rights.
For example, unfortunately, I see that women have not had the same access to show their wares and to show that they can run successful businesses, or in science, politics, finance, marketing and whatever. There have been steps in the right direction, including electing Kamala Harris as Vice President. But have we reached the end goal? No. That is why you need to continue to work towards trying to level the playing field
- As you look ahead to 2021, where are you planning to focus your efforts?
Carlotta: Oh boy, right now, I thought I was going to be enjoying myself this year by taking a cruise to South Africa and the Mediterranean (laughs). That did not take place. As far as my efforts go today, I am supporting our young people who are speaking up and trying to make change. My life is mostly behind me and I care about my family, my grandchildren, and what the shape of this world is in and how they grow up in it. I care about things that other people care about: those who come after us and how you may make it better for them. So, if I can encourage any young person to really help them realize their goals and expectations, I’m willing to do that. I know I’m standing on the shoulders of many, and I just want to see young people being able to to accomplish whatever they have decided is the road that they want to take.
In my days, you always wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer — those were the lofty goals. For example, I was amazed by Marie Curie, because she was a woman scientist. I read about her and understood that even though I didn’t see someone like her in my community, I could also go down that path. Now it can be almost anything. So you want to encourage young people to believe in and try to achieve their own aspirations
- For our last question, where do you see signs of hope? What are you excited about in the year to come?
Carlotta: What am I excited about? Right now I’m truly excited about Biden’s picks. The cabinet appointments are so diverse and that says to me that we can achieve a level of diversity that represents the people in this country — Native Americans, Hispanic people, African Americans, Appalachian people, everyone. A diverse cabinet can inspire the entire population to believe that they can also be successful.
I want to see more women out front and and speaking with power. I am excited about that. I’m excited about Biden and Harris. I’m excited to see how many women are being featured or are in the news today who are doctors, who are part of coming up with this vaccine. It warms my heart. These ladies are making decisions that affect the whole country and the world.
- That is an awesome ending point! Thank you again for being so generous with your time. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Carlotta LaNier: Well look, what you guys are doing is something awesome. And I really enjoy your newsletters. They are wonderful. Happy holidays!
The Reinventure team is very grateful for the privilege of counting Carlotta as an advisor. Although I felt unnerved when Carlotta told she couldn’t stop thinking about Emmitt Till throughout this year, her optimism and ever so inspiring view of the world and especially her commitment to lifting up younger generations left me with an emboldened hope for the new year. Thanks to Carlotta, we are encouraged to feature interviews with other Reinventure advisors to continue sharing more inspiration in the future. Please stay tuned for more awesomeness!
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Image Credit: John Sykes Jr
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