Day 22- Jenny Harris

We arrived late last night in Little Rock, AR still dressed in our church clothes from that morning in Jena, LA. After a good night’s rest and a yummy breakfast, we headed to Central High School, site of the 1957 mobs incited by the integration of their all white high school by the Little Rock 9. We walked the halls of this high school on a wonderful tour led by Christian of the National Parks Service. He relayed appalling stories of the struggles these nine students suffered during their time at Central. The humiliation, torture and harassment these nine students endured must have been unimaginably horrific. One student, Minnie Jean Brown eventually pushed back. After being tripped by a classmate in the lunch room, probably for the hundredth time, she turned her bowl of chili over on his head, then calmly marched up to the principal’s office to receive her punishment—expulsion. We later heard from her daughter, Spirit Trickey, who now works as a park ranger at Central High School. Spirit relayed that her mother kept her story largely private – even from Spirit – until explicitly asked about her experience. Nevertheless, she undoubtedly learned the invaluable life lesson of perseverance through her mother.

We then headed over to the Clinton Presidential Library to hear from Skip Rutherford, Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service. Hearing about their program gave many of our students ideas about the future and who knows, perhaps we’ll send a few CL graduates their way in the coming years. Finally, we visited Heifer International, an organization dedicated to lifting families and communities worldwide out of poverty by organizing the donation of animals to families across the globe. These animals provide families with the means to earn an income. The most compelling piece of this organization is the agreement by families who receive animals to “pass on the gift” to others in their community by donating one female offspring to another family. By this means, Heifer International creates a movement that is self-propagating. Similarly, Cultural Leadership hopes its students will “pass on” their knowledge and understanding to their own circles of influence creating a similar wake of influence and ultimately positive change in our world.