The Remarkable Honorees of Power to Inspire 2024
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) will present its annual Power to Inspire fundraising experience, recognizing individuals who were on the front lines of integrating their schools following the Supreme Court’s landmark 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka decision. From their remarkable achievements to their unwavering commitment to making a difference, each honoree has a unique story that truly resonates with the spirit of Brown v. Board of Education. Read on to learn more about these inspirational figures and their profound impact on the forward movement of equity in education. Joan Anderson was one of the plaintiffs in the Delaware case consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education. Joan’s parents advocated for integration so their children could attend Claymont High School. This case became the first court-mandated integration of a public school in the United States and the basis for how integration could work in Brown v. Board. Joan graduated from Claymont High School. She attended Fisk University and Boston University, graduating in 1960. Joan is currently a writer and motivational speaker. Adrienne J. Bennett and her family advocated for desegregated schools in their local Washington, D.C. community, led by her parents’ participation in the Consolidated Parents Group. In 1952, Adrienne, her father, and her sister Barbara were named as plaintiffs with six others in the Bolling v. Sharpe case. This case was combined with four other cases that formed Brown v. Board. Adrienne graduated from Spingarn High School in Washington, D.C. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and proudly taught second and third grade for 31 years in the District of Columbia Public School system. Victoria Lawton Benson is a passionate civil rights spokesperson. Victoria and her sister, Carol Kay Lawton, became child plaintiffs in Brown v. Board when her mother, Maude E. Lawton, grew tired of traveling to the all-Black Buchanan Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas. The white school, Lowman Elementary, sat one block from the Lawton’s home. Maude was one of the original 13 plaintiffs from Topeka. Victoria was six years old when her family joined the case, but her mother’s determination made a lifelong impression. Victoria became the first Black American to graduate from beauty school in Topeka. She has been the creative force behind the Black women-owned hairstyling business, Victoria’s Salon, for more than six decades. Ruby Bridges is a civil rights icon, activist, author, and speaker who, at age six, was the first Black student to integrate an all-white elementary school in Louisiana. She was born in Mississippi in 1954, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court handed down Brown v. Board. Ruby’s family later moved to New Orleans, where, on November 14, 1960, she began attending William Frantz Elementary School. Later, she established the Ruby Bridges Foundation to provide leadership training programs that inspire youth and community leaders to embrace and value the richness of diversity. Nathanial Briggs’ parents were the first petitioners responsible for the genesis of the Briggs v. Elliott school desegregation case in Clarendon County, South Carolina. The Briggs case was the first legal challenge to the “separate but equal” doctrine in the United States and was later consolidated into Brown v. Board. Nathaniel attended a segregated school in South Carolina through the sixth grade. Due to their participation in school desegregation, Nathaniel’s family faced harassment and was forced to move to Miami and later to New York City, where Nathaniel completed his education. Nathanial devoted his life to service. He was drafted into the Army in 1968 and served in the New Jersey National Guard for 13 years. Dr. Cheryl Brown Henderson is one of three children of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown, namesake of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. Her sister, Linda Brown, was one of the students represented in the case. Cheryl has been a leader for equity in education, using her background in educational administration, business, public relations, civic leadership, public policy, and federal legislative development to carry on her father’s legacy. She is the founding president of The Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research and the owner of the Brown & Associates educational consulting firm. Minnijean Brown-Trickey was 16 years old when she became one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African American students who, with protection from federal troops, first integrated the city’s high school in 1957. Despite facing verbal and physical abuse on campus, Minnijean knew the power of showing up for school each day. She continued at Central High until she was expelled for standing up to the torment she faced from a group of white students. She later moved to Canada and earned a bachelor’s degree from Laurentian University and a master’s degree from Carleton University. Minnijean returned to the United States and later served in the Clinton administration as deputy assistant secretary for workforce diversity at the U.S. Department of the Interior, one of many leadership roles throughout her career. William (Bill) Campbell, at age seven, became the first Black student to integrate public schools in North Carolina in 1960. He was the victim of bullying and harassment at Murphey School in Raleigh, and his family often received bomb threats, forcing them to leave their home frequently. Bill was the only Black student at Murphey for five years. He graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University and finished his education at Duke Law School. After graduating, Bill joined a law firm in Atlanta and served on the Atlanta City Council for 12 years before being elected the city’s 57th mayor in 1993. His focus on public housing reform led Atlanta to a remarkable renaissance, heralding a population and building growth that continues today. Linda Florence Clonts grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia, and attended Lemon Street High School. In 1965, during her junior year, Linda became one of the pioneering Black students selected for desegregation. Bused to McEachern High School, Linda faced hostility and discrimination, enduring hurtful slurs and acts of cruelty. She found derogatory remarks pinned to her back and her