Minnijean Brown-Trickey

Who is Minnijean Brown-Trickey?

Minnijean Brown-Trickey was one of a group of African American teenagers known as the "Little Rock Nine." On September 25, 1957, under the gaze of 1,200 armed soldiers and a worldwide audience, Minnijean Brown-Trickey faced down an angry mob and helped to desegregate Central High.

She was suspended in December 1957 for dropping her tray, on which she had a bowl of chili, on the floor and splashing two white boys, after several chairs had been pushed in her way, withdrawn, and then pushed in her way again, in the cafeteria, and, as america.gov records, "expelled in February, for calling a girl 'white trash' after the girl taunted her and hit her with a purse."

In her adult life, Brown-Trickey continues to be an activist for minority rights. She lived in Canada for a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s, getting involved in First Nations activism and studying social work at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, and later completing a Master of Social Work degree at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Ontario. She has received the Congressional Gold Medal, the Wolf Award, the Spingarn Medal, and many other citations and awards.