Ernest Green facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ernest Green
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Green in 1996
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Ernest Gideon Green
September 22, 1941 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Education | Little Rock Central High School Horace Mann High School |
| Alma mater | Michigan State University (BA, MA) |
| Movement | Civil rights movement |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal Spingarn Medal |
Ernest Gideon Green, born on September 22, 1941, is an important figure in American history. He is one of the Little Rock Nine, a brave group of African-American students. In 1957, they were the first black students to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Green made history again in 1958 when he became the first African-American to graduate from that school. In 1999, he and the other members of the Little Rock Nine received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Bill Clinton for their courage.
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Early Life and Education
Ernest Green was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1941. His parents were Lothaire and Ernest Green, Sr. He grew up with his brother, Scott, and his sister, Treopia Washington.
As a child, Ernest was very involved in his church. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts of America. He worked hard and eventually earned the highest rank, Eagle Scout. He went to Dunbar Junior High School, which was a segregated school for black students. After ninth grade, he was assigned to Horace Mann High School, a new high school for African-Americans.
Joining the Little Rock Nine
At the end of his junior year at Horace Mann, Ernest Green decided to volunteer for a very important task. He chose to attend the all-white Little Rock Central High School in the fall of 1957. His goal was to help desegregate, or integrate, one of the largest schools in the country. This meant allowing students of all races to attend together.
Ernest was the only senior among the nine African-American students who decided to integrate Central High that year. Their brave actions helped change schools across America.
Graduating from Central High
Ernest Green made history on May 27, 1958. He became the first of the Little Rock Nine, and the first African-American, to graduate from Little Rock's Central High School. Martin Luther King Jr., a famous civil rights leader, was in Arkansas at the time. He attended the graduation ceremony with the Green family to celebrate this important moment.
College and Continued Activism
After high school, Green attended Michigan State University. He received a scholarship from someone who wished to remain anonymous at the time. While at Michigan State, Green continued to be active in the Civil Rights Movement. He participated in protests to support equal rights for all people. He later found out that the anonymous donor was John A. Hannah, who was the president of Michigan State.
Ernest Green earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. He then completed a Master's degree in sociology in 1964.
Career and Public Service
After college, Ernest Green continued to work for positive change. From 1968 to 1976, he was the Director of the A. Philip Randolph Education Fund. This organization helped people with career development.
From 1977 to 1981, Green served in the government. He was an Assistant Secretary of Labor during Jimmy Carter's time as president. In this role, he helped with issues related to workers' rights and jobs.
Green also worked in finance, including at Lehman Brothers. He was a Managing Director in their public finance department in Washington, D.C.. He also serves on the board of the Albert Shanker Institute.
Boy Scouts Recognition
Ernest Green earned his Eagle Scout Award in 1956, before he attended Central High. Many years later, he received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. This special award is given to fewer than 2,000 men who earned Eagle Scout as a youth. In 2004, he helped organize the Scoutreach program in Washington, D.C.. He volunteered as the program's chair.
Television and Media
Ernest Green's story has been shared in several television productions. He was shown in two movies made for TV about the Little Rock Nine.
- In 1981, Calvin Levels played him in the CBS movie Crisis at Central High.
- In 1993, Morris Chestnut played him in the Disney Channel movie The Ernest Green Story.
In 1980, he was part of a panel discussion for the Milton Friedman (PBS) show Free to Choose. This discussion was about workers' rights and the economy.
In 2019, DeRon Horton played him in an episode of ... History: The Little Rock Nine Take on Segregation in Schools. This episode also featured Amandla Stenberg.
See also
