Clinton School student Spirit Trickey (’10) has been named a “History Maker in the Making” by TheGrio.com, a website affiliated with msnbc.com that is dedicated to African American news and popular culture.
The daughter of Little Rock Nine member Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Spirit is recognized for her work as a park ranger at the Central High National Historic Site where shares the story of her mother and the eight other black students who faced an angry mob to integrate the all-white high school in 1957.
Spirit joins 100 others – including musician Wyclef Jean, tennis star Serena Williams and Oprah Winfrey – on the list of African Americans who are expected to shape the future.
In an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show, TheGrio.com managing editor David Wilson singled out Spirit for specific mention.
“Here’s a young woman who moved from Canada to Little Rock to become a park ranger,” Wilson said. “She’s pretty much carrying on the legacy of her mother.”
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Here’s an excerpt from an article about Spirit on TheGrio.com:
Born and raised in Canada, Trickey-Rowan moved to Little Rock when she was 22, and began working as an interpretive park ranger for the Central High School National Historic Site. In 2002, she wrote a play in college retelling the story of the Little Rock Nine from the perspective of her mother as a 15-year-old girl.
“From a historical context, you don’t get to [see] what it was like every day… father losing his job, bomb threats,” tells Trickey-Rowan.
The docudrama entitled, “One Ninth”, was later produced by the Arkansas Repertory Theater. The theater used it for its educational tour in 2009, putting on performances and workshops at schools all across the state. Trickey-Rowan says she’s now working to get the play published, so educators can use it as a tool in the classroom. In the meantime, she continues to advance her own education. In May, she will graduate with a Master’s degree from the Clinton School of Public Service.
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