inspired

Just back from school-- Younger Daughter's school, where she got to pose the last question to distinguished visitor (and Little Rock Nine heroine) Minnijean Brown: "Who inspired you [when you were one of the nine courageous young people integrating Central High School in Little Rock in 1957]?"

Minnijean paused and reflected for quite a long time, before replying: "We inspired each other."

Perfect answer. We should all be so lucky as to find such stalwart, inspirational comrades.

But Minnijean is right: it's appalling that children had to lead us out of the morass of institutionalized racism in this country. (See the late David Halberstam's great book The Children.) And it's appalling that their story is unknown by most college students, and Americans in general.