For years, Carlotta Walls LaNier wanted nothing to do with Little Rock, Ark. After graduating from Little Rock Central High School on May 29, 1960, she left town the next day and didn't look back for many years. Who could blame her?

Her first day at a predominately white school in 1957 was a broken hallelujah moment, and it became emblematic of one of the most horrific displays of racism in America.

On that hot, sticky day, LaNier, known then as Carlotta Walls, and eight other black students were greeted by an angry white mob that stretched as far as the eye could see. Some bore contorted facial expressions. Teenagers and children waved Confederate flags.

Some jeered and screamed, "nigger, nigger, nigger,'' while other words were muddled, LaNier writes in her new memoir, 'A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School,' with Lisa Frazier Page, an editor and award-winning reporter at the Washington Post.

The students became known as the Little Rock Nine, and the day became emblazoned in LaNier's memory like battle scars carried home by soldiers. When the Little Rock Nine finally reached the school door, the Arkansas National Guard, under orders from the governor, blocked them.

"I was certain that when they saw us, they would step aside and allow us through,'' writes LaNier, who was 14 at the time. "They were, after all, there to protect us and keep out the troublemakers, I thought. But not one of them budged. ... Ernie, the only senior among us, spoke up: 'You're not going to let us in? Is that what you're telling us?'

"The officer repeated his order for us to leave. His men stood resolutely in formation, still blocking us out, their rifles slung across their chest. Our group stood there for a moment, not quite sure what to do. And then the ministers turned and led us silently away.''

President Dwight D. Eisenhower prevailed in the end, sending in the 101st Airborne to escort the students into the building and to bring order to the situation. The Little Rock Nine challenged prevailing attitudes and helped pave the way toward school integration.

LaNier, 66, a mother of two grown children, lives in Englewood, Colo., with her husband. She founded the real estate brokerage firm LaNier and Co. and lectures nationwide. She took a few minutes to talk about her new book, a worthy read that tells a side of a story that has not been heard.

Black Voices: What prompted you to write the book after so many years?

Carlotta Walls LaNier: I lecture at schools about the incident, and various teachers and professors encouraged me to write it. I finally listened after decades of prodding.

BV: Was it a difficult to write?

CWL: I didn't talk it about it for 30 years. I didn't introduce myself as one of the Little Rock Nine. I didn't want to. I had no intentions of ever returning to Little Rock. I got on the train the day after graduation and never looked back. Yes, it was painful to write. I now understand when I hear writers say it was like cutting their wrists. I was challenged to go deeper and pull out all of that stuff that I had pushed back into the recesses of my mind.

BV: Did you find yourself crying?

CWL: Very much so. There are times when I do that now. I don't know what I'm going to do during book readings as I try to contain my emotions. I don't know. I've been looking for passages that may not bring up that much emotion, but it's hard.

BV: You chose a very interesting occupation: real estate. Housing and education are inextricably tied. Was that intentional?

CWL: Yes, I founded a real estate brokerage firm. We became the Little Rock Nine because we went to our neighborhood school. But today, I enjoy putting people into their first homes. At the same time, I'm giving them a lesson without them really knowing it. Most of my clients don't know my history. We talk about houses.''

BV: When did you tell your children?

CWL: My husband and I told them in 1981, when 'Crisis at Central High,' a made-for-television movie about the incident, was about to air. It took me a long time to tell my husband, but I told him before we were married.

BV: What do you think about race relations today?

CWL: We have come a mighty long way. But because we have a black president doesn't mean everything is honky dory. That doesn't stop racism. It says you can aspire to become president. But have we solved racism? Oh, no. Look what happened to professor Skip Gates. Equality still is not as it should be.