# Family Day: “Carlotta’s Special Dress” in Civil Rights History

Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine, will visit the Library to share the book “Carlotta’s Special Dress,” her personal story about a homemade dress and the historic fight to attend an all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas. She will appear in conversation with the book’s illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton. A book signing will follow.

“Carlotta’s Special Dress” is a picture book autobiography from a Civil Rights pioneer which contextualizes a landmark event in the fight for desegregation from the point of view of a girl living in Arkansas in 1957. Join this talk to appreciate the power children have to enact change through bravery and faith.

This event is part of the fashion-themed Family Day. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., learn about fashion in the Library of Congress collections and take part in creative activities inspired by displays of 250 years of American fashion.

About the creators of the book: Carlotta Walls LaNier is the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine, who gained national attention for the role she played in desegregating Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. LaNier received the Congressional Gold Medal and six honorary degrees, and now speaks at venues across the country. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

Vanessa Brantley-Newton is an author, illustrator, doll maker and crafter who studied fashion illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology and children’s book illustration at the School of Visual Arts. She is…

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2026
- Runtime: 51 min
- By: Dowdy, Sasha
- Genres: History, Children's
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/video-12145/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Kids profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/video-12145?play=1)