A Civil and Human Rights Activist’s Perspective on Equity in Education

December 8, 2021

Growing up as a student in Washington, D.C., in the 1950s, Wade Henderson, Esq., ETS Board of Trustees Member and Former President & CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, witnessed the increasing need for equity and transformative change in education. Sharing similar experiences of injustice with his African-American peers, Henderson was drawn to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States through his work as an attorney, along with work at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund. 

Each unique experience — his time as a K–12 student, his undergraduate career and his time spent in law school — helped to mold Henderson into an agent of change, for not only those pursuing higher education, but for all individuals. Henderson believes with each succeeding generation, we can benefit from the vision of what America can be by renewing our commitment to basic values that bring fairness and opportunity for all.