Elissa Curtis Rogers '04: Alumna pens powerful essay on race

When Elissa Curtis Rogers ’04 made a Facebook post about her 7-year-old son organizing a mini-prom for his babysitter during the coronavirus quarantine, she didn’t expect it would go viral and she sure didn’t expect that her son would be sharing the media spotlight with someone who was becoming a symbol for racial injustice: George Floyd.

Rogers’ post about her son—featuring photos of him decked out in a blue three-piece suit and videos of him social distant dancing with his babysitter—gained immediate media attention. Local TV stations in Raleigh, N.C., picked up her story and it quickly took off. Michael Strahan of “Good Morning America” picked up the story for his Play of the Day segment and other national and international media outlets soon followed.

At the same, the nation was struggling with the senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The crisis inspired Rogers to write the following piece, which was published by “Good Morning America.” You can read Rogers’ story here.

Photos contributed by Elissa Curtis Rogers '04.

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