Civil Rights Activist, Diversity Consultant, Keynote Speaker
Lessons from Little Rock
All the seats at the hamburger joint were reserved for white patrons, so 13 year old Terrence Roberts ordered food to go. While waiting, he impulsively sat down at the counter and then realized a hush had fallen over the place. Suddenly everyone seemed to be looking at him threateningly. He canceled his order and left. As he walked home, Roberts remembers wondering “what it would take for (him) to be treated like a real human being.”
Two years later, in 1957, he volunteered to be one of the ‘Little Rock Nine’ who desegregated Central High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Two years later, in 1957, he volunteered to be one of the ‘Little Rock Nine’ who desegregated Central High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
After the group made several attempts to attend Central High in the fall of 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered federal troops to the school. A soldier was assigned to protect each African American student, but Roberts recalls he suffered physical and verbal abuse on a daily basis throughout the school year.
Dr. Roberts is a civil rights activist, diversity consultant, and frequent keynote speaker. A compelling study of institutional racism, his memoir Lessons from Little Rock details his childhood in the segregated South and is a testament to the personal resolve that he and each member of the Little Rock Nine used to survive their first days at Central High.
Today is very different from 1957, but the echoes of Little Rock still inform our decisions today. Public schools are being re-segregated and private, uniracial schools are cluttering the horizon. Dr. Roberts strives to open and continue the conversation about race, one of the most salient and confusing topics of our culture. As we move deeper into this new century, with the rise of white nationalism and a landscape shifting in other unexpected ways, we must learn ways to accept and embrace difference, rid ourselves of the disabling prejudices that keep us at arm’s length from each other, and work toward establishing a just and truly democratic society.
Dr. Roberts and his fellow students received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1958, and the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States’ highest civilian honor, in 1999. Dr. Roberts is a frequent speaker on civil rights and diversity and is a regular speaker at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Dr. Roberts is CEO of Terrence J. Roberts & Associates, a management consultant firm devoted to fair and equitable practices. A graduate of California State University at Los Angeles (BA) and UCLA (MSW), Dr. Roberts obtained his Ph.D. In psychology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. He has appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show, The Newshour, Tavis Smiley and the BBC, among others.
The Reaction
“Dr. Terrence is a legend and carries a message that can only be fully experienced in person. Norco was grateful for his visit and his inspiring words. He touched the lives of everyone but especially our students, many of whom studied the events of Little Rock prior to Dr. Roberts’ visit. The students not only read history but were given the chance to experience it.”
-Annebelle Nery, Associate Dean of Student Success, Riverside Community College, Norco
“There are moments as an educator that you look at your students and think, ‘This experience has touched them.’ It is a moment that is filled with hope. Dr. Roberts was the reason this moment occurred at Nightingale School. He brought history to life, and more importantly, he inspired courage and strength. It was a personal honor to meet him, but it was even more of an honor to witness my students changing for the better before my eyes.”
Dawn Iles, Assistant Principal, Nightingale School, Chicago, Il
“Dr. Roberts came to our school and melted into the culture as if he had been part of our faculty for years. The students clung to his every word as if it was food for survival, which, in fact, it is. His message of courage, standing up for your beliefs and strength are needed for not just the youth of today, but for any one who faces adversity of any kind. He sang with the kids, greeted parents and community members and shared with the faculty. We can’t wait for his return!”
Cheryl D. Watkins, Principal, John J. Pershing West Middle School
“This event was a huge success, we had over 160 people attend. Dr. Roberts’s speech was very memorable and he seemed to really connect with each person in the room by shaking their hands and using the floor instead of the stage. He took a generous amount of time answering the audience’s questions as well as taking time afterwards to take pictures and sign autographs. I think that every person in the room was taken by his story that has made him into the person he is today. Dr. Roberts was a pleasure to work with and one of our best speakers to date on campus.”
Jennifer L. Granger, Assistant Director of Student Activities, Lasell College
“Teachers and students alike consistently cite attending [Dr. Roberts’] presentation and hearing his message of resilience, possibility and taking charge of their lives as a transformative experience. We already have requests from several schools to have him speak next year!”
Dunreith Kelly Lowenstein, Associate Program Director, Facing History and Ourselves
Dunreith Kelly Lowenstein, Associate Program Director, Facing History and Ourselves