by Michelle Thornton
Assistant Features Editor
Dr. Terrence Roberts is visiting the University of La Verne on Feb. 26, as a guest speaker in honor of Black History Month.
His name may not spark instant recognition for most but his impact on history can not be forgotten.
Dr. Roberts has played an integral part in the history of African Americans. He was a part of what is called the “Little Rock Nine.”
In 1957, Dr. Roberts and eight of his fellow black classmates, later to be called the “Little Rock Nine,” were the first to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Ark.
This event horrified many who had become accustomed to the racially discriminative Jim Crow Laws that governed much of the south. President Eisenhower felt it was necessary to send the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to enforce the desegregation of Central High.
Harvel Lewis, adviser of minority student affairs, said that the reason Dr. Roberts was asked to speak was because it is he was present during the making of history and that is something that happens very seldom.
The visit is sponsored by Minority Student Affairs, ASF, Coalition for Diversity, AASA and the Behavioral Science Club.
“It just covers Black History Month perfectly because it deals with history,” said Lewis.
Roberts, now a clinical psychologist with his own practice, is also co- founder of the African American Cultural Institute that operates in the Pasadena and Altadena areas.
He is also co-chair of the master’s psychology program at Antioch University in Los Angeles.
Dr. Roberts will be speaking at 10:30 am in Founders Hall Auditorium. His speech will be entitled “Little Rock, 1957: Message and Metaphor for 1998.”
