Pasadena City College presents a talk by Dr. Terrence Roberts who at the age of 15 made history when he enrolled in and attended formerly segregated Little Rock Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. Video footage from 1957 will be shown in conjunction with his presentation.

Thursday, May 1, 2008
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Pasadena City College (PCC)
Community Education Center (CEC)
CEC's Jack Scott Multipurpose Room
Pasadena, CA

One of the most important events during the American Civil Rights Movement happened in 1957 when nine black students were enrolled in a formerly racially segregated public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the members of that group called The Little Rock Nine, will make a special public speaking engagement Thursday, May 1 at the Pasadena City College Community Education Center.  The event starts at 7 p.m. at the CEC's Jack Scott Multipurpose Room.  This special event is open to the public and CEC parking will be free to those that attend.

Roberts was then a 15-year-old, 11th grader who along with his fellow schoolmates were escorted on to the Little Rock Central High campus by federal troops after initial protests by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus.  The students were first prevented from entering the school by the Arkansas National Guard on orders from Faubus. Ultimately, President Dwight Eisenhower intervened and enforced the Little Rock Nine's right to attend the school by protecting their safety through military escort.  The Little Rock crisis received national headlines.

Roberts moved to Los Angeles, earning a master's in social welfare from UCLA, and later receiving a Ph.D. in psychology from Southern Illinois University.  He became the department chair in psychology at Antioch University (Los Angeles) in 1994.  He is currently a clinical psychologist and travels the country as a speaker and consultant.

Video of the events that unfolded in 1957 will accompany Roberts' guest appearance.

For more info:

Contact: Juan F. Gutierrez, Director, Public Relations
Phone: 626-585-7315, Email: jfgutierrez@pasadena.edu

Cost : Free and open to the public; free parking for attendees.

www.pasadena.edu/news/newsitem.cfm?ID=2231

Sponsor(s): ACT, a political action group in Pasadena, the Black Student Alliance, The Association of Black Employees staff organization, and the Black History Committee. Information about non-ASC events is posted for informational purposes and does not necessarily reflect opinions of or endorsements by African Studies personnel.