The San Angelo Chapter of the NAACP held its annual L.A. Raibon Freedom Fund Banquet in the ballroom of the Cactus Hotel last Friday night. The banquet is an annual event to raise money for student scholarships. Every year it brings in notable figures of the Civil Rights movement as the featured speaker. This year Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the famed “The Little Rock Nine” shared his life experiences to a sold-out crowd including local officials and dignitaries.
“The Little Rock Nine: students were born in 1941 and 1942, and endured violence and vilification in their quest for equal rights. Learn More About Them Here.
After fighting to integrate Little Rock Arkansas Central High School in 1957, all of these students went on to higher education, and many continued their work in the Civil Rights Movement.
“I Was Ready.”
Dr. Roberts, who is 83, opened his talk by telling the audience that “All of us matter, in this universe,” before speaking briefly on why diversity, equity and inclusion are so important.
“When the call came to me, in 1956, to get ready for an attempt to desegregate a high school in Little Rock, I was ready to volunteer,” he told them.
“Why? Because I had already spent the first part of my life — from zero to 15 — preparing for it.”
Roberts said his parents, who had seven children, actively taught all of them about racism in America.
“We learned from them that what other people think about us, is none of our business,” he said. “What other people think about me has nothing to do with me.”
Roberts said the centuries of slavery and racial oppression that marked his childhood era had created deep misperceptions in the minds of Americans, reinforcing harmful hierarchies and stereotypes, and he cited the Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld Jim Crow-era segregation in this country through the 1960s.
“Some people were on top,” he said. “My people were on the bottom… I started off as a ‘Negro’ and then became ‘colored.’ I advanced to ‘African-American’ and then, finally, became ‘black.'”
Robert’s joked that, when asked if he prefers to be called ‘black’ or ‘African-American,’ his responds “I prefer to be called Terry.”
He spoke of things not reported in most news accounts. Over 150 students volunteered to be part of the effort to integration of Central High School. This became the “Little Rock Ten” before a threatening telephone call from a parent’s employer caused him to remove his child in an attempt to keep his job. The employer fired the man anyway.
Ike Intervenes
Roberts then talked about those first days, trying to attend school with white students. The National Guard prevented them from even entering the building. In the politically-charged climate of the time pressure came from the White House. President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened against the segregationist governor of Arkansas.
They rode to school in a station wagon flanked by Army Jeeps with machine guns. Soldier of the 101st Airborne division provided their escort for several months. The school system went to great lengths to stave-off integration, including shutting all schools for years. The impact on those students was something from which they never recovered, he said.
Throughout his talk, Roberts focused on the importance of dialogue and honesty in communications. He encouraged listeners to question everything, and to never stop learning.
He also discussed apathy, sympathy, empathy and compassion. Dr. Roberts spoke about the profound differences they can have on our lives. Everyone’s very existence is dependent on the actions of others.
Roberts easy manner and humorous style entertained and engaged his audience for over forty minutes.
He then opened the floor for a few questions before receiving a standing ovation from attendees.
Dr. Terrence Roberts finished high school in Los Angeles. He earned his undergraduate degree in sociology, and a master’s degree in social welfare from UCLA in 1967 and 1970. He completed his Ph.D. in psychology from Southern Illinois University in 1976.
Roberts works extensively in higher education and the health care sector, and is the founder of a successful consulting firm.
His memoir, “Lessons From Little Rock” was published in 2009, followed by “Simple, Not Easy,” published in 2010.
Notes About The NAACP In San Angelo
W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Moorfield Storey, Ida B. Wells, Lillian Wald, and Henry Moskowitz establised The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. Today it continues its mission. to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality rights of all persons.
L.A. Raibon founded San Angelo’s NAACP Unit 6219 in 1946. The Chapter named the Freedom Fund in his honor. The fund provides scholarships for local students looking to continue their education.
Membership in the NAACP is open to all, as are monthly meetings. Meetings are on the first Saturday of each month at the Ministerial Alliance Building on Martin Luther King Drive.
