Dr. Terrence J. Roberts' Lessons for Frostburg

by Nicholas Amick, ENG 336.002

Dr. Terrence J. Roberts speaking at Frostburg State University



                On February 21, 2013, Dr. Terrence J. Roberts brought “Lessons from Little Rock” to Frostburg State University in an event hosted by the Black Student Alliance. Roberts believes that the “lessons” that he learned in Little Rock can be applied to the state of race relations in the 21^st century. According to the introduction of his presentation, Roberts’ primary goal is to “inform decision-making in the 21^st century, as the spiritual compass is in need of recalibration.” In regards to the race issues still plaguing the United States today, Roberts stated that they are the direct result of years of practice in discrimination. “We the people are practiced in discrimination,” he stated.  “Our country remains in a state of confusion about race because of the years we practiced discrimination.”

Dr. Terrence J. Roberts’ credibility on the subject of race relations is established by his direct involvement in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s. Roberts, an African-American, claimed that he realized that he wanted to make a change in race relations when he was only thirteen. He explained that, before this age, his “main goal was to stay alive;” he “learned the rules of segregation and obeyed them.” His obedience vanished, however, after he sat down in the Crystal Burger, a white restaurant, and “everything stopped.” He claimed that, after fearfully running out of the restaurant, he knew that he could no longer obey the rules of a segregated society.

In the 1954 case of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, the Supreme Court ruled, in Roberts’ words, that “it was no longer constitutional to discriminate,” this decision declared that separate facilities for Caucasians and African-Americans were unconstitutional. Following this decision, in 1957, Roberts joined eight other young African-American students as they effectively desegregated Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas by becoming the first black children to enroll in a white school; Roberts and the other students later became known as the “Little Rock Nine.” Roberts stated proudly that, surprisingly, his parents supported his decision, even though he had compiled an entire list of rebuttals. “My parents supported my decision completely,” Roberts stated. “They told me if it was too hard and I wanted to quit that they would support that too.” Hagerstown resident Teresa Jackson, 33, made the one hour trip to Frostburg State University to personally see one of the men that her parents used to tell her stories about. “I can remember being a little kid and my parents talking about how these nine black kids entered a white school when it was against the rules,” she stated. “I’m happy to be here today to put a face to one of the people who, whether he knows it or not, is probably the reason I’m as educated as I am today.”

Although the school was effectively desegregated by the “Little Rock Nine,” the harassment and violence continued. Roberts referred to the actions against the “Little Rock Nine” as “urban terrorism.” He claimed that he was never truly safe in Little Rock Central High School, even when being escorted by a soldier down the hallway.  He then described instances of being escorted down the hallway by a soldier and being pushed down a flight of stairs from behind. Despite all of the acts of hatred, Roberts claimed that he “stayed very close to the arena of nonviolence,” although he did acknowledge that he had a few physical confrontations; he explained that he does regret an altercation in which he sent one of his abusers to the emergency room. Frostburg student Joshua Demoss, 20, was especially interested in his advocacy of nonviolence. “I’m currently majoring in Law and Society,” he explained. “In my courses, you always hear stories of African-Americans being mistreated, but responding with nonviolence or even compassion. To hear first-hand from someone about this restraint and self-control is simply unreal. I cannot fathom being as strong as Dr. Roberts.”

Despite all of the bigotry and abuse that he faced at such a young age, Dr. Roberts is completely adamant that he harbors no resentment towards Caucasians. When asked about how he manages to find peace with the events of his past, he recalled one of his mother’s lessons. “My mother taught me from age five or six, if you choose to hate, you chip away at your life span,” he stated. “I chose not to hate.” In fact, he spoke candidly about enraging a newspaper reporter with his lack of distaste for Caucasians. He claimed that, several years ago, when being interviewed for a newspaper article, an interviewer stormed out of his office after he repeatedly refused to admit any disdain toward Caucasians. Cumberland native Nathan Conley, 20, was rendered speechless by this claim. “I feel guilty whenever I hear stories about how my race treated African-Americans,” he stated. “For someone of his generation to be able to look at white people in a positive light is a truly unbelievable and powerful thing.”

After learning lessons in Little Rock, Dr. Terrence J. Roberts earned a doctorate degree in psychology; it is “something he loves, so he would do it free.” He is currently the principal consultant for Terrence J. Roberts and Associates. He also helped to establish the Little Rock Nine Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting the educational goals of African-Americans. For more information on his life and work, please visit his official website.