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March 14, 2011

Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the key players in the Civil Rights Movement, will come to Geneva College on Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22. He will be appearing in Skye Lounge at 7 p.m. on both evenings. Roberts travels the country speaking about the integral Civil Rights group he was a part of in 1957 – the Little Rock Nine. He is also the author of Simple, Not Easy: Reflections on community, social responsibility and tolerance and published his memoir, Lessons from Little Rock, in 2009.

With the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. the Board of Education eliminating segregation in public schools, Roberts and eight other students garnered national attention through the simple act of going to school. The Little Rock Nine was the first group of African American students to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. These nine students faced many challenges, including an angry mob that surrounded the school and daily physical and emotional abuse. At one point, President Eisenhower sent U.S. Army Troops to aid in the protection of the students.

In 1999, Roberts and the other members of the Little Rock Nine received the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. Roberts is currently the CEO of management-consulting firm Terrence J. Roberts and Associates and recently retired from his 15-year position at Antioch University in Los Angeles.

Roberts earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, his master’s degree in social welfare from UCLA, and his Ph.D. in psychology from Southern Illinois University.

Dr. Roberts is coming to Geneva as part the Colloquia Series, where each semester speakers from around the world are invited to come and discuss compelling socio-cultural, scientific, religious, literary, educational, political and economic ideas. This series of lectures is designed to engage students and the community in topics that impact the world in which we live and to foster intellectual, Christian-principled thought and discussion.

Geneva Collegeis a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College’s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).