Dr. Terrence Roberts

Today I went to a speaking thinking that I was going to be lost in the ceiling designs or the many different faces that were going to arrive with me. It turns out that my focus was placed solely on one, very respectable, and great man.
Dr. Terrence Roberts was one of the, “Little Rock 9,” and came to speak at AVC. He had a very subtle look to him, but when he spoke, oh man were you listening. I rarely see a man who is so highly educated and experience as this man was. Every sentence that came out of this man’s mouth blew me away in the fact that his words were so well planned and articulate. He talked of his experience in Little Rock with relaying that at first he thought that, “white people are stone crazy.” He also talks of how life itself is, “weird,” pointing out that we are all the same in the sense that we are from a woman. He tells that when he was born he was placed in a world that the color that was right, was white. When he gets to talking of when he went to school with the other eight students, he says that he did what he did because it was the right thing to do. It is obvious that in 99.9% of all cases this is what you should do. This man is very admirable in my eyes because this man put his life on the line, for what was right. If more Americans actually did this, instead of just talking about change, then we probably wouldn’t have some of the problems that we have today. Regardless, this man had been through a life risking situation. His fear was irrelevant in the situation when he went to the school with the other students. He said that at first there were a lot of volunteers to do what they did, and they almost were going to be able to call them, “the little rock one hundred and fifty.” He told us that most people tell him that it was amazing that people were threatening him. Dr. Roberts said that he is confused why the people would say this, because it was common for him to get threatened and hurt from white, “folk.”
Dr. Roberts placed emphasis on the fact that we should educate ourselves. He said that from here on out we should read a book a week. As I heard this I glanced down the aisle at Professor Gross and saw her laugh and hold up a book she had with her-which added to this man’s obvious humorous tone. The Doctor also talked of how a student at UCLA came to him and told him that he had a racist professor. Through this, he teaches us that this is a reality, and it isn’t going to be avoided. He said our problems are not this, but that our problems are that we don’t usually know our reality. Roberts then began to talk of how he was mad at the people who are responsible for the student not knowing harsh realities.
I believe that he reinforced a lot of how I feel, but I did learn more from him that knowledge is power. The way that this man spoke blew my mind away. At one point he corrected a man who was asking him a question on his over-use of the word, “like.” The man who he corrected was a man who could obviously over power Dr. Roberts physically, but because of the education and knowledge conveyed in the Dr.’s words-his stature was irrelevant. I could tell that Roberts could tame a nation with his words, which is scary, but very impressive. If I take away anything from his speech, it will be that knowledge has unknown power to it, and to do what is right. He did what was right when he confronted that man, and he did it through his large knowledge base. Thesis and proof with evidence.
Thank you Dr. Terrence Roberts for coming to educate Antelope Valley College. If any of you want to know more about him, check out AVC’s newspaper or just Google him. I highly advise you listen to what this man has to say, and go to any speaking events that he is at.