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Simple Not Easy: Reflections on community social responsibility and tolerance
HE MADE HISTORY. HE TELLS THE TRUTHS HE KNOWS.
LEAD TITLE/Our National Conversation Series
"Terrence Roberts is in the truest sense an upstander - an individual whose voice and actions compel us to explore difficult topics and challenge us to face our shared history, honestly. His words and reflections celebrate the notion of difference, model socially responsible behavior and promote tolerance in our daily lives. Reading this book, you will be inspired, in Dr. Roberts's words, to 'think beyond the ordinary."
----Margot Stern Strom, Executive Director, Facing History and Ourselves, Inc.
"Terrence Roberts challenges all of us to make the world more inclusive by adjusting our 'mental maps.' He reminds us that we will not achieve that long-sought beloved community until we recognize the value of each individual-until we affirm each other. Simple, Not Easy is one trailblazer's mingling of history and contemporary mattersto engage a new conversations on community, social responsibility and tolerance. A powerful book by a civil rights legend. "
-- - Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr., Ed.D.,
LEAD TITLE/Our National Conversation Series
"Terrence Roberts is in the truest sense an upstander - an individual whose voice and actions compel us to explore difficult topics and challenge us to face our shared history, honestly. His words and reflections celebrate the notion of difference, model socially responsible behavior and promote tolerance in our daily lives. Reading this book, you will be inspired, in Dr. Roberts's words, to 'think beyond the ordinary."
----Margot Stern Strom, Executive Director, Facing History and Ourselves, Inc.
"Terrence Roberts challenges all of us to make the world more inclusive by adjusting our 'mental maps.' He reminds us that we will not achieve that long-sought beloved community until we recognize the value of each individual-until we affirm each other. Simple, Not Easy is one trailblazer's mingling of history and contemporary mattersto engage a new conversations on community, social responsibility and tolerance. A powerful book by a civil rights legend. "
-- - Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr., Ed.D.,
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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22 people want to read
About the author
Terrence Roberts
3 books4 followersTerrence James Roberts was one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1999, he and the other people of the Little Rock Nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bill Clinton. On September 4, 1957, Roberts and eight other African American students (known as the Little Rock Nine) made an unsuccessful attempt to enter Little Rock Central High School. Despite the presence of the National Guard, an angry mob of about 400 surrounded the school.
terrence-roberts-image-about-usThe National Guard was removed with the protection of the students left to the local police. On September 23, 1957, a mob of about 1000 people surrounded the school as the students attempted to enter. The following day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent U.S. Army troops to accompany the students to school for protection. The troops were stationed at the school for the entirety of the school year, although they were unable to prevent incidents of violence inside.
As a result of the subsequent closing of Little Rock’s high schools during the 1958-1959 school year, Roberts completed his senior year in Los Angeles, California.
Roberts continued his education at California State University, Los Angeles and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1967. He received his Master’s degree in social welfare from the UCLA School of Social Welfare in 1970, and his Ph.D. in psychology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, in 1976.
From 1975 to 1977 he was a member of the faculty at Pacific Union College, a private liberal arts college in Napa Valley, California.
From 1977 to 1985 Roberts was Director of Mental Health at St. Helena Hospital and Health Center.
From 1985 to 1993 he was assistant dean in the UCLA School of Social Welfare.
Roberts joined the Antioch University Los Angeles in 1993 and served as core faculty and co-chair of the Master of Arts in Psychology program until 2008. He is currently Principal of the management-consulting firm, Terrence Roberts Consulting.
terrence-roberts-image-about-usThe National Guard was removed with the protection of the students left to the local police. On September 23, 1957, a mob of about 1000 people surrounded the school as the students attempted to enter. The following day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent U.S. Army troops to accompany the students to school for protection. The troops were stationed at the school for the entirety of the school year, although they were unable to prevent incidents of violence inside.
As a result of the subsequent closing of Little Rock’s high schools during the 1958-1959 school year, Roberts completed his senior year in Los Angeles, California.
Roberts continued his education at California State University, Los Angeles and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1967. He received his Master’s degree in social welfare from the UCLA School of Social Welfare in 1970, and his Ph.D. in psychology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, in 1976.
From 1975 to 1977 he was a member of the faculty at Pacific Union College, a private liberal arts college in Napa Valley, California.
From 1977 to 1985 Roberts was Director of Mental Health at St. Helena Hospital and Health Center.
From 1985 to 1993 he was assistant dean in the UCLA School of Social Welfare.
Roberts joined the Antioch University Los Angeles in 1993 and served as core faculty and co-chair of the Master of Arts in Psychology program until 2008. He is currently Principal of the management-consulting firm, Terrence Roberts Consulting.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 1, 2018
Roberts has quite a legacy. He, alongside eight other beyond brave souls, faced more hatred, bigotry, and rejection before he turned 16 than most of us face in a lifetime. He has not, however, used this experience as an excuse for spewing vitriol and hatred himself; rather, he has used it as a springboard from which he urges peace, love, and appreciation for (not denigration of) difference. “Difference IS, period!” He says in one of his speeches. This particular collection of presentations is a bit redundant (he is passionate about several points which are iterated in several speeches), but it actually helps drive the points home. Repetition teaches, after all. Roberts’ passion for education (not “being smart”), self-confrontation, care for all persons equally, and love is evident on every page. He and the other members of the Little Rock Nine changed the course of history in 1957 and they never stopped. This book is just one piece of evidence to that fact.
August 5, 2019
This isn't about Terrence but more about the effect the fight for civil rights has.
March 17, 2015
This was a moving account of how far US society has come since the 1950. Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine, was among the first to integrate Little Rock HS. He has since earned a PhD, written various books and demonstrated how much is lost by racist and other systemic injustice that prevents humans from applying their unique gifts and realizing their full potential.
This book is a collection of addresses and writings in various fora, and as such, repeats itself a great deal. Nevertheless, the message is worthy of reiteration. This is a quick read that provides helpful perspective.
This book is a collection of addresses and writings in various fora, and as such, repeats itself a great deal. Nevertheless, the message is worthy of reiteration. This is a quick read that provides helpful perspective.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews