Eastern Michigan University hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. Day luncheon Monday on campus. 89.1 WEMU's Jorge Avellan attended and has the story.
About 500 people attended the luncheon hosted by EMU PresidentJames Smith. Dr. Terrence Roberts was the keynote speaker. He was part of the "Little Rock Nine"group of students that, in 1957, helped desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Roberts explained why racism continues to exist today.
Dr. Terrence Roberts: A lack of courage on the part of all of us collectively. We accept a lot of stuff, we will learn how to live with it. We will not challenge it simply because it seems to be much less problematic.
The 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling inBrown v. Board of Education declared all laws establishing segregated schools to be unconstitutional.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
