The Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition of Madison and Dane County announced that the 39th annual Madison–Dane County observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday will feature Terrence Roberts as the keynote speaker.
Roberts made history as one of the “Little Rock Nine.” He attended segregated schools throughout his life until 1957, when he volunteered to help desegregate Little Rock Central High School. His first several attempts to enter the school were stopped by the Arkansas National Guard and mobs of up to 1,000 people. President Dwight Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and dispatched members of the 101st Airborne Division to accompany the students to school for the remainder of the year.
Roberts went on to earn his Ph.D. He and the other members of the Little Rock Nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bill Clinton.
The city-county observance will take place on Monday, Jan. 15, at the Overture Center for the Arts’ Capitol Theater. It will include a freedom song sing-along from 5:15–5:45 p.m., followed by a program from 6–7:30 p.m. It will also feature a presentation of the Madison–Dane County Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Awards by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Mayor of Madison Satya Rhodes-Conway. Musicians Leotha and Tamera Stanley will lead the MLK Community Choir.
