Apr. 17: One of 'Little Rock Nine' to speak at YorkCounts Annual Summit

One member of the 'Little Rock Nine' will be among the presenters at
the 2008 YorkCounts Annual Summit, slated for April 17 with the theme
of "Educational Opportunities for All."

Dr. Terrence Roberts is now co-chairperson of the Master's in
Psychology Program at Antioch University (Calif.). In 1957, Roberts,
then a 15-year-old high school junior, was one of the first nine
African-American students enrolled in previously all-white Little Rock
(Ark.) Central High School. The integration of the school took place
over the objection of segregationist residents and Arkansas Gov. Orval
Faubus, who had deployed the Arkansas National Guard to stop it. It
came as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v.
Board of Education, which declared public school segregation
unconstitutional, and the moment is considered a milestone of the
Civil Rights movement.

The Summit is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2008 from 9 a.m. until
11:30 a.m. at the Yorktowne Hotel in downtown York. The event is open
to the public, but registration is required, and those who wish to
attend are asked to e-mail YorkCounts' Angela Decker at
adecker2@ycp.edu or call (717) 815-6632.

"Dr. Roberts was assaulted, spat upon and threatened with death
because he dared to seek new and different educational opportunities
where they had not been available before," says YorkCounts Director
James DeBord. "We will be honored to welcome him." DeBord says
Roberts will speak about the need for all communities to present
educational opportunities to all children, regardless of where they
live or the color of their skin.

Another speaker at the Annual Summit will be Midshipman Zerbin
Singleton, currently Brigade Commander of the senior class at the U.S.
Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Despite an unbelievable set of life
challenges, Singleton has excelled as an aerospace engineering major
at one of the world's most rigorous institutions of higher learning;
he will graduate in May and will report to flight school afterward,
aspiring to be an astronaut.

YorkCounts will also honor high school students from districts across
York County with the first YorkCounts Citizen-Student Awards. These
students have been identified based on leadership and community
involvement.