They and their descendants became prominent in the Los Angeles area, with a strong tradition of college education and working in public service.

[3] Roberts, a newspaper editor and business owner, emerged as a prominent figure in the burgeoning African-American community of Los Angeles.

Additionally, Roberts actively participated in the Methodist church and held memberships in two influential organizations, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Urban League.

[1] In 1918, Roberts was elected to the California State Assembly from the 62nd District as a Republican in a hard-fought campaign, during which his chief rival made racial slurs against him.

[4] While in office, Roberts sponsored legislation to establish the University of California at Los Angeles and improve public education, and proposed several civil rights and anti-lynching measures.

[3] In June 1922, he welcomed Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey of the UNIA to Los Angeles and rode in his parade car.

Beginning in the late 1930s and the early 1940s, the second wave of the Great Migration brought tens of thousands of African Americans from the Southern United States to the Los Angeles area for jobs in the growing defense industries.

On the evening of July 18, 1952, a few days after attending the 1952 Republican National Convention, Roberts sustained serious injuries when the car he was driving was struck by another vehicle near his Los Angeles home.