Alphonso Theodore Roberts, better known by his nickname Alfie, was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (British West Indies) in 1937. He attended the Boys Grammar School, and he was a member of Reeves House. In 1955, he completed his studies at the Grammar School. Then he spent two years (1956-1957) attending Queen Royal College in Trinidad, sponsored by the Bermuda Biscuit Company in Trinidad. After immigrating to Canada in 1962, he studied economics at Sir George Williams University (now part of Concordia). He later completed graduate studies in public administration at Carleton University in Ottawa.
With his insatiable intellectual curiosity, Alfie Roberts devoted himself to the study of Black history, world history and international politics and became a recognized international authority in the field. His reputation led to invitations to conferences across North America, the Caribbean, Tanzania, Uganda, Libya, Russia, Martinique and Cuba, among others.
Alfie Roberts was also a community activist. He was a founding member of the Montreal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Associations, in 1965, and also of the Conference Committee on West Indian Affairs, which organized a series of conferences and other activities between 1965 and 1974. Also, Alfie Roberts was very active in the Black Community Communications Media of Quebec, the Caribbean International Service Bureau and the Emancipation 100 publication of the Montreal anglophone Black community.
This strong commitment to the community did not go unnoticed, and Alfie Roberts was honored for his contribution to the local and national development of the Black community. Over the years, he touched the lives of many members of his community. As an educator, he helped numerous students with their studies. He was a firm believer in the value of higher education, and encouraged many adults in their intellectual pursuits.
Philosophically, Alfie Roberts was a Marxist who believed that everyone should be equal and have the same opportunities. He also believed that we should all do our best to live together in harmony, and it was this conviction which was at the heart of his commitment to his community and to society as a whole. He promoted the idea that blacks should not ghettoize themselves, because, in Canada, living together is a daily endeavor to which all must contribute. Alfie Roberts, who died in Montreal on July 24, 1996, was a living example of this philosophy.
