Clara Roberts

Clara Katharine Roberts, 24, died at 11:25 a.m. on Thursday, April 6, 2017, from injuries sustained in a two-car accident in Pittsburgh. Clara was a native of Pearland, Texas, and had been working in Indiana, Pennsylvania as a political organizer and crisis hotline counselor. Clara was born on February 4, 1993, in Houston, Texas. From a young age, Clara felt a call to devote herself to issues of social justice (she circulated her first protest petition at age 9). This passion led her to study public policy, psychology, and sociology at Rice University, where she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude honors and received the Beth Shapiro Award for her exceptional impact on the sociology department. Two days before her death, Clara had accepted the prestigious Root-Tilden-Kern scholarship to study public interest law at New York University, where she would have begun classes in August 2017. In particular, Clara hoped to work to empower underserved communities in the U.S. She is survived by her mother and father, Sue Ellen and Jabus B. Roberts, of Houston; her sisters, Traci Roberts Capesius and Tiffany Dynamite Roberts, of Minneapolis; her beloved pets; and numerous devoted friends and colleagues. She is preceded in death by her grandparents, Caroline Harrison Milfelt and William Milfelt, of St. Louis; Clara Agnes Blaum Roberts and Jabus B. Roberts, Sr., of Dothan, Alabama; and her dear friend Lachezar Hristov, 23, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A celebration of Clara’s life will take place on Saturday, April 15, at 10:30 a.m. at the Rice Memorial Chapel in Houston. Guests are encouraged to wear bright colors, especially purple. Contributions in Clara’s name may be made to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.