Randall Robinson
Randall M. Robinson | |
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St. Kitts | |
Nationality | American |
Education |
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Employer(s) | Penn State University
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Known for |
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Title | Distinguished Scholar in Residence |
Spouse | Hazel Ross-Robinson (m. 1987)
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Parents |
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Relatives | Max Robinson (brother)
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Website | |
Notes | |
Randall Robinson (July 6, 1941 – March 24, 2023) was an American lawyer, author and activist, noted as the founder of
Early life and education
Robinson was born in Richmond, Virginia, on July 6, 1941, to Maxie Cleveland Robinson and Doris Robinson Griffin, both teachers. The late ABC News anchorman, Max Robinson, was his elder brother. Randall Robinson graduated from Virginia Union University, and earned a J.D. degree at Harvard Law School.[6] He also had an older sister, actress Jewel Robinson, and a younger sister, Pastor Jean Robinson. Both sisters live and work in the Washington, D.C. area.
Career
Robinson was a civil rights attorney in
Robinson founded the
During that period he gained visibility for his political activism, organizing sit-ins at the South African embassy in order to protest the
In 2001, he authored the book The Debt: What America Owes To Blacks, which presented an in-depth outline regarding his belief that wide-scale reparations should be offered to African Americans as a means to redress centuries of de jure and de facto discrimination and oppression directed at the group.[1] The book argues for the enactment of lineage-based reparation programs as restitution for the continued social and economic issues in the African-American community, such as a high proportion of incarcerated black citizens and the differential in cumulative wealth between white and black Americans.[8]
In 2003, Robinson turned down an honorary degree from Georgetown University Law Center.[citation needed]
Robinson began teaching at the
Emigration
In 2001, Robinson quit his position as head of TransAfrica and emigrated to
Robinson's decision to emigrate was caused by what he described as his antipathy towards America's domestic policies and foreign policy, both of which he believed exploit minorities and the poor.
Personal life and death
Randall Robinson and his former wife had a daughter, Anike Robinson, and a son, Jabari Robinson. He was married to Hazel Ross-Robinson and they had one daughter, Khalea Ross Robinson.[10]
Robinson died in St. Kitts on March 24, 2023, at the age of 81 of aspiration pneumonia.[11] [12]
Publications
- The Emancipation of Wakefield Clay: a novel. London: LCCN 81451366.
- Makeda. New York: LCCN 2011923178.
- ISBN 0465070507
- Quitting America: The Departure of a Black Man From His Native Land, ISBN 0452286301
- The Reckoning: What Blacks Owe to Each Other, Plume (reprint), 2002. ISBN 0452283140
- The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks, Plume, 2001. ISBN 0452282101
- Defending the Spirit, Plume (1999). ISBN 0452279682
References
- ^ a b c Pal, Amitabh (September 26, 2005). "Randall Robinson Interview". The Progressive. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- The Virginian Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. November 5, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ a b "Randall S. Robinson, Dr.". Who's Who Among African Americans (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Detroit: Gale. 2011. Gale Document Number: GALE&%7C;K1645537189. Retrieved February 27, 2014. Biography in Context.
- ^ "Randall Robinson". Encyclopedia of World Biography (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Vol. 23. Detroit: Gale. 2003. Gale Document Number: GALE%7C;K1631008095. Retrieved February 27, 2014. Biography in Context.
- ^ "Randall Robinson website". Archived from the original on August 28, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2005.
- ^ "Sun, 07.06.1941 | Randall Robinson, Founder of TransAfrica born". African American Registry. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "TransAfrica Forum Mission". Archived from the original on November 12, 2007.
- ^ "Randall Robinson, Author of An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President". Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
- ^ "Dickinson School of Law". Martindale Hubbel. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
- ^ De Witt, Karen (August 22, 1991). "At the End of the Day, a Lobbyist Turns Into a Woodworker". The New York Times.
- ^ "Activist Randall Robinson Dies at 81". Journal-isms. March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Langer, Emily (April 28, 2023). "Randall Robinson, founder of influential Africa lobby, dies at 81". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Randall Robinson interviewed on Conversations from Penn State
- Randall Robinson on "An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, From Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President", Democracy Now, July 23, 2007
- Huffington Post biography
- African American Registry biography
- "Randall Robinson: Aristide Says 'Tell the World It Is a Coup'". Interview by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now!
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- In Depth interview with Robinson, February 3, 2013
- Review of Randall Robinson, Alex Dupuy, and Peter Hallward books on Haiti NACLA, 2008