Rashad Robinson

After graduating from Marymount College in the early 1990s,{{Cite magazine|last=Lewis-Kraus|first=Gideon|title=Rashad Robinson Built a Civil Rights Movement for the Digital Age|language=en-US|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/10/rashad-robinson-color-of-change-civil-rights/|date=October 25, 2016|access-date=2021-12-10|issn=1059-1028}} Robinson held leadership roles at GLAAD,{{cite web|last=Goode|first=Morgan|title=GLAAD'S Senior Director of Media Programs Appearing Tonight on the Derek and Romaine Show|url=http://www.glaad.org/2009/12/28/glaad%25e2%2580%2599s-senior-director-of-media-programs-appearing-tonight-on-the-derek-and-romaine-show|publisher=GLAAD|access-date=12 May 2012}} as Senior Director of Media Programs leading the organization's advocacy and major media campaigns, the Right to Vote Campaign,[http://www.righttovote.org/ Right to Vote Campaign]{{cite web|last=Robinson|first=Rashad|title=Nebraska Ends its Permanent Voting Ban for People with Felony Convictions; Legislature Overrides Governor's Veto to Change the States' Felony Disfranchisement Law|url=http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0310-18.htm|publisher=Common Dreams|access-date=12 May 2012}} and FairVote.{{cite web|title=Rashad Robinson|url=http://archive.fairvote.org/?page=149|publisher=Fair Vote|access-date=12 May 2012}}

In 2011, Rashad Robinson became the president of Color of Change,{{Cite news|url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/5-questions-for/rashad-robinson-president-color-of-change|title=Rashad Robinson, President, Color Of Change|last=Center|first=Foundation|work=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)|access-date=2018-06-21|language=en}} an advocacy organization founded after Hurricane Katrina with the purpose of assisting black communities in America.

During Robinson's tenure as president, Color Of Change has grown by one million members and expanded to four offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Oakland, California.

Robinson organized many of the organization's initiatives, including a campaign to pull funding from the American Legislative Exchange Council.{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/amazon-alec-pressure_n_1544028.html |title=Amazon Drops ALEC Under Pressure From Advocacy Group|first=Trymaine |last=Lee|website=HuffPost|date=May 25, 2012}} American Legislative Exchange Council is responsible for the "Stand Your Ground" laws implicated in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin.

Color Of Change helped protect the principle of net neutrality by pushing the FCC to reclassify broadband as a common carrier service.{{Cite web |last=Voqal |date=2018-06-19 |title=Color of Change Continues to Fight for Net Neutrality • Voqal |url=https://voqal.org/color-of-change-continues-to-fight-for-net-neutrality/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Voqal |language=en-US}} The organization's Winning Justice campaign pushes prosecutors to reduce incarceration, end the use of money bail, and change sentencing schemes under which hundreds of thousands of Black people are imprisoned in the US.{{Cite web |title=Winning Justice |url=https://www.winningjustice.org/ |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Winning Justice • Powered by Color Of Change |language=en}} The group has also persuaded businesses, including Mastercard and PayPal, to stop accepting payments from white nationalist groups,{{Cite web |last=Paynter |first=Ben |date=2017-08-21 |title=Color of Change Is Attacking Hate Groups At The Source: Their Funding |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40456061/color-of-change-is-attacking-hate-groups-at-the-source-their-funding |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=Fast Company}} and business leaders to refrain from sitting on President Trump's Business Council.

Color Of Change is credited with working with Silicon Valley companies including Airbnb, Google and Facebook to improve diversity inside their companies and address policies that harm Black users.{{Cite web |last=Lapowsky |first=Issie |title=Seven years of toil: Inside Color of Change's fight to fix Big Tech - Protocol |url=https://www.protocol.com/color-of-change-civil-rights-big-tech |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=www.protocol.com |language=en}} Their media and Hollywood teams also work to get content they deem racist and inaccurate taken off air; they have gotten several reality TV shows (All My Babies' Mamas, COPS) and conservative hosts (Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck) canceled.

In 2016, the Stanford Social Innovation Review wrote about Color Of Change's integrated online/offline strategies for “pursuing the fight for racial justice at Internet speed.” In 2015, Fast Company named Color Of Change the 6th Most Innovative Company in the World,{{cite web|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3039581/most-innovative-companies-2015/color-of-change|title=.6 Color of Change|last=Corvey|first=JJ|date=9 February 2015}} and named Color Of Change the 2nd Most Innovative Company in the nonprofit sector in 2018.

In September of 2024, Robinson resigned one week after the National Labor Relations Board "ruled that Color Of Change violated federal labor law by unlawfully laying off 54 employees without bargaining"{{cite web |last1=NewsGuild-CWA |title=Color Of Change ordered to reinstate illegally laid off workers and pay back wages after NLRB Ruling |url=https://newsguild.org/color-of-change-ordered-to-reinstate-illegally-laid-off-workers-and-pay-back-wages-after-historic-ruling/ |website=The NewsGuilt|date=September 24, 2024 }} in 2023. Staff at Color of Change celebrated Robinson's resignation, stating that "[h] is destabilizing a place that is supposed to provide Black joy, not just internally, but for the world. We’re hoping that his exit will be a catalyst to change the current toxic work environment that employees are being subjected to."{{cite web |last1=Martinez |first1=Alexandra |title=Color Of Change president resigns following NLRB ruling on layoffs |url=https://prismreports.org/2024/10/16/color-of-change-president-resigns-following-nlrb-ruling-on-layoffs/ |website=PRISM|date=October 16, 2024 }}

From 2010 to 2014, Robinson was selected as one of "The Root 100," a list of emerging and influential African Americans under 45.{{cite web|last=Piazza|first=Sean|title=GLAAD's Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, has been named one of the top 100 emerging and established African American leaders by The Root|date=14 September 2011|url=http://www.glaad.org/2010/10/15/glaads-senior-director-of-programs-named-one-of-top-african-american-leaders-by-the-root|publisher=GLAAD|access-date=12 May 2012}}{{cite web|title=2013 The Root 100: Rashad Robinson|url=http://www.theroot.com/articles/lists/2013/10/theroot_100/rashad_robinson.html|publisher=The Root|access-date=1 October 2013}}{{cite web|title=2014 The Root 100: Rashad Robinson|url=http://www.theroot.com/articles/lists/2014/09/the_root_100_2014/rashad_robinson.html|publisher=The Root|access-date=15 January 2015}}

Robinson regularly appears in the media, including NPR,{{cite web|title=Companies Fight Back Against Protesters With Financial Pressure|website=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/06/02/411186666/companies-fight-back-against-protesters-with-financial-pressure|publisher=NPR|first=Sarah |last=Alvarez|date=June 2, 2015|access-date=2 June 2015}} MSNBC,{{cite web|title=More questions than answers in Sandra Bland case|first=Melissa|last=Harris-Perry|url=http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/watch/more-questions-than-answers-in-bland-case-487198787785|publisher=MSNBC|date=July 19, 2015|access-date=19 July 2015}} CNN, PBS, and BET. He has a monthly column in the US edition of The Guardian.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-office/2019/may/16/guardian-us-announces-new-regular-opinion-columnists|title=Robinson becomes monthly featured columnist at The Guardian|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=3 June 2015}} His editorials have been published by The New York Times,{{cite web|title=Equal Internet Access for All|url=https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/05/15/whats-next-for-net-neutrality/equal-internet-access-for-all|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=14 May 2014}} Huffington Post,{{cite web|title=Rashad Robinson|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rashad-robinson/|website=Huffington Post|access-date=29 July 2015}} The Washington Post, and USA Today.

In March 2015, Ebony magazine called Robinson one of several "breakthrough leaders who have stepped up and are moving forward in the perpetual fight for justice."{{cite web|title=Leaders of the New School|date=22 July 2016 |url=http://www.ebony.com/news-views/leaders-of-the-new-school#axzz3hJmf2yIP/ |publisher=Ebony |access-date= }} In May 2015, Huffington Post included Robinson in a series highlighting "some of the people and issues that will shape the world in the next decade."{{cite web|title=Rashad Robinson Is Leading The Social Justice Movement Into The 21st Century|date=6 May 2015|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/06/rashad-robinson-social-justice_n_7138328.html|first=Jennifer|last= Bendery|website=Huffington Post|access-date=6 May 2015}} The same month, Robinson received an honorary doctoral degree from St. Mary's College of Maryland.{{cite web|title=St. Mary's College Graduates 430 Seniors during 45th Commencement Ceremony|date=18 May 2015|url=http://www.smcm.edu/news/2015/05/st-marys-college-graduates-43o-seniors-during-45th-commencement-ceremony/|publisher=St. Mary's College of Maryland|access-date=18 May 2015}}

In 2016, the Stanford Social Innovation Review wrote about Color Of Change's integrated online/offline strategies for “"pursuing the fight for racial justice at Internet speed". In 2015, Fast Company named Color Of Change the 6th Most Innovative Company in the World, and named Color Of Change the 2nd Most Innovative Company in the nonprofit sector in 2018.

On September 25, 2020, Robinson was named as one of the 25 members of the "Real Facebook Oversight Board", an independent monitoring group over Facebook.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-real-oversight-board-n1240958|title = While Facebook works to create an oversight board, industry experts formed their own|first=Olivia|last=Solon| website=NBC News|date=September 25, 2020 }}

Robinson grew up in Riverhead, Long Island, and graduated from Riverhead High School in 1997.{{Cite web|url=http://riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com/2018/02/85871/riverhead-grad-speaks-at-long-island-naacp-luncheon/|title=Riverhead grad speaks at Long Island NAACP luncheon {{!}} Riverhead News Review|website=riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com|first=Nicole|last=Smith|date=27 February 2018|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-14}} He began practicing activism as a high school student when he led a protest against a local convenience store that barred students from entering the store during their lunch break.{{Cite web|url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/40under40/2018/Robinson|title=Rashad Robinson - Meet Crain's New York Business Class of 2018 40 Under 40|website=www.crainsnewyork.com|date=26 June 2018|access-date=2018-08-14}}{{Cite news|url=https://riverheadlocal.com/2018/02/26/riverhead-native-civil-rights-leader-rashad-robinson-naacp-luncheon-build-power-change-rules/|title=Riverhead native and civil rights leader Rashad Robinson to NAACP luncheon: 'Build power to change the rules' {{!}} RiverheadLOCAL|work=RiverheadLOCAL|first= Denise|last= Civiletti|date=February 26, 2018|access-date=2018-08-14|language=en-US}} He also became involved with the NAACP while in high school.

Robinson attended Marymount University where he obtained a bachelor's degree in political science.{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40474488/power-is-the-ability-to-change-the-rules-how-rashad-robinson-holds-companies-accountable|title='Power Is The Ability To Change The Rules': How Rashad Robinson Holds Companies Accountable|date=2017-10-25|work=Fast Company|first=Adele |last=Peters|access-date=2018-08-14|language=en-US}}

Robinson lives in New York City.

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Category:21st-century African-American people

Category:1979 births

Category:Activists for African-American civil rights

Category:African-American non-fiction writers

Category:American non-fiction writers

Category:Living people

Category:Marymount University alumni

Category:People from Riverhead (town), New York