Rashad Robinson, civil rights activist, honored by Ebony magazine
A Riverhead native turned civil rights activist has been honored as one of the “heroes” of the black community by Ebony magazine.
Rashad Robinson, an activist and executive director of the advocacy group Color of Change, was named to the Ebony “Power 100” for 2015, which honors those who “lead, inspire and demonstrate through their individual talents, the very best in Black America.”
Mr. Robinson was named a “community crusader” along with others, including rapper Lupe Fiasco and the member-based organization Black Youth Project 100. He was featured in the magazine last year in an article called “Next in 2014.”
Mr. Robinson, a ’97 graduate of Riverhead High School, joined Color of Change in 2011. Color For Change was created in response to the federal governments relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and has fought against voter suppression and on behalf of victims of violence like Eric Garner and Renisha McBride.
Mr. Robinson has since appeared on national television and written numerous articles on topics ranging from gun violence to net neutrality to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson. He was the keynote speaker at the First Baptist Church of Riverhead’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast in 2014.
“Under Executive Director Rashad Robinson’s guidance, membership has exploded to more than 1 million members nationwide,” Ebony magazine wrote in its praise of Mr. Robinson.
Photo caption: Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorofChange.org, speaks at Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast. (Credit: Rachel Young)
