Tweet
As the people of Haiti and their beloved country continue to reel from the aftereffects of a horrific earthquake, there is one American man who has always had their back, somone who has been interested in and active in helping solve problems in Haiti and throughout the African diaspora.
That man is Randall Robinson.
As the founder of TransAfrica Forum, Robinson endeavored to change U.S. policies in Africa and the Caribbean to more constructive ones that actually benefit the people who live there. The activist and author left TransAfrica and the U.S. in 2001 when he became disillusioned with the American political system. He now lives in St. Kitts with his wife, a native of the country.
Robinson, as you may know, is a man of great talent and passion. But here are - in our opinion - the five most important things about him.
1. He believes black people are owed reparations.
Robinson has made no bones about it – he feels blacks in America should absolutely be compensated for slavery. In his 2001 book, “The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks,” Robinson lays out the reasons why he feels black people are owed reparations. In a 2005 interview with The Progressive, he discussed the primary reasons why compensation for past ills is necessary.
“We have sustained so much psychic damage and so much loss of memory," he said. "Every people, in order to remain healthy and strong, has to have a grasp of its foundation story. Culture is a chrysalis — it is protective, it takes care of you. That’s what cultures are for. You cannot rob a people of language, culture, mother, father, the value of their labor — all of that — without doing vast damage to those people. People need their history like they need air and food. You deprive them of that for 246 years and follow that by 100 years of de jure discrimination, and then you say with the Voting Rights Act: It’s over, you just go take care of yourself! Average people do not survive that."
2. He believes the past problems in Haiti are a product of its independent history.
Robinson is a supporter of deposed Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, now living in exile in South Africa. He wrote a book, “An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President,” about the island nation and the difficulties that increased with the U.S. policy in place under George W. Bush. But Robinson believes that Haiti’s problems truly began almost two centuries ago when the country refused to be enslaved.
He told Democracy Now “Toussaint L’Ouverture and an army of ex-slaves overthrew French rule in 1804. The French exacted, of course, reparations from the new free black republic of Haiti, bankrupting the country … Haiti’s plight up until this point has been, in some significant way, attributable to bad and painful American, French and Western policy that some believe is caused or described, motivated by Toussaint L’Ouverture’s victory over Napoleon. The French have never forgiven the Haitian people for this.”
3. In 1994, Robinson almost died during a 27-day hunger strike to protest the Clinton administration's policy in Haiti.
No armchair activist, Robinson began a very public 27-day hunger strike that resulted in a hospital stay and helped change U.S. policy in Haiti. He was protesting in support of true democracy in Haiti, as well as the policy at that time toward Haitian refugees. At that time, when thousands of Haitians tried to escape a repressive military regime, they were turned away at U.S. borders and sent back to Haiti. In part because of his actions, the U.S. did help return a democratic government to Haiti, which had been overthrown, and they altered their policy on allowing refugees entry to the U.S.
4. He left the U.S. behind to live abroad because he believed that racism was a permanent fixture here.
And you guessed it: Robinson wrote a book about his decision to leave permanent residence in the U.S. behind. (He maintains a home in Virginia.) The book “Quitting America” details his decision to leave his homeland behind and move to St. Kitts, where his wife, Hazel, is from. It was not a decision entered into lightly, but ultimately Robinson felt that life as a black man in the U.S. would always be tainted by racism. Read the book’s first chapter here.
5. Robinson is an example of the strength of upbringing and life experience.
Born in segregated Richmond, Virginia to parents who were both college graduates, Robinson said he became committed to activism at a young age. He attended segregated schools all his life and said that he never met a white person until he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
“Early on in life, I was taught that an unprincipled life is not worth living,” he once told People magazine. His late, great brother got the message as well - the legendary Max Robinson was “World News Tonight’s” first African-American anchor.
Robinson’s TransAfrica is credited with turning the tide of U.S. policy toward South Africa as and was instrumental in the dismantling of apartheid. Robinson started the lobbying organization in a converted apartment with two people – himself and his assistant. By the time he left in 2001, it was a 15,000 member lobbying organization with major corporate support that is credited for having a significant impact on social justice for people of color.
That man is Randall Robinson.
As the founder of TransAfrica Forum, Robinson endeavored to change U.S. policies in Africa and the Caribbean to more constructive ones that actually benefit the people who live there. The activist and author left TransAfrica and the U.S. in 2001 when he became disillusioned with the American political system. He now lives in St. Kitts with his wife, a native of the country.
Robinson, as you may know, is a man of great talent and passion. But here are - in our opinion - the five most important things about him.
1. He believes black people are owed reparations.
Robinson has made no bones about it – he feels blacks in America should absolutely be compensated for slavery. In his 2001 book, “The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks,” Robinson lays out the reasons why he feels black people are owed reparations. In a 2005 interview with The Progressive, he discussed the primary reasons why compensation for past ills is necessary.
“We have sustained so much psychic damage and so much loss of memory," he said. "Every people, in order to remain healthy and strong, has to have a grasp of its foundation story. Culture is a chrysalis — it is protective, it takes care of you. That’s what cultures are for. You cannot rob a people of language, culture, mother, father, the value of their labor — all of that — without doing vast damage to those people. People need their history like they need air and food. You deprive them of that for 246 years and follow that by 100 years of de jure discrimination, and then you say with the Voting Rights Act: It’s over, you just go take care of yourself! Average people do not survive that."
2. He believes the past problems in Haiti are a product of its independent history.
Robinson is a supporter of deposed Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, now living in exile in South Africa. He wrote a book, “An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President,” about the island nation and the difficulties that increased with the U.S. policy in place under George W. Bush. But Robinson believes that Haiti’s problems truly began almost two centuries ago when the country refused to be enslaved.
He told Democracy Now “Toussaint L’Ouverture and an army of ex-slaves overthrew French rule in 1804. The French exacted, of course, reparations from the new free black republic of Haiti, bankrupting the country … Haiti’s plight up until this point has been, in some significant way, attributable to bad and painful American, French and Western policy that some believe is caused or described, motivated by Toussaint L’Ouverture’s victory over Napoleon. The French have never forgiven the Haitian people for this.”
3. In 1994, Robinson almost died during a 27-day hunger strike to protest the Clinton administration's policy in Haiti.
No armchair activist, Robinson began a very public 27-day hunger strike that resulted in a hospital stay and helped change U.S. policy in Haiti. He was protesting in support of true democracy in Haiti, as well as the policy at that time toward Haitian refugees. At that time, when thousands of Haitians tried to escape a repressive military regime, they were turned away at U.S. borders and sent back to Haiti. In part because of his actions, the U.S. did help return a democratic government to Haiti, which had been overthrown, and they altered their policy on allowing refugees entry to the U.S.
4. He left the U.S. behind to live abroad because he believed that racism was a permanent fixture here.
And you guessed it: Robinson wrote a book about his decision to leave permanent residence in the U.S. behind. (He maintains a home in Virginia.) The book “Quitting America” details his decision to leave his homeland behind and move to St. Kitts, where his wife, Hazel, is from. It was not a decision entered into lightly, but ultimately Robinson felt that life as a black man in the U.S. would always be tainted by racism. Read the book’s first chapter here.
5. Robinson is an example of the strength of upbringing and life experience.
Born in segregated Richmond, Virginia to parents who were both college graduates, Robinson said he became committed to activism at a young age. He attended segregated schools all his life and said that he never met a white person until he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
“Early on in life, I was taught that an unprincipled life is not worth living,” he once told People magazine. His late, great brother got the message as well - the legendary Max Robinson was “World News Tonight’s” first African-American anchor.
Robinson’s TransAfrica is credited with turning the tide of U.S. policy toward South Africa as and was instrumental in the dismantling of apartheid. Robinson started the lobbying organization in a converted apartment with two people – himself and his assistant. By the time he left in 2001, it was a 15,000 member lobbying organization with major corporate support that is credited for having a significant impact on social justice for people of color.
Comment