ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
April 4, 2023
To recognize and honor the beloved District resident, lawye r, author and anti-Apartheid activist, Randall
Maurice Robinson, on the occasion of his passing on March 24, 2023.
WHEREAS, Mr. Robinson was born in in Richmond, VA on July 6, 1941;
WHEREAS, Robinson grew up in what he described as the “domestic apartheid system” of Jim
Crow South, suffering indignities that inspired his future activism;
WHEREAS, f ollowing a stint in the Army , Robinson received a bachelor’s degree in sociology
from Virginia Union University, a historically Black university, in 1967;
WHEREAS, in 1970, Robinson graduated from Harvard Law School ;
WHEREAS, during the early 1970s, worked in the District for 2 members of Congress, Rep.
William L. Clay Sr. of Missouri and Rep. Charles C. Diggs Jr. of Michigan , both founding members of
the Congressional Black Caucus;
WHEREAS, in the late 1970s he became an active resident of the District of Columbia and
chaired a working group which led to the creation of TransAfrica, which formed to protest White-
minority rule in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe);
WHEREAS, Mr. Robinson led TransAfrica from its incorporation in 1977 until he stepped down
as executive director in 2001;
WHEREAS, under Mr. Robinson’s leadership, TransAfrica became Bl ack America’s premier
foreign- policy think tank, earning the backing of Black celebrities including singer Harry Belafonte,
tennis player Arthur Ashe, actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, comedian Dick Gregory, and boxer
Muhammad Ali;
WHEREAS, Mr. Robinson lead daily demonstrations in protest of apartheid outside of the South
African embassy that led to thousands of arrests, including tennis player Arthur Ashe, singer Stevie
Wonder, Delegate Walter Fauntroy, feminist leader Gloria Steinem and numerous members of Congress ;
WHEREAS, the renowned organization — and Mr. Robinson in particular — w as widely
credited with forcing the United States to confront the apartheid regime in South Africa and push for the
release of South African activist Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years under apartheid;
ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, Mr. Robinson’s activism also included a nearly month- long hunger strike which
successfully led President Bill Clinton to grant would-be refugees asylum hearings;
WHEREAS, Mr. Robinson ’s wrote several books, including “Defending the Spirit: A Black Life
in America”, “The Debt: What A merica Owes to Blacks”, in which he argued for reparations for the
descendants of enslaved people; and “The Reckoning: What Blacks Owe to Each Other.”
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, T hat this resolution
may be cited as the “Randall Maurice Robinson Memorial Recognition Resolution of 2023.”
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia honors Randall Maurice Robinson’s legacy as
the foremost U.S. activist representing members of the African diaspora a nd expresses sincere
condolences to his family and loved ones.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.