Devin Alphonso "Dutchie" Robinson
Devin Robinson is an American author, activist, Virgin Islands Daily News newspaper columnist, radio commentator, businessman and college professor at Oglethorpe University. He was born on St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands in November 1974 where he grew up until he was 17 years old. As a teen, he had a string of run-ins with police that caused him to face 3 felonies in his senior year. He was a victim of police brutality at age 15, causing him to have permanent scarring from police dogs and being beaten by police officers at the precinct.
He went on to complete high school on-time then was offered the opportunity by a juvenile judge to join the military to avoid possible jail time. He served 6.5 years in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1998. He worked a few years for now defunct WorldCom until the company was faced with the largest corporate scandal in U.S. history. In 2003 he began experimenting with writing and landed a columnist gig at the Virgin Islands Daily News and soon began writing self-help books. Two of his six titles, "Blacks: From the Plantation to the Prison" and "Taking it Back: How to Become a Successful Black Beauty Supply Store Owner" have earned him national media attention. He was featured in Ebony magazine in May 2008 and other regional publications.
In the summer of 2009 he was the guest speaker and introduced TV Personality Judge Greg Mathis at a Parenting Conference where he spoke to hundreds of parents AbOUT signs to identify in their troubled teens. Following the event, he led a crowd of 500 protesters on a 7-mile Peace Walk on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in response to their growing violence. He continues to work with Governor John P. deJongh and is the spokesperson for Lt Governor Gregory Francis' wife's Cheryl Francis' organization, Stop the Bleeding Foundation. In November 2009, he led a one-week nationwide boycott of non-black owned beauty supply stores in response to the growing disparity in store ownership. He was a 3-time store owner in Atlanta after being threatened with a golf club in 2005 by an Asian store owner.
He continues to make media appearances and lecture at universities, churches and professional associations nationwide. He is the former president of National Action Network Atlanta, an organization founded by Reverend Al Sharpton. He is a speaker at the National African-American Student Leadership Conference in January 2010, joined by former President Barack Obama pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
He attended Fayetteville Technical Community College in Fayetteville, North Carolina, University of Phoenix and Argosy University in Atlanta, Georgia. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, a Masters Degree in Business Administration and pursuing a Doctorate in Business Marketing.
In 2010, he founded Going Against the Grain Peace Coalition, an organization that advocates peace among diverse communities. He is the founder and president of Going Against the Grain Group and Taking it Back University in Atlanta, Ga and the member of Let Us Make Man.
References
www.dryerbuzz.com/.../planned-beauty-supply-boycott-could-net-66-5-million-to-the-black-communities-in-one-week http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_features?id=17639304
External links
http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17638952