Dinitia Robinson
NLCP Class of 2003
AA, Harold Washington College 2013
North Lawndale Community Organizer
Lake County United, Community Organizer
The Unexpected Impact of being an RBL Scholar
"When I got the scholarship, I knew it was an opportunity. Being a black girl from the west side of Chicago, most of us would have chosen what we were used to seeing. I had the opportunity to attend a historically black college, but chose to use my Roberta Bachmann Lewis Scholarship to attend a mostly white college instead. Working with John Horan and Mr. Kelly challenged me to be ‘outside of the box,’ because I was always someone that was willing to fight the good fight, regardless of who that fight was for, but especially for African American people. That scholarship took me out of my comfort zone, and I was a comfort zone student. I was a tough cookie and had anger issues. I was a National Honor Society student but on the other hand, I was a fighter."
"Now, as a community organizer I see it has come full circle. Attending a school that was ninety-nine percent white, white roommates, white friends– I had never had that in my entire life– it prepared me for the rooms I find myself in now. When you don't understand people, you don't empathize with what they don't know. For me, it's not necessarily just the education portion that Roberta Bachmann Lewis Scholarship gave us, it was the social part. It now allows for me to be a vessel– a bridge between communities, and allows me to make change."
"The RBL Scholarship and Phoenix Pact have given my family a college graduate and a professional working woman. I can be an example in my community now. Not only of a college graduate and professional but of what it looks like to fight for what's right."
The Legacy of Irv Lewis and Roberta Bachmann Lewis
"Everything is possible because of those two individuals. They passed the baton. Everything that's possible– the resources that come and the experiences that come from Phoenix Pact and from the RBL Scholarship should always be treasured. It should always be passed on and never forgotten. The RBL Scholarship becoming Phoenix Pact is a rite of passage. It's an evolution of RBL. And people should keep the RBL near and dear to their heart, because that's grass-rooted. The seeds planted by RBL are the leaves on the tree that is Phoenix Pact. Always remember the roots of that tree that Pact was grown on. That's Mr. And Mrs. Lewis– and look at us now!"