Gil Robertson IV (born August 13, 1964, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

) is an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

journalist and author. He is president of the African American Film Critics Association.

Early life and education

Robertson attended South Park Elementary School in Los Angeles. He earned a B.A. degree in political science from

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

Career

Robertson is known for his contributions to numerous publications that include: the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'',

Black Enterprise ''Black Enterprise'' is a black-owned multimedia company. Since the 1970s, its flagship product ''Black Enterprise'' magazine has covered African-American businesses with a readership of 3.7 million. The company was founded in 1970 by Earl ...

and

Essence Magazine ''Essence'' is a monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O. Smith, Cecil Hollingsworth and Jon ...

among others. He is also founder and editor of the ''Robertson Treatment Syndicated Column (RTSC)'', one of America's most widely read urban lifestyle columns targeting the African American demo. As an author, Robertson has contributed to the anthology ''Souls of My Brother'' and is a frequent contributor to the ''African American Almanac''. His first book, ''Writing As A Tool of Empowerment,'' was published in 2003. On December 1, 2006,

Agate Publishing Agate Publishing is an independent small press book publisher based in Evanston, Illinois. The company, incorporated in 2002 with its first book published in 2003, was founded by current president Doug Seibold. At its inception, Agate was synonymo ...

released ''Not in My Family: AIDS in the African American Community'', a collection of essays about the AIDS epidemic, edited by Robertson. Robertson edited the anthology ''Family Affair: What It Means To Be African American Today'',. Robertson became involved in the 2016 controversy surrounding the all-white list of Oscar nominees in the acting category. The president of the Academy Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the first African American and third woman to lead the Academy, denied in 2015 that there was a problem. When the nominations for acting were all white for a second year in a row, Robertson called it "offensive," and a repeat of the previous year's failure to recognize actors of color. He called for changes across the board in the Academy. Robertson did not call for a boycott of the Oscars, as some activists have. He noted that his organization is working with other professional groups to correct the lack of diversity in Hollywood and at the Oscars.Film critic: Don't boycott the Oscars, but keep pushing diversity
Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jan. 21, 2016 Robertson is a member of the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

. Robertson resides in

and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Awards and nominations

* NAACP Image Award ** 2006: Nominee-Best Literacy Nonfiction-Not In My Family * African American Literacy Award ** 2007: Nominee-Best Non-Fiction-Not In My Family

References

External links

HIV Frontlines -- U.S. Edition: An Interview With Journalist Gil Robertson

Meet the Founders
- AAFCA {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Gil 1964 births Living people American male journalists California State University, Los Angeles alumni African-American non-fiction writers American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people