Eroseanna Robinson
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Eroseanna "Sis" Robinson (1924–1976) was an
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
social worker, track star, activist and member of the
Peacemakers Peacemakers was an American pacifist organization founded following a conference on "More Disciplined and Revolutionary Pacifist Activity" in Chicago in July 1948. Ernest and Marion Bromley and Juanita and Wally Nelson largely organized the g ...
who organized for
desegregation Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...
and against the
U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...
in the 1950s and 1960s. In particular, she was an advocate of
nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance, or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, construct ...
strategies. Robinson went on hunger strike or risked violence and arrest multiple times, but nonetheless won various victories for equality. In addition to her activism, Robinson was a successful track runner. These two interests collided when she was chosen to represent the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in a track meet against
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and refused to participate because she felt she was being used as a "political pawn" by appearing alongside white athletes, giving the international community the false impression that white and black people were treated equally inside of the United States.


Activism


Integration of Skateland

In 1952, Eroseanna Robinson worked at a community center in
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
when she decided that she would help to desegregate a public skating facility called Skateland. She pursued a non-violent plan. In her first attempt, she brought children—two black children and one white child—from the community center at which she worked, to skate. White teenagers harassed the children. Over the next few days, Robinson returned with friends who supported her cause but she was continually tripped and physically assaulted by white customers at Skateland. At one point, Robinson required urgent medical attention after she was shoved, causing her to break an arm. Skateland's management and security teams did not intervene on Robinson's behalf.


War Tax Resistance

In early 1960, Robinson held another nonviolent protest by refusing to pay federal taxes as a way of showing her lack of support for the United States military. Her refusal to pay taxes caused her to be sentenced to a year of imprisonment, but she used the process as an opportunity to engage in nonviolent protest. When she was sentenced, Robinson had to be carried into the courtroom on a stretcher because she refused to walk. Once she was in prison, she held a three-month fast. She was force fed through a tube and then released nine months before her sentence was complete.


Restaurant Integration

In 1961, Eroseanna Robinson travelled along Route 40 in Maryland with
Wally Wally may refer to: People and fictional characters * Wally (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Wally the Green Monster, mascot of the Boston Red Sox * Water Wally, mascot of the Singapore's Public Utilities Board * Wall ...
and Juanita Nelson. The three decided to stop for dinner in
Elkton, Maryland Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,776 at the 2020 census, up from 15,443 in 2010. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of navigation on the Elk R ...
, but a diner refused to serve them. The trio refused to leave until police came and arrested them, putting them in county jail. In jail, they refused to appear in court or eat. Their story was picked up by local newspapers which dubbed them the "Elkton Three." Since the trio refused to cooperate with the court proceedings, they were given $50 fines and released. Their case sparked a local movement for desegregation that ended up gaining then Maryland Governor Millar Tawes' attention and led to eventual desegregation of restaurants along Route 40.


Legacy

Although not widely-known among other African-American civil rights activists, Robinson was instrumental in integrating several public spaces across the country in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. She is perhaps most remembered for her methods of nonviolent resistance, which were deployed in sit-ins and other pro-integration demonstrations throughout the latter part of the Civil Rights Movement. Her work to integrate restaurants along Maryland's Route 40 had international ramifications, as foreign diplomats would often travel the road in trips from
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. In 1958, Ghanaian politician Komla Gbedema was denied service at a restaurant on Route 40, which embarrassed the
Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
administration. With the slogan "49 Miles of Highway and No Place to Stop and Eat," Robinson, the Nelsons, and others were able to integrate these Maryland restaurants, which at the time hurt the United States' international reputation. During several of Robinson's
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
s, she also garnered headlines in African American publications, who lauded her relentless commitment to achieve racial justice. Robinson stands as an icon of the war tax resistance movement. The
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee The National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC — usually pronounced "new-trick") is an American activist coalition that promotes tax resistance as a way to protest against and/or disassociate from war and militarism. In 1982, the ...
, a grassroots movement with the aim of educating American taxpayers of their rights to resist making tax contributions to war efforts, touts Robinson as a foundational figure in their movement. Social work, as a profession, has a history of leadership within social justice movements that dates back to the work of activists like Robinson. Today, social workers carry on this legacy of activism through grassroots movements such as RISE.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Eroseanna 1924 births 1976 deaths African-American atheists American atheists American pacifists American social workers American tax resisters African-American track and field athletes American civil rights activists American hunger strikers American nonviolence advocates Protest tactics Roller skating 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen