It was the late 1940s, and a group of young boys were out in the streets of the Bronx, looking for a game to play. A young Van Robinson piped up with “Cowboys and Indians.” His cousin responded by running inside to their apartment and emerging with a full face of his mother’s powder. Robinson was confused.

“Well, you’ve never seen a black cowboy, have you?”

That question stuck with Robinson. So he headed to the library to unearth as much as he could under the “Black Cowboys” section and realized there was an entire wall of knowledge waiting for him. He read all the comics and picked out his favorites. He continued learning.

Today, Robinson lives in Syracuse, where he’s been serving the community for 40 years. In December, he retired from an 18-year stint on the city’s Common Council, which he led as president for two terms. He previously served as chair of the political action committee and vice president and president of the NAACP in Syracuse.

His back is not as strong as it used to be. He moves slowly with the help of a brown walking stick and has an oxygen tube hooked to his nostrils. His smile lines are a permanent fixture on his face. He’s 80 years old, and he’s not going anywhere. After retiring, he took some time to relax, but that didn’t last long: He stepped up to serve as the chair of economic development for the NAACP.

“I sat home for about two days and I had the TV on,” Robinson said. “And then I said, ‘I gotta get out of here.’ I feel strange, I feel out of sorts if I don’t have something to do.”

On a February day, he had responded to about 40 emails, voicemails, texts and calls by the late afternoon as part of his role with the NAACP, but he was still frustrated because he hadn’t done as much work as he had wanted to.

Linda Brown-Robinson, his wife, serves as president of the Syracuse NAACP chapter, and the two have so much work that they barely get time to catch up at the end of the day, she said. The impact of Robinson’s work over the years is too vast for Brown-Robinson to evaluate, she said.

“I don’t think he realizes how important and what he’s done has made an impact on the city,” she said. “I think he does what he does because it’s the thing to do. He doesn’t boast. That’s one of his attractions. He’s not bragging.”

Robinson doesn’t make an effort to stand out. When he’s at the office, he’s wearing an unassuming shirt and a sweater with jeans, topped with a gray and blue Syracuse cap. When he’s at a special occasion, like InterFaith Works’ 2018 Racial Justice Award ceremony on Feb. 21, the brightest thing he’s wearing is a pink paisley tie.

People make a beeline for his company — everyone from colleagues and companions to acquaintances. Five minutes don’t pass without a “Congratulations, Van!” and a modest smile from the man in response. Thirty minutes at the office didn’t pass without calls from people he met at a conference, the vendors he’s working with for the New York State Fair and finally, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who asked about his health — though he quickly turned their conversation toward work and the future.

“You know, I keep telling people, we’ve got to start rallying up 17- and 18-year-olds in a national way and get them to go out and vote,” he told Gillibrand. “If we can get them registered, and we find a means a method to get them out to vote, I think we’ll see the end of Mr. Trump.”

Currently, one thing Robinson is working at is increasing the space and growth of the Pan-African Village tent at the New York State Fair. Irvin Hanslip, the owner of the Jerk Hut restaurant on South Avenue, is a vendor Robinson is working with. He’s also the first one who set up shop at the Pan-African Village.

Years ago, there were no people of color doing business, Hanslip said, but there were people of color spending. The two noticed this, and Robinson realized there was a bridge to gap.

“His work is very important,” Hanslip said. “If it wasn’t for him and his work, there would never be a Pan-African village at the fair. We have to give credit where it’s due.”

Employees at InterFaith Works felt the same way when they awarded Robinson with a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2018 Racial Justice Ceremony. Amid cheers and applause, Beth Broadway, president of InterFaith Works, commended Robinson for his service.

“May we all measure up to you, Van, at some point in our lives,” she said.

Over the years of work he’s done for the community, Robinson had one simple thing to say: He is happiest about being part of the change and continuing to be at the forefront of change. Both Syracuse and the United States have come a long way, but have a longer way to go, he said.

“The nation has to have a leader to stop this and say, ‘We have to cut this right out. We know the history of the United States. We are going to get rid of all the remnants of hate and distrust and dislike,’” he said. “In 10 years, there will be no statues of Robert E. Lee, and there will be no statues of Columbus.”

He had other ideas for commemorative statues, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he chuckled and said, “Let’s get a heck of a lot more Ottos out there.”

Published on February 27, 2018 at 11:22 pm

Contact: dmurthy@syr.edu