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Lori Robinson: Author, Rape Survivor to Speak at SUNY Plattsburgh April 21

PLATTSBURGH, NY __ Lori Robinson, the author of I Will Survive-The African-American Guide to Healing from Sexual Assault and Abuse , will speak at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh on Wednesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. in the Plattsburgh Room, Angell College Center as part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Robinson is a rape survivor who will share the story of her assault and healing process. She will speak about the unique ways sexual violence impacts the African-American community and why this is dangerous for everyone, not just African-Americans.

The presentation, which is free and open to the campus and community, is co-sponsored by the Office for Violence Prevention at Plattsburgh State and several student organizations as well as various offices and departments at the College.

Robinson is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Washington Post , The Crisis , Essence and The Source , among other publications. Also an educator, most recently Robinson taught media at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador.
A former editor at Emerge : Black America's News Magazine, her honors include National Association of Black Journalists awards, Unity Award in Media prizes, and the International Black Women's Congress Inspirational Award. Robinson earned a master's degree in journalism from New York University. She graduated from Spelman College with a dual bachelor's degree in English and Spanish. She lives in Bowie, Md. and is married.

Robinson's book grew from her own experience as a survivor of sexual violence. She was on staff at Emerge magazine when she was raped in 1995. An article she wrote about her assault and the alleged assault of a college student-for which she won a first place award at the 1998 National  Association of Black Journalists annual convention - generated an outpouring of letters from readers affected by sexual violence. Those letters inspired Robinson to write I Will Survive .

Described as a self-help book for women and men adult survivors of sexual assault or childhood sexual abuse, the book is also a risk-reduction and prevention manual with information for use by individuals, community groups and spiritual communities.
I Will Survive also spells out the historical background of the sexual victimization of African Americans and our contemporary attitudes.

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