The Spring 2023 Voices: A Library Lecture series kicks off on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 11 a.m. in the BTC Auditorium with the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture featuring Dr. Brenda Robinson, founder of the Black Nurses Coalition and recipient of a 2022 HVCC Distinguished Alumni award, discussing “Injustice in Healthcare: The Power of One, The Power of Many.”
The mission of the Black Nurses Coalition is to eliminate healthcare disparities among minorities and low-income individuals. Dr. Robinson and the BNC are the primary applicant and organization approved for a nursing-focused charter school slated to open in Albany in 2023. During the pandemic, she created the BNC Vax Team, made up of African American vaccinators that brought people of color into vaccine clinics, and greatly improved access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. Robinson’s nearly 30-year career has been devoted to freedom, justice, equity, and optimal healthcare for the underserved. She chaired the City of Albany Human Rights Commission from 2013 to 2021, was a member of Albany’s Police Reform Collaborative (2020-21) and served five years as a medical ethics consultant at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center.
An alumna of HVCC’s Nursing Program, Dr. Robinson earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and both a master’s and doctorate in nursing at Walden University. She also holds Advanced Certification in Family Nurse Practice from SUNY Polytechnic, and a second doctorate in public service from Russell Sage College.
Click here to access the Spring 2023 VOICES brochure.
Kisha Sawyers
Reference and Outreach Librarian
k.sawyers@hvcc.edu