Posts with the tag Craig Robinson

First Lady Michelle Obama's Official Portrait Revealed

N. Julio Barthson - E-Campaign Leader — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:52:43 EST

What a pride to have a First Lady who connects so much with her husband and the people...

Barack Obama's Amazing Letter to his Daughters Malia and Sasha

N. Julio Barthson - E-Campaign Leader — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:25:47 EST

I fought hard not to choke while reading this letter. This is why we elected this man: to be a shining example. What an inspiring First Family...

Craig Robinson

L. Dyer — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:11:31 EDT

Thursday at 5pm I'll be attending a party at the Obama headquarters in Corvallis Oregon. Craig Robinson will be there which is Michelle Obama's brother. He lives and works in Corvallis at Oregon State University as a coach. I'll be attending to not only show my support but also as a photographer to shoot the event. You'll be able to check the images out at www.laineydyer.com

Obama/Biden 08!!!!!

Political Analysis, Basketball Style

Cindy in Salt Lake — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:22:42 EDT

From Michelle's brother, Craig Robinson, in his speech tonight:

If you're looking for a political analysis based on his playing, here it is: he's confident but not cocky, he'll take the shot if he's open, he's a team player who improves the people around him, and he won’t back down from any challenge.

Hoops for Change

Anthony from Portland, OR — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:57:57 EDT

Before a North Portland crowd of volunteers, local activists, and basketball fans last night, the campaign held an exciting Hoops for Change event featuring some of the biggest names in Oregon sports.

Craig Robinson, Oregon State's new men's basketball coach (who also happens to be Barack's brother-in-law), refereed a 3-on-3 game with some young Obama supporters who had collected voter registration forms over the weekend. Participants were picked after answering a couple of Craig's Obama-centric trivia questions, such as "What state does Barack represent in the Senate?" and "On which island did he spend his childhood?"

Coaching the opposing teams were Portland Trail Blazers Channing Frye and James Jones, taking some time away from the Rose Garden to lend a hand in Barack's campaign for change. KXL "voice of the Trail Blazers" (and former Blazer himself) Antonio Harvey did some hilarious play-by-play at the event.

Frye's team came up short both times, but there was little disappointment among the 100 or so fans who showed up for a good time and a good cause. Of course, pictures and autographs were part of the post-game package.

Earlier in the day, "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" actress and Yes We Can star Tatyana Ali made a string of campus appearances for Obama at colleges around the state. Hitting UofO and OSU, she wrapped up the day at Portland State University on the eve of the voter registration deadline. She encouraged students to make their voices heard in the process, and to support Sen. Obama in the May primary.

Ali cited Obama's message of hope and change for getting her first involved with the campaign. She also discussed how having a leader who is able to "cross so many lines and divides" to inspire the American people is absolutely critical in our next president. The voter registration period ends Tuesday, April 29th, and ballots are due by May 20th.

Michelle Obama Reunites with her Family in Georgetown, SC

T. Neil Sroka — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:13:49 EST

Michelle Obama (center), her brother Craig (left), and the extended Robinson family in Georgetown, SC this afternoon.

While she grew up on the South Side of Chicago, Michelle Obama's trip this afternoon to Georgetown, SC was really a homecoming. Michelle's grandfather, Fraser Robinson Sr., was originally from Georgetown and, while she was growing up, Michelle and her family regularly spent part of their summers visiting their extended relatives in the Low Country town.

Joined by her brother Craig, Michelle's afternoon in Georgetown started with a reunion and some sweet tea with her cousins Connie Jones, Dorthy Robinson, and Harolyn Siau at the Robinson family home near downtown Georgetown.

The meeting also provided Michelle and Craig with an opportunity to take a look at family photos Cousin Dorothy keeps on top of her piano.

After meeting with her cousins, Michelle went down the street to her grandfather's old church, Bethel A.M.E., in historic Georgetown, where she spoke to a packed house of South Carolina Obama supporters that included over thirty-one of her own family members from the area.

While he may not have the long Washington resume of other candidates, Michelle noted, with Barack's background as a community organizer in Chicago -- working right along side the people he sought to help -- and eight years as a State Senator (more years in the kind of government that's closest to each of us than anyone else in the race) in the rough and tumble world of Illinois politics, he clearly has the kind of experience that the country needs right now.

It's not that Barack isn't ready, Michelle said,

The challenge for us is to ask, "What are we ready for?" This one is on us -- see, we like to talk about change, but we don't really like change. We want easy change, we want change that will make us feel comfortable, but that's not how change happens, it's not something that's just going to come to you passively.

Things aren't gong to get better when you wish for it or you hope for it: Things get better when regular folks take action to make change happen from the bottom up. Every major, historical moment in our time it has been made by folks who said "Enough," and they banded together to move this country forward -- and now is one of those times.

How about you? Are you ready to answer Michelle's call to action and help Barack Obama win Palmetto State on Saturday, January 26? If so, sign-up right now to help Get-Out-the-Vote for Barack in the South Carolina and an organizer from the campaign will contact you shortly.

Hooping It Up for Barack

Michael Negron — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:56:26 EDT

Success at pick-up basketball requires toughness, integrity and teamwork. According to Craig Robinson, Barack’s brother-in-law and Brown University men’s basketball head coach, Barack has always been an outstanding pick-up basketball player. Craig believes that the same qualities that make Barack such a great player on the court also make him an effective leader off the court.

Craig visited New Hampshire this past weekend for Hoops.Action.Change., our 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community organizing activity. After volunteering at their local campaign offices to qualify, players gathered in Portsmouth, Keene, Nashua and Lebanon for the first round of tournament play on Friday. At the championship round in Manchester on Saturday, the Railroad Team from Keene emerged victorious, earning autographed basketballs and some quality court time with Barack.

Watch the video below for the highlights.

Keene Team takes the Hoops.Action.Change Crown

Michael Negron — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:10:06 EDT

Eight teams gathered in the gymnasium at the Manchester Boys & Girl's Club at noon yesterday, primed to battle it out for the Hoops.Action.Change. championship and basketballs signed by Barack. The afternoon tournament featured some spectacular plays, with special guest referees Luke Bonner, Matt Penney and Max Goebe from the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team officiating every game.

Craig Robinson, head coach of the Brown University men's basketball team and Barack's brother-in-law, couldn't resist the pull of the court, suiting up and playing for one of the teams after it fell short of a few players. His son Avery, a sophomore in high school, joined in the action, showing some serious game in hitting a game-winning jumper. While Craig and Avery were often the center of attention as the guests of honor, a team from Keene stole the show.

The Railroad Team, a team put together by Railroad Tavern owner Randy Filiault, stormed its way to the title. Team members Stacey Massiah, Kenneth McCalmon, Jason Warner and Vance Jones fought past some tough teams but managed to win with style. At times, the Railroad Team seemed to be putting on a clinic, showcasing dunks, alley-oops and behind-the-back passes in each of its victories.

Randy, a major Barack supporter in Keene, employs the team members and instantly thought of them when he first got wind of Hoops.Action.Change.

"I thought this would be something they'd enjoy and another way for them to get involved in this campaign," said Randy.

In the final game, Railroad Team faced off against the Ghostbusters, a team that advanced to Round 2 via the Portsmouth tournament. After a hard-fought game, Railroad put the Ghostbusters away to win the championship.

Overall, the Hoops.Action.Change tournament brought together nearly 100 players in four towns: Portsmouth, Nashua, Keene and Lebanon. The Portsmouth Herald, Union Leader, and Buckeye State Blog all spotlighted the tournament, with the UL's Drew Cline calling Hoops.Action.Change. "the coolest political organizing event I've seen."

Barack has spent a lifetime inspiring people to become politically active. Hoops.Action.Change offered a fun, new route for people that would otherwise avoid politics to get involved.

Vance Jones, a member of Railroad Team, said, "I didn't play for the political aspect of the tournament, but after meeting lots of people and learning more about the campaign, I'm looking forward to doing more."

Check out the slideshow below for a glimpse of all the action.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR

Hoops.Action.Change Round One Recap

Michael Negron — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:35:51 EDT

The forecast called for rain, but this didn't stop dozens of enthusiastic volunteers from hitting the courts in Portsmouth, Nashua, Keene, and Lebanon for our Hoops.Action.Change. 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Despite the forecast, we were rewarded with blue skies in the afternoon, keeping the courts dry even as the players sweated up a storm while competing for the right to move on to the finals.

Today's championship round brings together yesterday's winners, who now compete for the grand prize of basketballs signed by Barack himself.

Craig Robinson, head coach of the men's basketball team at Brown University and Barack's brother-in-law, dropped in on Round One tournaments in Keene and Portsmouth to meet with players. Craig shared stories of Barack the basketball player, and how knowing Barack has impacted his view of our political system.

"I've long been one of the cynics that Barack often talks about," he said during the day, "Like most people, my view about politics had been that politics is for people who aren't really trying to do much in the world… Barack's helped change my view."

Craig will be in the house at noon today at the Boys & Girls Club in Manchester... and he'll be joined by some special referees.

Check here tomorrow for a full recap!

Crashing the Boards, Working for Change

Michael Negron — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:22:44 EDT

Today and Saturday, the New Hampshire Obama campaign will provide some summer sizzle. We'll kick off a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community organizing activity called Hoops.Action.Change. Teams of three will be hitting the courts in Portsmouth, Lebanon, Keene and Nashua for regional tournament play.

While we may not see a lot of dunking this weekend, things will get physical as our teams vie to qualify as one of the Hoops.Action.Change. Elite Eight who will square off for the championship at the Manchester Boys & Girls Club at noon on Saturday.

Special guest Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama's brother and head coach of Brown University's men's basketball team, will be presiding over the tournament and sharing his impressions of Barack the on-court competitor.

The idea behind Hoops.Action.Change is rooted in Barack's years as a community organizer and his lifelong love of basketball.

As the New York Times recently reported, the basketball court has held a special place in Barack's life. As a teenager and one of the few African-American students at his school, Barack's teammates provided him with a community that transcended skin color.

During his years as a community organizer, Barack worked in an urban environment where the basketball court served as a center of the community. In the years since, basketball offered relief from the stresses of a schedule that has grown even more crowded from one year to the next.

This video provides more on Barack the basketball player.

Running for president doesn't allow for much leisure time, but Barack tries to work in some basketball on his swings through the Granite State. On a recent trip, Barack played pick-up ball with police officers in Manchester.

Basketball still serves an outlet for Barack's competitive drive. A regular teammate told The New York Times that Barack excels at "finding a way to win when he's playing with people who are supposedly stronger."

Hoops.Action.Change combines Barack's faith in the grassroots with his passion for basketball by asking all players to complete a community organizing activity prior to the tournament. These volunteers demonstrated their grassroots game by making phone calls, knocking on doors and even hosting house parties so their neighbors could learn more about Barack Obama.

Check back here tomorrow for photos and a Round One recap!

LIVE in Charleston: Craig Robinson meets with CoC SPECTRA Students

T. Neil Sroka — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:33:04 EDT

In town to help us open our Lowcountry office, Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama's big brother and the Coach of Brown University's Mens Basketball team, had some time to meet with Students involved in the College of Charleston's SPECTRA Program.

SPECTRA is a pre-college program designed to help ensure that minority and/or first generation college students have a rewarding college experience from the very start of their career. As the program website tells prospective applicants:

"The program is designed to assist you in making a smooth transition from high school to college and gives you the advantage of starting your college career early. The program affords each participant the opportunity to take 2 summer classes (that count towards your graduation), live on campus, and create a campus network of students, counselors, faculty and staff. This network will be your support system in the summer and when you return to campus in the fall."

Craig clearly had a lot to say to this group, having been a first generation college student himself and as a graduate of a similar program at Princeton, and someone who works regularly with College students as a coach.

In addition to talking to the Students about the importance of making it through College despite potential hardships, Craig talked a little bit about why he made the trip.

"The fact is I would be supporting Barack and wanting to talk to groups like this for him even if he hadn't married my sister. That vote [to let Barack into my family] was a heck of a lot harder then deciding to vote for him for President."