; Whereas Mr. Robinson was inspired to become a teacher by his mother and has been teaching in Richmond, Virginia, for over 19 years; Whereas Mr. Robinson received his bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia State University and his master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University; Whereas prior to teaching at Virgie Binford Education Center, Mr. Robinson taught at several other schools in the greater Richmond area, including Lucille Brown Middle School, George Wythe High School, and Armstrong High School; Whereas Mr. Robinson is the first teacher from Richmond Public Schools to receive this prestigious award, and just the third in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia; Whereas Mr. Robinson was selected for this award from among 57 award-winning teachers out of the more than 3.6 million teachers nationally; Whereas, as Teacher of the Year, Mr. Robinson will travel the country for the next year to advocate for economic and cultural equity , seeking to ensure that all students have the resources necessary to be successful and working to increase the number of teachers of color in public school systems; Whereas teachers are indispensable mentors in our society; and Whereas the continued and future success of America is intimately dependent on the vital work of the Nation’s educators: Now, therefore, be it