By Dianne Anderson

Local community advocate Robbie Butler was part of a rising class of Black urban professionals back in the day, “Buppies” as they were once known, that not only reshaped corporate America, but also helped chip away at the glass ceiling.

As part of that first generation of modern programmers, she was writing code, pushing against barriers, and holding her own.

“I was often in meetings where I was the only woman and only Black person in the conference room, that was not unusual, that was more the norm than the exception,” she said. “I know what I bring to the table, once you get it in between your ears, no one can take it from you.”

By 1984, Butler had moved to Long Beach for work as a programmer analyst in information systems, in a space that was almost exclusively reserved for white males. She wrote in COBOL, and she and her sister were among the first females in the technical field.

Having come from a long line of accomplished women, she was not intimidated.

She looked to strength and direction from her aunt, a long-time member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., who owned her own math and science institute.

But at the time, as a Black female in her late 20s, it would have been a struggle to break into the industry if not for the late John Wesley Mack at the LA Urban League, who knocked down many barriers for Blacks to enter the workforce.

“He forged relationships with the top Fortune 500 companies. Their placement program is how I got into McDonnell Douglas. He was a very forward thinking man,” she said.

Now, although technically retired, she continues to write, run her nonprofit, and be a mentor.

“I’m not the kind of person to just retire and sit on laurels,” said Butler, who was also the first African American to sit on the Nissan Federal Credit Union Board of Directors. “I retired from corporate 20 years ago. I wrote 2 books, I created this nonprofit. I just re-imaged myself.”

And she continues to help moms do the same.

Coming up April 18, her free Ms. Single Mom Empowerment Forum event features a day of expert panelists, a 3-course lunch, health and vendors, giveaways. Moderated by Sharon Sharp, the event features keynote speakers including Lori Barr and Kandee Lewis. For the first time ever, she is proud to be included as an honoree.

Reaching moms for their tenth annual special day of help and resources represents a milestone. Over time, she has seen other copycat events pop up, but not the way she does it.

“I see people try to imitate what we do, but they’re missing that piece, they want to charge, this is the community’s mother’s day gift from my organization,” said Butler, President of the Speak UP Empowerment Foundation. “My program is our free mother’s day gift to community single mothers, when you give someone a gift you’re not supposed to charge them for this.”

Even during the pandemic, she provided the forum in a hybrid virtual format to make sure all single moms could safely receive gifts, prizes, and resources.

Her local impact was also recognized as one of only 16 Black-led organizations to receive a grant through the Black Health Equity Fund, allowing her to continue outreach to reduce vaccine hesitancy and combat racial disparities.

With so many millions of single moms still struggling financially, she doesn’t feel much has changed since she wrote both her Ms. Single Mom books, showing effective parenting techniques, and how to save time and money.

After doing deep research of different backgrounds, ethnic groups, and status, she found that many moms had much in common.

“They wanted to figure out how to save time and money, and how to be the best parent they can be. It’s really simple but it’s not,” she said. “I don’t have to feel like you have to be my age before you figure it out.”

Another big effort, her mentoring program that launched in 2018, and by 2021, had supported 50 mentees with the help of 25 successful businesswomen volunteers.

Butler, now pushing 50 years of service as a Delta, and as co-chair of the Sorority’s social action committee, it’s hard to think of any other way to help others than by leadership and advocacy.

But she wanted to go deeper.

In early 2022, she was appointed and approved as a Long Beach Equity and Human Relations Commissioner, serving as a liaison between the city and residents to increase tolerance and improve cultural relationships.

Around that time when one young commissioner came under fire that almost forced her resignation because of a bad comment on social media, Butler stepped up to her defense.

“We work together as a commission, we take their thoughts, concerns and suggestions, and we as a group will work to elevate those concerns when and where we can to help resolve them,” she said.

She has also worked closely with Black Women United for Progress, focused on increasing the number of Black women appointed to city commissions and boards to address local disparities in representation.

Out in the community, she doesn’t mind rolling up her sleeves and doing the hands-on work. In the process, she likes to remind people that times are hard, but they are not new.

There is still room for hope as long as they remember how to stand.

For her, some old classics of the past still apply to the present.

“One of my fave spoken word artists is Gil Scott-Heron, 50 years ago he wrote The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Winter in America. That’s what we’re living right now. In the 70s I knew guys that went to Vietnam, I remember Muhammad Ali refused to go to the war and the reasons why,” she said.

She said that her 23-year-old granddaughter is also frustrated, having to set the record straight on the lies of twisted history.

“She gets livid with students in class, when she was in her classes, the stupid things students say, things like they think slavery was a choice,” she said.

Looking at her own rich family history, the dedication of the Deltas, she feels that community service is in her DNA. She’s a commissioner, her nephew was just appointed a commissioner in Compton, another nephew elected to council in Ohio.

“The reason I do that is I don’t know any other way. It’s just what we do,” she said.

To RSVP the event, see https://www.speakupempowermentfoundation.org/