24 Hours With Shaun Robinson

by Natasha Wolff | October 23, 2017 4:45 pm

Once a beloved Access Hollywood anchor, Shaun Robinson left her hosting gig of 16 years to pursue her passion for giving back. By founding S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls[1] in 2015, Robinson has built a company that focuses on five critical aspects of a young girl’s life—STEM education, health, art, unity on an international scale and finally the neighborhood in which they live—and funds nonprofits that specialize in these key areas of need. To any other person, the task of tackling the many underserved areas of girls’ lives could seem daunting—especially due to their nuanced natures (they all depend on background, socioeconomic status, etc.) but to Robinson, the need for change surpassed any doubt in her mind. “I wanted to cast the net much wider,” she says, “and I wanted to affect girls in many different areas.”

To name a few, S.H.A.U.N. has given to Detroit-based Alternatives for Girls, an organization that helps rescue girls and young women from sex trafficking, Oakland’s Techbridge Girls, a nonprofit that goes into low-income, underserved school districts and teaches girls about STEM fields, and UN Foundation’s Girl Up initiative, at which Robinson serves as a board member.

It’s also worth mentioning that Robinson walks the walk when it comes to using one’s platform for good. In a July 2017 interview with KTLA[2] about her foundation’s efforts surrounding sex trafficking, Robinson (without pause) referenced the similar abuse allegations surrounding R. Kelly. So, I wondered: is a Hollywood pro like herself ever worried about burning bridges in the face of an opportunity to speak up? “You know, as we’re having this interview, we have just been talking a lot about this #MeToo[3] hashtag trending on twitter,” Robinson says regarding the response to allegations against Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein. “That’s bravery. This hashtag is about all of us speaking up and saying we cannot be complicit, seeing something and ignoring it, or not using our voice to help fix it. We all must band together and support those who have been sexually abused. Because the only way we are going to stop this is if we, as a village, say no more.”

Robinson went from shining a light on the most recognized celebrities in the industry to spreading powerful messages regardless of celebrity—and taking time to focus on her own health and well being, while she’s at it. Above, click through to see a day-in-the-life of Robinson’s new routine.

Source URL: https://dujour.com/life/shaun-robinson-foundation-for-girls-access-hollywood-interview/