Building Community: A Black History Month Spotlight with Marcus Robinson

The URA is celebrating our Black employees during Black History Month. These employee spotlights are a small way of showing our appreciation for the important work they’ve done for the URA, the City of Pittsburgh, and beyond.

Marcus Robinson, a Grants and Compliance Manager, has worked at the URA for about five years. Marcus started working remotely, joining the URA two months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, he has become an integral part of the URA’s team.

Largely, Marcus’s role means navigating community needs or concerns with the realities of funding. Whether it’s creating narratives for grant applications or helping developers understand and meet our expectations for a diverse workforce, Marcus is there and making things happen.

With his big smile and hearty laugh, Marcus is a welcoming presence at the URA. “Being a Black queer person here, it’s exciting to see how people have made space for me,” Marcus said, “and I’m excited to be able to share that forward."

Marcus shared an early memory of his that helped animate much of his career. “One of the first books my parents got me was this giant book of Black history. It had all these histories about different people and movements, and it covered all these different scales of changes and the perseverance of all Black people. Thinking about it now, some of the work we do is a part of that. It’s important to uphold that history and make change for the community.”

You can read more about Marcus’s goals, his mentors and much more from his interview.

What story do you want to tell?

I’ve been with the URA for about five years now, and I’m very grateful to be at the URA. I’ve gotten to see and understand all of the work we do and the legacy of the work we’ve done, both good and bad, how we’re trying to reach the communities we serve and the communities in need. Most of my role revolves around making sure we meet those needs and create a lasting community impact through our policies. It’s exciting to make sure we’re acting as good public servants.

Who has been an impactful mentor for you?

Damara [Carter] has been amazing. I didn’t start with her as my boss, but I often worked closely with her. She’s very honest and transparent, and she’s helped me fit into the right place with the URA. Alicia [Majors] was the other person who helped me feel comfortable when I first started. She’s my official work mom. Alicia has been there for anything I need, and she’s been extremely helpful. I’m not sure I would have gotten to where I am without Damara’s and Alicia’s support.

Oh, and definitely my mom. She’s an engineer, working in a male-dominated field while raising three kids. She really showed me what it means to be a good parent, and she’s been a good role model and something I aspire to be.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be patient. There’s an expectation that you have everything figured out and you’ll hit milestones at a specific point, but that’s just not realistic. It’s important to soak up knowledge and experience life in the world. You can’t learn some things from school. You can’t learn how people live their lives every day.

What’s your favorite thing to do after work?

Go home and cook dinner. Meal prepping has never worked for me. It’s a good way for me to unpack after the day and do something tactile. It doesn’t require the same brain as work, and it’s a good way to relax and unwind. Whenever I get home, I usually ask my partner what we’re doing for dinner, and we’ll work on it together.

What are some of your goals?

Most recently, I’ve been trying to become a CPA. You know, take the exam and meet the requirements for certification. I’d like to start a bakery someday, too. It’s going to be a space for people to break bread and come together. I’d like to live life more. There’s so much happening in the world that it can be demoralizing, but we need the opposite right now. It’s important to stay connected to your people and your networks. Plus, I’d like to go to all the tennis grand slam tournaments (the US Open, French Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon).

What legacy would you like to leave?

A legacy of kindness. Kindness and focus on the community. Often, I’m put in a kind of difficult position of helping to translate community needs into the limited amount of money and resources we have to spend, so I have to advocate for what people need. Sometimes, that means advocating for rules to change and meet needs that are evolving.