Dedicated member tutors inner city kids

Judy Roberson of UAW Local 259  is committed to the children she mentors.

Judy Roberson has spent every Saturday for the last 10 years tutoring dozens of elementary school-age youngsters from New York’s five boroughs.

As president of the Co-Op City section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), it’s Roberson’s passion to help improve the lives of hundreds of inner city boys and girls through tutoring, mentoring and other educational programs.

When Roberson’s not working in her official capacity as recording secretary for UAW Local 259 and its 1,800 auto mechanics throughout New York and southwestern Connecticut, you’ll find her at the NCNW.

Roberson recalled a recent phone conversation with the parent of a fourth-grade boy she had tutored who said that because of the program, her son went from being painfully shy to a happier, well-adjusted young man.

In fact, students in the NCNW program have improved their standardized test scores by as much as 50 percent.

“This improvement in standardized testing clearly translates into a benefit for the entire community, turning many of our parents into our best advocates,” Roberson said.

A 40-year UAW member, Roberson remains as committed to these children as she is to her union – to which she commutes two hours roundtrip every day by subway from her home in Bronx, N.Y.

The NCNW was founded by the late Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), an extraordinary educator and political leader. Bethune envisioned the NCNW as an “organization of organizations” that would represent national and international concerns of African-American women.

Today the NCNW has more than 240 sections connecting nearly 4 million women worldwide and maintaining their mission to lead, develop and advocate for women of African descent as they support their families and communities.

As Co-Op City section president, Roberson also oversees a partnership with the local domestic violence shelter, coordinates clothing and food drives, collects holiday gifts for the women and children, and makes sure the children living in the shelter with their mothers get what they need to return to school every September.

And if you’re part of New York’s Working Families Party, then you may know Roberson from the Bronx Chapter where as chair she oversees monthly meetings, issues education programs and features a speakers bureau that addresses issues of interest to the community.

“Judy is an extraordinary person – someone I can always count on to go the extra mile for our members,” said Local 259 President Brian Schneck. “We’re proud of her accomplishments at the local and in the community. She’s the heart and soul of the local.”

Beverley Brakeman