Robin Grubbs
Photograph of Robin courtesy of family, obtained from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Robin N. Grubbs was a caseworker at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary who had recently been promoted to a re-entry job helping formerly incarcerated people transition back to their communities. But, to the confusion of her friends and family, she was kept at her old post for weeks in a facility that housed those who were exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19.
Robin was never able to assume her new position. She passed away on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at her residence in Atlanta. The 39-year-old, who was buried in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia, tested positive for COVID-19 after her passing.
According to her obituary in The Augusta Chronicle, Robin is survived by her parents, Gary and Martha Ann Ardis Grubbs; her brother, Douglas J. Grubbs; her maternal grandmother, Mary Ardis; her paternal grandmother, Hattie Wimberly Grubbs; her beloved Yorkie, Louie; and countless other relatives and friends.
Loved ones remember Robin as a hard worker, a passionate Falcons fan, and a doting mother to Louie. On her Facebook profile, the Army veteran regularly shared music takes, reactions to Falcons games, and, more recently, warnings about COVID-19. Days before her death, Robin posted a video of her parents handing off a care package, with the caption: “air hugs because Corona is everywhere at this point and I don’t wanna expose my [heart emoji]’s, especially with me going to work ‘essential staff’... How did a girl like me get so lucky, blessed and highly favored.”
Photograph of Robin courtesy of her Facebook profile.
Robin had become increasingly concerned about the working conditions at the penitentiary. An unnamed friend told CBS News that Robin had mentioned a dearth of protective equipment—she was trying to buy her own mask, and asked repeatedly in the month after her promotion to move to her new office. Taneka Miller, Robin’s coworker, told CBS News that Robin had aired her frustrations a week before her death: “She was like, ‘Girl. Oh my God, they won't let me go for whatever reason. I'm so ready to go.’”
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Robin was the first staff member potentially to have lost her life due to COVID-19. Her father, Gary Grubbs, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that he is determined to find out why his daughter remained in unsafe conditions at her old position despite her promotion. “I’m trying to find out the answers,” he said.
In Robin’s most recent post, published two days before her passing, she asked friends to compare Boyz n the Hood to Menace II Society. The status has since become a testament to her presence in her community, as nearly 300 friends have posted memorials to her in the comments.
You can plant a memorial tree in memory of Robin here.
This memorial was written by MOL team member Nicole Mo with information from reporting by Cassidy McDonald at CBS News, reporting by Christian Boone at The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Robin’s obituary published in The Augusta Chronicle, and public posts on Robin’s Facebook.