Advocating for equity
By Madeline Marriott ’24
Rasheim Donaldson ’06
It was in conversations with fellow Posse scholars while at Lafayette that Rasheim Donaldson ’06 first began to understand the world’s inequities. Nearly two decades later, he has dedicated his wide-ranging career, from the classroom to the courtroom, to mitigating them.
He started this mission as an English and social studies teacher at his alma mater, Frederick Douglas Academy in Harlem.
“It was a really rewarding experience,” he says of his time in the classroom. “I loved connecting with young people.”
Still, he wondered if there was a way to make a bigger impact.
“Though I felt like I was making a difference by being a role model and trying to inspire my students, I felt like I still didn’t know enough myself,” he explains.
Rasheim Donaldson ’06 (far right) is pictured with (from left to right) Reco Collins ’05, Brandon McCloud ’05, Professor Opoku, and Richard Jackson ’05 in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro during the same study abroad trip to Kenya and Tanzania.
Law school at Wake Forest University in North Carolina gave him that opportunity—three years later, he came back to New York with an additional degree and new ideas for addressing the problems he saw.
While he studied for the New York bar exam and took additional trial advocacy courses, he took a job as a program director for Groundwork Inc., a now-defunct Brooklyn-based nonprofit focused on educational opportunities for the underserved children of the community, where he oversaw after-school programs across the borough.
His first legal role came with the Bronx district attorney’s office, serving the same community in which he grew up.
“I had grown to appreciate trial work, especially the idea of simplifying concepts to something that’s digestible and interacting with people of all different backgrounds,” he says. “I also realized prosecutors have a very important function, and that includes doing the right thing when it comes to police misconduct and dismissing unjust cases. There was a sense of providing a voice to victims when wrongs were done against them, and also a sense of accountability for people who commit wrongs against the community.”
Donaldson is pictured during an Alternative School Break (ASB) Club service trip to volunteer at a wildlife outpost in Florida.
Donaldson didn’t envision himself in a prosecutorial role when he set out on his journey into the legal field.
“I had a lot of criticism about the criminal justice system. People of color are disproportionately affected by it, and the law was used as a mechanism to oppress people,” he explains. “It was a bit of a dilemma for me as a Black man who grew up in New York City, but I think the negatives are outweighed greatly by the ability to make change and be a positive force in law and order, not just as social control but to keep our communities safe and vibrant.”
In his seven-year role in the Bronx, he handled violent crimes and public integrity crimes —those that affect the government’s operations, such as bribery, corruption, and election crimes. Before taking his current role as a personal injury attorney at Grey & Grey LLP, he spent four years in a supervisory role at the New York City Law Department. There, he oversaw attorneys handling juvenile delinquency matters.
The child-focused roles throughout his career have been a launching pad for his involvement with the Nyamwange Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on educational and leadership opportunities for Black and brown students in urban communities.
“Working in the criminal justice system with juveniles, a common thread I saw was a lack of opportunity: a lack of structure, a lack of extracurriculars, a lack of resources to serve as an alternative to that antisocial lifestyle,” he explains. “These enrichment programs that come at no cost to young people add value, but they not only help inspire students and give them an idea of what education could be; they also remind them of their worth and what is possible.”
Donaldson has served on the organization’s board of directors since its inception in 2019 after meeting the founder, Joseph Nyamwange, on a trip with the Council of Urban Professionals. As a board member, he coordinates partnerships and fundraising efforts for the group, including for scholarships, its yearly gala, and cultural immersion trips to Kenya for involved students.
He is still engaged with Lafayette and volunteers his time and expertise as a member of the Northeast Advisory Council, working with the College on alumni engagement and giving input on strategic initiatives.
“That period from 2002 to 2006 when I was on campus is probably the period where I’ve grown the most in life,” Donaldson remembers. “I developed a great appreciation for learning—a genuine, authentic desire to want to learn and be better—and that’s what set me off on my way. I want to reciprocate in any way I can because the College has given so much to me.”