Catherine Robinson was born on August 11, 1904 in Virginia. As a teenager she moved north to live with relatives because her family worried about her limited opportunities in the segregated south. She imitated the speech of her white employers to get rid of her southern accent; life was her first stage. She did not finish high school and spent much of her teenage years working cleaning kitchens and looking after her employer's children. When one of her employers, executive director of the Southeastern New England Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, brought her to a women’s conference on human relations, a new world of advocacy and solidarity opened up for Catherine. Upon returning to Providence, she worked for the Providence Housing Authority, helping families displaced by the Lippitt Hill redevelopment. In 1962, Catherine was hired as a home economist with the Cooperative Extension. She helped develop and was Assistant Director of the University of Rhode Island Extension Division Service, until her mandatory retirement at 70 in 1974.

Outside of work and civil rights advocacy, she was involved in the literary and dramatic arts. In 1937, Catherine Robinson’s play “Blackmail” was put on for the Providence community. The play was well-received by the community and Catherine Robinson along with other participants formed the Scitamard Players, to continue doing plays in the Providence community. In addition to playwriting, she wrote stories and editorials for the Providence Journal, often making racial commentary. Catherine was very active in the community; she helped found the Providence East Side Neighborhood Council and was a member of the First Church of Christ Scientist. She spent 22 years with her husband, Mcdonald Robinson until his death. They lived at 221 Howell St. in Providence, RI, a house they owned and fixed up together. They had three children together, Lynne Bland, Mcdonald Robinson Jr., and Valarie Robinson. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1975. She received a nomination from Providence Mayor, Buddy Ciani, for Who’s Who Among Black Americans, 1977-1978. She passed with Alzheimer’s on July 11, 1985 in Providence, Rhode Island.