Riana Shaw Robinson

Public Theologian in Residence

Meet Riana

She/Her

Rev. Riana Shaw Robinson is the Minister of Formation and Oakland City Church - a community that seeks to be People Who Don't Belong Together, Gathered Around Jesus, For the Sake of Those That Don't Belong. Riana expanded the church's City Engagement partnerships and spearheaded efforts to help the community live more deeply into its anti-racist values through teaching, relationship building, and deep listening. She feels called to name the work and abiding hope that is necessary to create the Beloved Community.

Riana is ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America. She holds a Masters of Divinity at Pacific School of Religion and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Mills College. Before stepping into vocational ministry, Riana worked at various non-profits that focused on racial, social, and environmental justice. She served on the Steering Committee of the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy and is passionate about faith-rooted advocacy.

Riana is an East Bay native and currently lives in Oakland with her husband, 8-year-old son, and three-year-old twins. She is extremely proud of her oldest daughter who is a senior at Howard University in Washington DC.