For renowned holistic health practitioner Helen “Queen Afua” Robinson, home is a place for wellness, and her family can finally continue to live in peace now that a judge of the Brooklyn Surrogate’s Court has canceled an eviction battle brought about due to white-collar criminals who allegedly stole the deed to the family’s home that her grandfather purchased in 1951.
On Aug. 6, Judge Bernard Graham ordered to do away with the eviction attempt that would have forced the “wellness queen” and her daughter, Sherease Torain, out of their family’s Crown Heights home. According to an Aug. 4 petition started by Joel Feingold on Change.org
, the Robinson-Torain family was the first Black family to reside on their block of brownstones at 964 Park Place. Robinson, who has influenced over a million people across the world to embrace holistic practices, has been fighting for justice since 2015 after the deed to the home was allegedly forged by a deed theft ring. Court documents filed in 2022 claimed Robinson’s mother, Ida Robinson, was tricked by landlord Menachem Gurevitch, who the petition alleged approached with a request to help her refinance the home.However, after her 100-year-old mother died in 2023, deed thieves allegedly attempted to attack the family with an eviction warrant
, one of several attempts since Gurevitch claimed Ida sold him the home for $800,000, Patch reported. With the latest eviction date scheduled for the morning of Aug. 7, the petition prompted community efforts for the family who “has been a beacon for Black and working-class Brooklyn for generations.” The petition concluded with 3,943 supporters of the family’s demand for justice backed by neighbors, elected officials, and lawyers. Additionally, the Brooklyn District Attorney announced a criminal investigation of the deed forgery.Supporters of the petition honored Robinson and her family as pillars of the community. “Queen Afua and her children did so much impactful work in their community. Women have found their voice and healed from sadness, and found peace because of her family,” one supporter wrote, while another attested the family has “been a great source of change, support, and inspiration to the people.” Robinson has dedicated her life to sharing her message of holistic health, according to her website. She is the founder of the Sacred Woman Rites of Passage Program and the CEO of the Queen Afua Wellness Institute, teaching individuals to focus on healthy eating and practices like meditation and affirmations as sources of spiritual and physical healing. She extends her message of healing as a best-selling author of seven books, publishing her first in 1987, “Heal Thyself: For Health and Longevity,” and her second in 2000 titled, “Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit,” a book that has inspired celebrities like Lauren London, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Erykah Badu.
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