Paul Robeson

1898-1976
African-American Singer, Actor, and
Activist
PAUL ROBESON WAS BORN on April 9, 1898, in Princeton, New Jersey.
His parents were William and Maria Robeson. William, a Presbyterian minister,
had been a runaway slave. Maria was from a Quaker family who were
committed to ABOLITION. Paul was the youngest of five children. His siblings
were William, Reeve, Ben, and Marian.

(See picture, "Robeson, Paul: Singer and Actor.")

PAUL ROBESON GREW UP in a family that faced painful losses. When he
was just six years old, Paul's mother died in a house fire. A few years later, his Robeson, Paul: Singer
father lost his job as a minister. The family moved to Somerville, New Jersey. and Actor
There, his father became a minister of the St. Thomas AME Zion Church. (Credit: Library of
PAUL ROBESON WENT TO SCHOOL at the local public schools. He was Congress, Prints &
always an outstanding student. At Somerville High School, he was one of only Photographs Division, LC-
two black students. He was on the debate team, football team, and acted, too. USF34-013481-C)
He graduated with honors and won a scholarship to Rutgers University.
Rutgers was then an almost all-white school. Robeson faced racism, but refused to let it stop him. When he
tried out for the football team, the white players beat him up. Undiscouraged, he tried out and won a spot on the
team. He went on to become Rutgers's first All-American player. He won a total of 15 varsity sports letters
while at Rutgers.
Robeson was also an outstanding student. He graduated from Rutgers as valedictorian, with the highest
grade point in his class. He gave the graduation speech to the class of 1919.
LAW SCHOOL AND PERFORMING: Robeson went on to Columbia Law School. While in law school, he
started his performing career. He sang in the chorus of musicals and acted in plays. His performance at the
Harlem YMCA was praised by members of the Provincetown Players. That group was headed by famous
playwrights like Eugene O'Neill. Robeson was getting noticed.
While he was in law school, Robeson also played pro football to earn money. He graduated from Columbia
with a law degree in 1923.
BRIEF LAW CAREER: Robeson got a job as an attorney with a New York law firm. But his law career was
very brief. One day, he asked one of the secretaries to prepare a letter for him. She refused, because he was
black. Robeson quit his job in protest.
PERFORMING CAREER: Robeson decided to begin a career as an actor and singer. He had already sung
at Harlem's famous Cotton Club. The same year he left the law firm, Eugene O'Neill cast him in one of his
plays. As the star of All God's Chillun Got Wings, Robeson was a huge success.
He next appeared in The Emperor Jones, one of O'Neill's best plays. He also began giving concerts.
Audiences loved his deep, baritone voice. His programs usually included spirituals and folk songs.
In 1928, Robeson appeared in the London production of Showboat. It was a Broadway musical written by
Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein. Robeson's performance made him a star. His interpretation of the song
"Ol' Man River," was sensation. Over they years, it became his signature song.
In London, Robeson began to give recitals and concerts. Fans adored him. Returning to the U.S., Robeson
gave a concert in New York's famous Carnegie Hall.
 (See picture, "Robeson, Paul:
Performing in Othello.")
Robeson won praise for his acting,
too. He was especially famous for his
performance in Othello. That
Shakespeare play portrays the tragic
life of a black military leader, who
murders his wife out of jealousy.
Robeson was magnificent in the role.
He portrayed Othello many times over
the years, in England and America. In
New York, his production of the tragedy
had the longest run for a Shakespeare
play in Broadway history, almost 300 Robeson, Paul:
performances. Performing in Othello
Robeson appeared in several films, Robeson with Jose Ferrer
too. He was cast as the lead in the film in the Theater Guild
version of Emperor Jones, and also production of Othello,
appeared in the film version of 1944. (Credit: Library of
Showboat. Robeson always chose Congress, Prints &
roles that provided a positive view of Photographs Division, LC-
African-Americans. He turned down USW331- 054941-ZC)
parts he thought portrayed blacks in
negative, or stereotypical ways.

(See picture, "Robeson, Paul: Pitching in a Softball Game.") Robeson, Paul: Pitching
A TRIP TO THE SOVIET UNION: In 1934, Robeson traveled to the Soviet in a Softball Game
Union. It was a trip that would change his view of the world. He was impressed Robeson pitching in a
with the Soviet political system, because it promoted racial equality. He met softball game with other
great artists, like filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein. He became a great supporter of cast members from
the Communist system, and the Soviet leader, Josef Stalin. Othello, Central Park, New
BECOMING AN ACTIVIST: Over the years, Robeson became more York, 1944. (Credit:
interested in speaking out against racism and oppression. He learned 15 Library of Congress, Prints
languages and traveled the world. In Africa, he met political and social leaders. & Photographs Division,
He raised money to fight diseases and famine. LC-USW331- 054937-ZC)

Robeson believed he had a duty to speak out. "The artist must take sides.
He must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice. There is no alternative." Already a
popular artist, he became a symbol of the fight against oppression everywhere.
In the U.S., he condemned racism and prejudice against African-Americans. He met with President Harry
Truman about the problem of lynching. (The term "lynching" means the murder of an individual, usually by a
vigilante group. The term is usually used to describe the violent murder of blacks by whites.)
CONTROVERSY OVER LOYALTY TO THE U.S.: In the late 1940s, public opinion turned against
Robeson. This was the era of the Cold War. After World War II (1939-1945), the Soviet Union and the U.S.
became the two strongest nations in the world. They represented two very different political systems. The U.S.
was a democracy; the Soviet Union was a Communist state. The two "superpowers" also had powerful nuclear
weapons. The relationship between the two nations was very important. For more than 40 years, the hostilities
between these two nations affected world politics.
When Robeson first traveled to the Soviet Union in the 1930s, there were many who thought Communism
offered hope to the world. But from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, Stalin proved to be a brutal dictator. He
was responsible for the deaths of millions of his own people.
In the U.S., anti-Communist furor reached into all levels of life and work. Robeson, despite what was known
about Stalin, refused to condemn him or Communism. Some began to question his loyalty to the United States.
He was condemned as anti-American. His passport was taken away, and he wasn't allowed to travel outside
the country.
 Robeson faced condemnation from many different groups. In 1949, a crowd in Peekskill, New York, started
a riot at one of his performances. He was even condemned by the NAACP. Concert promoters shunned him
and he couldn't find work. A friend from that time spoke about the way he was treated. "Paul Robeson was the
most persecuted, ostracized, condemned black man in American, then or ever." Still, he spoke out against
repression and racism.
Finally, in 1958, Robeson got his passport back. He left the country and toured the world for five years. He
was welcomed by crowds of admirers. But the years of controversy had taken their toll. He returned to the U.S.
in poor health.

(See picture, "Robeson, Paul:

Performing with Uta Hagen.")
LATER YEARS: When Robeson
returned to the U.S. in 1963, he was a
ill and frail. He retired from public life.
He lived with his sister in Philadelphia
until his death on January 23, 1976.
PAUL ROBESON'S HOME AND
FAMILY: Robeson met Eslanda
Goode when he was in law school. She
was a chemist. They married in 1921
and had one son, Paul Jr.
Robeson, Paul:
HIS LEGACY: Robeson is
Performing with Uta
remembered as an outstanding
Hagen
performer and activist, committed to
speaking out against injustice Robeson in Othello, with
everywhere. He was celebrated, then Uta Hagen, 1944. (Credit:
condemned in his own country. Today, Library of Congress, Prints
people are still trying to take the & Photographs Division,
measure of this enormously talented LC-USW331-054943-ZC)
man, as well as the forces that
condemned him.

WORLD WIDE WEB SITES:

http://africawithin.com/bios/paul_robeson
http://bayarearobeson.org/
http://www.pbs.org.wnet/americanmasters/database/robeson_p.html
http://www.princeton.lib.nj.us/robeson/bio.html