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BHOF / Black Hall Of Fame: Paul Robeson – All-American Footballer, Opera Star, Black Movie Star in White Films of 1930s, Political Activist
posted Sunday, 30 April 2006
BHOF / Black Hall Of Fame:
Paul Robeson –
All-American Footballer,
Opera Star,
Black Movie Star in White Films
of 1930s, Political Activist
Without Paul Robeson, there could not be a Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx etc. etc.
"It is personally painful to me to realize that so gifted a man as Robeson should have been tricked by his own bitterness and by a total inability to understand the nature of political power in general, or Communist aims in particular, into missing the point of his own critique..."
James Baldwin
http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue25/finger25.htm
It is because of this quote that James Baldwin will never be inducted into the BHOF. As a social construct, Communism at its worst is no less than Capitalism at its best. Many Black notables were “required” to dump on Paul Robeson and other Blacks, who fought the “System”. Those notables saved their own asses and their own careers. Paul Robeson worked diligently on behalf of all people, not just himself.
Marian Anderson, great “Negro” contralto had few problems with her career vis-à-vis Paul Robeson because she kept her mouth shut except when she was singing. I don’t say that she was wrong; but I do say that Robeson was RIGHT! Marian Anderson was a great talent, but she will not be profiled by Tabacco in the BHOF.
Welcome, Paul Robeson, to your rightful place in the Black Hall Of Fame. And thank you sincerely for your contributions to Black America and the entire world. We salute you!
Photograph of Paul Robeson, Junior at
Rutgers University. Rutgers Special
Collection and University Archives.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/
Do you know who this man is?
Did you ever see his picture in a history book?
Does your teacher know of his accomplishments?
Why is there a street in Princeton, NJ named after him?
Why did Rutgers University offer a course about his life?
Do you know why Bugs Bunny got his picture on a stamp and he didn't?
Travel through his life by examining photographs, news clippings, and biographical excerpts to discover answers to these questions and more about the child, athlete, scholar, performer, and activist Paul Robeson.
In Princeton, New Jersey on April 9, 1898, Paul Robeson was born to a former slave, the Rev. William Robeson. His mother, a teacher, died shortly thereafter when he was only five years old. Three years later, the Robeson family moved to Westfield, New Jersey. In 1910, Robeson's father became pastor of St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church and the Robeson family moved to Somerville, New Jersey. Paul Robeson attended Somerville High School. There, Robeson excelled in sports, drama, singing, academics, and debating. He graduated from Somerville High School in 1915.
Robeson was awarded a four-year academic scholarship to Rutgers University in 1915, the third black student in the history of the institution. Despite the openly racist and violent opposition he faced, Robeson became a twelve-letter athlete excelling in baseball, basketball, football, and track. He was named to the All American Football team on two occasions. In addition to his athletic talents, Robeson was named a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, belonged to the Cap & Skull Honor Society, and graduated valedictorian of his class in 1919.
He went on to study law at Columbia in New York and received his degree in 1923. There he met and married Eslanda Cardozo Goode, who was the first black woman to head a pathology laboratory. Robeson worked as a law clerk in New York, but once again faced discrimination and soon left the practice because a white secretary refused to take dictation from him.
At this point in his life, Paul returned to his childhood love of drama and singing. He starred in Eugene O'Neill's All God's Chillun Got Wings in 1924, creating the starring role. While the racial subject matter of the play spurred controversy and protest, he went on to star in another play by O'Neill - Emperor Jones. Perhaps he is most widely recognized from the musical Showboat, where he changed the lines of the song "Old Man River". His eleven films included Body and Soul, Jericho, and Proud Valley.
His concert career reads like a world traveler's passport: New York, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Germany, Paris, Holland, London, Moscow, and Nairobi. His travels taught him that racism was not as prevalent in Europe as it was back home. In the United States, he couldn't enter theaters through the front door or sing without intimidation and protest, but in London he was welcomed with open arms and standing ovations. Robeson believed in the universality of music and that by performing Negro spirituals and other cultures' folk songs, he could promote intercultural understanding. As a result, he became a citizen of the world, singing for peace and equality in twenty-five languages.
During the 1940's Robeson continued to have success on the stage, in film, and in concert halls, but remained face to face with prejudice and racism. After finding the Soviet Union to be a tolerant and friendly nation, he began to protest the growing Cold War hostilities between the United States and the USSR. He began to question why African-Americans should support a government that did not treat them as equals. At a time when dissent was hardly tolerated, Robeson was looked upon as an enemy by his government. In 1947, he was named by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and the State Department denied him a passport until 1958. Events such as these, along with a negative public response, led to the demise of his public career.
Paul Robeson died on January 23, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after living in seclusion for ten years. Robeson's legacy has been an inspiration to millions around the world. His courageous stance against oppression and inequality in part led to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Through his stage and film performances he opened doors to inter-racial performances. With his travels across America and abroad, he opened the world's eyes to oppression. Robeson stood tall and proud against powerful governmental and societal forces. He remains in our memory a successful scholar, athlete, performer, and activist.
In the words of Paul Robeson: "To be free -to walk the good
American earth as equal citizens, to live
without fear, to enjoy the fruits of our toil to
give our children every opportunity in life -
that dream which we have held so long in our
hearts is today the destiny that we hold in our
hands."
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/PRBio.htm
Paul Robeson's childhood home in Princeton as it stands
today. Photograph taken by Thomas J. Crop, July 1998.
Paul Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey on April 9, 1898. He was the fifth and youngest child of Rev. William D. Robeson, a former escaped slave, and the former Maria Louisa Bustill. He lived in Princeton until 1907 when his father moved to Westfield, New Jersey to become pastor of St. Luke's A.M.E. Zion Church. In 1910 the Robeson family moved to Somerville, New Jersey when the Rev. Robeson became pastor of St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church. Paul attended school in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School in 1915. He attended Rutgers for the next four years. See the section of the site "Scholar Athlete" for information on his college years.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/youthintro.htm
Paul Robeson's father had tremendous influence on the formation of his character. William D. Robeson was a pastor at the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church in Princeton until 1901.
The Witherspoon Presbyterian Church in Princeton as it appears today. Photograph courtesy of Thomas J. Crop, July 1998.
Instructions: Read the following passages by Paul Robeson in his book Here I Stand (Paul Robeson, Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.). Think about the following questions as you read the excerpts:
* What influence does his father have upon his life?
* As you read other sections of this site, can you relate any actions Paul Robeson took in later years to the influence of his father?
Excerpts:
"The glory of my boyhood years was my father. I loved him like no one in all the world." p. 6
"He who comes hat-in-hand is expected to bow and bend, and so I marvel that there is no hint of servility in my father's makeup. Just as in youth he had refused to remain a slave, so in all his years of manhood, he disdained to be an Uncle Tom. From him we learned, and never doubted it, that the Negro was in every way the equal of a white man." p. 11
"That a so-called lowly station in life was no bar to a man's assertion of his full human dignity was heroically demonstrated by my father in the face of a grievous blow that came to him when I was still a baby. After more than two decades of honored leadership in his church, a factional dispute among the members removed him as pastor" p.11
"How proudly, as a boy, I walked at his side, my hand in his, as he moved among the people! There was a wide gap in years between us-he was fifty-three when I was born, nearly sixty when my mother died-but during many of his years as a widower I was the only child at home and his devoted care and attention bound us closely together. pg. 9
"A gentle scholar and teacher all his adult life, my father, then past middle age, with an invalid wife and dependent children at home, was forced to begin life anew. He got a horse and a wagon, and began to earn his living hauling ashes for the townsfolk. This was his work at the time I first remember him.... My father also went into the hack business, and as a coachman drove the gay young students around town and on trips to the seashore." p. 12
"Ash-man, coachman, he was still the dignified Reverend Robeson to the community, and no man carried himself with greater pride. Not once did I hear him complain of the poverty and misfortune of those years. Not one word of bitterness ever came from him. Serene, undaunted, he struggled to earn a livelihood and see to our education." p. 12
(Regarding a speech he gave at a family reunion) "I cannot recall anything I said in the speech on that occasion, though I did jot down in my scrapbook its title- 'Loyalty to Convictions.' That I chose this topic was not accidental, for that was the text of my father's life- loyalty to one's convictions. Unbending. Despite anything. From my youngest days I was imbued with that concept." p. 8
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/father.htm
Instructions: Read the following excerpts from Paul Robeson's book Here I Stand (Paul Robeson, Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.) and reflect on the following questions:
* As a youth, how does Paul Robeson react to white society?
* What are Robeson's thoughts on white society?
Excerpts:
"Rich Princeton was white: the Negroes were there to do the work. An aristocracy must have its retainers, and so the people of our small Negro community were, for the most part, a servant class-domestics in the homes of the wealthy, serving as cooks, waiters and caretakers at the university, coachmen for the town and laborers at the nearby farms and brickyards. I had the closest ties with these workers since many of my father's relatives ... had found employment at such jobs." p.10
"Princeton was Jim Crow: the grade school that I attended was segregated and Negroes were not permitted in any high school. My oldest brother, Bill, had to travel to Trenton- eleven miles away- to attend high school, and I would have had to do the same had we not moved to another town. No Negro students were admitted to the university, although one or two were allowed to attend the divinity school." p.10
"Under the caste system in Princeton the Negro, restricted to menial jobs at low pay and lacking any semblance of political rights or bargaining power, could hope not for justice but for charity. The stern hearts and tight purses of the master class could on occasion be opened by appeals from the 'deserving poor,' and then philanthropy, in the form of donations, small loans or cast-off clothing might be looked for. The Negro church, center of community life, was the main avenue through which such boons were sought and received, and, in fact, the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church was itself largely built by white philanthropy. The pastor was a sort of bridge between the Have-nots and the Haves, and he served his flock in many worldly ways-seeking work for the jobless, money for the needy, mercy from the Law."pp. 10-11.
"Westfield, and later Somerville, was quite unlike Princeton. Barriers between Negro and white existed, of course, but they were not so rigid: and in the ordinary way of small-town life there were more friendly connections between the two groups. And here there were white workingmen, too, many of them foreign-born, who, unlike the Princeton blue-bloods, could see in a workingman of a darker skin a fellow human being (a lower-paid worker of course, and perhaps a competitor for a job, but not a person of a totally different caste)." p.17
"In these towns I came to know more white people. I frequently visited the homes of my schoolmates and always received a friendly welcome. I wasn't conscious of it at the time, but now I realize that my easy moving between the two racial communities was rather exceptional. For one thing, I was the respected preacher's son, and then, too, I was popular with the other boys and girls because of my skill at sports and studies and because I was always ready to share in their larks and fun-making. Observing my manner of respectful politeness and courtesy, in which Pop had trained us, some of the white parents encouraged their children's friendship with me hoping, I suppose, that I might have a favorable influence on them. A good boy studied hard, helped with the chores, gladly ran errands, tipped his hat to ladies, always said 'No thank you' when offered a piece of cake (at the first offer, that is), never puffed a cigarette or said bad words, would never in all is years touch a drop of hard liquor, never told lies, never played hookey, (sic) never missed Sunday School, and got nothing but A's on his report card. Well, I was a good boy, sure enough-but I wasn't that good! Not all the time, at any rate." p. 17
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/prwhite.htm
Paul Robeson's family moved to Somerville, NJ in 1910 when Paul was 12. Paul's father, the Rev. William D. Robeson, served as pastor of St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church from 1910 until his death in 1918 at the age of 73.
Paul attended school in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School in 1915.
To gain a better understanding of his high school years, read the excerpts below. For a fuller description refer to Paul Robeson's Here I Stand, Prologue: "A Home in that Rock" or Lloyd Brown's The Young Paul Robeson, Chapter Five: "High School: The Fledging Hero". See Bibliography for citation.
Instructions: Read the following excerpts from Paul Robeson's book, Here I Stand, (Paul Robeson, Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.)
"So for me in high school there would be four years of Latin and Greek. Closely my father watched my studies, and was with me page by page through Virgil and Homer and the other classics in which he was well grounded. p.18
"High school in Somerville was not Jim Crow, and there I formed close friendships with a number of white classmates. One of these was Douglas Brown, a brilliant student, who was in my class through the four years and who later became dean of Princeton University. I was welcomed as a member of the glee club (unlike later at college) and the dramatics club and into various sports and social activities around the school. The teachers also were friendly and several of them are especially remembered." p.19
"Miss Vosseller, the music teacher who directed our glee club, took special interest in training my voice. Anna Miller, English teacher, paid close attention to my development as a speaker and debater; and it is she who first introduced me to Shakespeare's works. Many years were to pass before the American theatre would permit a Negro to play Othello, but the idea seemed eminently right to Miss Miller and she coached me in the part for a high-school dramatic performance. Nervous and scared, I struggled through the lines on that solemn occasion (mindful of my father's ear for perfect diction and my teacher's patient direction) and no one in the world could have convinced me then that I should ever try acting again." p.19
"Miss Vandeveer, who taught Latin, seemed to have no taint of racial prejudice; and Miss Bragg, instructor in chemistry and physics, made every effort to make me feel welcome and at ease in the school's social life of which she was in charge. Miss Bragg urged me to attend the various parties and dances, and when I did so, it was she who was the first to dance with me. But despite her encouragement, I shied away from most of these social affairs. There was always the feeling that-well, something unpleasant might happen; for the two worlds of white and Negro were nowhere more separate than in social life".
p.19
"Well, as a boy in high school I tried my best to 'act right.' I would make the best of my opportunities. I would measure myself only against my own potential and not see myself in competition with anyone else. Certainly I had no idea of challenging the way things were. But courtesy and restraint did not shield me from all hostility: it soon became clear that the high school principal hated me. Dr. Ackerman, who later rose to higher positions in the New Jersey school system, made no effort to hide his bitter feelings. The better I did, the worse his scorn. The cheers of my fellow students as I played fullback on the football team- 'Let Paul carry the ball! Yay-Paul!'- seemed to curdle the very soul of Dr. Ackerman; and when the music teacher made me soloist of the glee club it was against the principal's furious opposition." p. 20
"He never spoke to me except to administer a reprimand; and he seemed constantly to be looking for an excuse to do so. One fault I had was occasionally being late to class in the morning-probably because our house was only a few hundred yards from school! 'Early to bed and early to rise' was always a hard rule for me to keep, and sometimes I misjudged the few minutes needed to get up and get to class. Then, like a watchful hawk, Dr. Ackerman would pounce on me, and his sharp words were meant to make me feel as miserably inferior as he thought a Negro was." pp. 20-21
"When I was seventeen and in my final year at Somerville High, I learned about a competitive examination open to all students in New Jersey; the prize-a four year scholarship to Rutgers College. ...One of the oldest colleges in America (founded in 1766), it was considered rather exclusive; and while one or two Negroes had once been admitted, none had attended Rutgers for many years." p. 24
"... but if I managed to win this scholarship the financial strain on my father's modest income would be eased...there was one big hitch: I should have taken a preliminary test the previous year, covering subjects studied in the first three years of high school. Somehow I had not known about it then, and so I was faced with an examination embracing the entire four-year course, in the same three-hour period during which the other competitors would cover only their senior year's work. Well, I won the scholarship examination-and here was a decisive point in my life. That I would go to Rutgers was the least of it, for I was sure I'd be happier at Lincoln University (where both his brother and father had graduated). pp. 24-25.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/prhigh.htm
Setting the Scene
Entering Rutgers College in 1915 as only the third African-American student in the history of Rutgers College, Paul Robeson brought a constellation of talents and potential to his undergraduate experience. At Somerville High School, Paul had excelled both academically and athletically, garnering praise in the classroom, as a debater and member of the school’s glee club and in three sports: baseball, basketball and football. In high school, Paul, under the guiding influence of his minister father William Robeson, nurtured his multiple talents with the assistance of supportive teachers such as Anna Miller (English), Elizabeth Van Fleet Vosseller (Music), Miss Vanderveer (Latin) and Miss Bagg (Science). Paul was highly regarded by his peers, the overwhelmingly majority of whom were white students, as depicted in this excerpt from Lloyd Brown’s Young Paul Robeson.
His schoolmates admired him as much as they liked him. Thus Douglas Brown, whose later achievements fulfilled his own bright promise as a gifted student, would look back and say:
"It was a rich experience to have four years in school with as great a human being as Paul—to have him as a warm and loyal friend; to have him as a fellow student who was already showing that brilliance of genius as an all-around athlete, as a debater, as a singer and as an actor, and who could, at the same time, make one push very hard to keep up with him in a tough academic course." (Brown, 1997, 52)
Paul Robeson had intended to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps and attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, his father’s alma mater and one of the nation’s leading institutions of Afro-American higher education. During his senior year at Somerville High School, Paul participated in a statewide competition offering 4 year scholarships to Rutgers College in New Brunswick NJ. Displaying the determination and intellectual prowess that would characterize both his undergraduate years and professional career, Paul completed the examination’s two parts with the highest average score ever achieved in the competition, despite the fact that he had to complete an exam covering all four years of high school, while other examinees only were tested on what they had studied during their senior year. Apparently, the section of the exam covering the first three years of high school had been given during the end of the students’ junior year, but Paul had been unaware of it. Undaunted, he took the entire exam as a senior and modestly stated, "Well, I won" while not telling others the difficulty of the challenge he had faced. (Brown, 1997, 55)
One other pre-undergraduate connection to his future alma mater occurred during Paul’s senior year. Participating in a statewide oratorical contest, Paul chose to recite a famous abolitionist oration by Wendell Phillips. Originally given during the Civil War, Phillips' oration was a tribute to the Haitian patriot Toussaint L’Ouverture, who led the liberation of Haiti from Napoleonic rule. The contest was held on the campus of Rutgers College in New Brunswick, and the panel of all-white judges awarded Robeson third place.
The activity modules you find here will deepen your understanding of Paul Robeson’s experiences at Rutgers between 1915-1919. Activity One deals with Robeson's athletic experiences while Activity Two concerns Robeson's scholarship during his undergraduate years. You will be able to navigate from one activity to another using the menu bar displayed on the opening pages of each activity module. You may enter your responses to activity questions in the Electronic NJ Learning Forum by clicking on the Forum icons next to the questions.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/probschath.htm
Instructions: One of Paul Robeson's most famous stage roles was his portrayal of Othello. Reading Shakespeare and hearing Shakespeare are two totally different experiences. This activity requires that you listen to Robeson's famous monologue from Othello. The audio is a clip from the 1944 commercial recording of Shakespeare's Othello, where Othello has killed Desdemona out of a jealous rage, but discovers that he was tragically deceived by Iago whom he had mistakenly trusted. This monologue was one of Robeson's most famous elements of his concert programs. To hear the voice of Robeson himself, click on the audio link in the column to the right.
The left hand column contains text from Othello to help you follow along with the audio.
Soft you, a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service, and they know’t.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely, but too well;
Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their med’cinable gum. Set you down this.
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him – thus.
He stabs himself.
Lodovico. O bloody period!
Gratiano. All that is spoke is marred.
Othello. I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this,
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.
He falls over Desdemona and dies.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/monologue.htm
Paul Robeson often changed lyrics of songs he performed to better reflect the reality of the Black American experience of his time. It's been said that Robeson felt it was an artist's duty to devote all of his skills and celebrity status toward upholding the rights of all people to enjoy the full benefits of democracy. In applying this philosophy to his performance career, one could deduce Robeson felt freedom of speech and expression was an integral part of being a performer. Examine the two sets of lyrics to the song, "Old Man River" from the Broadway musical Showboat. Robeson altered the lyrics when he performed in the musical as well as in concert.
Jerome Kern’s Original Lyrics Robeson Changes
Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi; There's an ol' man called de Mississippi;
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be! That's the ol' man I don't like to be!
What does he care if de world's got troubles? What does he care if the world's got troubles?
What does he care if de land ain't free? What does he care if the land ain't free..
Ol' Man River, Ol' Man River,
Dat Ol' Man River That Ol' Man River
He mus' know sumpin' But don't say nuthin', He mus' know sumpin' But don't say nuthin',
He jes' keeps rollin', He jes' keeps rollin',
He keeps on rollin' along. He keeps on rollin' along.
He don't plant taters, He don't plant taters,
He don't plant cotton, He don't plant cotton,
An' dem dat plants 'em An' dem dat plants 'em
Is soon forgotten, Is soon forgotten,
But Ol' Man River, But Ol' Man River,
He jes' keeps rollin' along He jes' keeps rollin' along
You an' me, we sweat an' strain, You an' me, we sweat an' strain,
Body all achin' an' racked wid pain - Body all achin' an' racked wid pain -
Tote dat barge! Tote that barge and
Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk, You show a little grit and
An' you land in jail... You lands in jail...
Ah gits weary But I keeps laffin' instead of cyrin'
An' sick of tryin';
Ah'm tired of livin' I must keep fightin';
An skeered of dyin', Until I'm dyin'
But Ol' Man River, And Ol' Man River,
He jes' keeps rollin' along He just keeps rollin' along
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/lyrics.htm
What images come to your mind when you read that word?
Perhaps someone who is outspoken, charismatic, or intelligent?
How about controversial?
Paul Robeson was all of these things and more. He was perhaps the most famous performer during his time. His voice was honored and cheered not only in the United States, but in several countries worldwide.
Why then, isn't he more well-known today?
You will soon discover that for a period of his life, that same famous voice was met with censorship and controversy.
Photograph of Paul Robeson, autographed. Rutgers
Special Collections and University Archives.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Activist/PRActivist.htm
As citizens of the United States of America, we are guaranteed certain rights by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. When we practice these rights, such as the freedom of speech, we are protected under these documents. There are times, however, when individual rights may be limited or denied by the actions of the government, other people, or by circumstance. Examine the three documents on this page to investigate how Robeson's life engaged problems of rights in conflict.
Robeson supporters marching in Germany
Caption: "Enters Motion Against Robeson" The denim trouser-clad girl in the foreground puts the finger on her feelings about the Paul Robeson concert near Peekskill, N.Y., Sunday as a state trooper holds in check a group of men and women taking part in a demonstration against the singer. Veterans and their supporters paraded past the concert grounds as nearly 1,500 peace officers tried to keep them from clashing with the audience.
Tabacco: Paul Robeson was not the only Black “Star”, who left the Racist U.S.A. for Europe/Asia. Can you name any others?
In 1947, the American Heritage Foundation prepared a plan to have the original copy of the Declaration of Independence and other significant historical documents tour the United States on a special train entitled the "freedom train." Although this project was endorsed by President Truman and sponsored by the Attorney General of the U. S., the American Heritage Foundation refused to guarantee the exhibition would not be segregated. Langston Hughes, the internationally renowned poet, responded to the outrage felt by the African-American community about the contradictions evident in an exhibit emphasizing constitutional ideals of freedom and justice which was touring a society where legal segregation was a daily occurrence. Hughes' poem "Freedom Train" was the result, and Paul Robeson soon recorded the piece. Robeson recited "Freedom Train" many times at his concerts, and it was a staple of his public performances up through 1960.
In the late 1940s, Robeson took the position that he would no longer sing at concerts where audiences were segregated. Kenneth Joel, a graduate of Rutgers College, Class of 1942, was present at a Robeson concert in Kansas City, Missouri when he witnessed Robeson's refusal to perform in front of a racially segregated audience. Listen to this audio excerpt from an interview with Kenneth Joel conducted by Dr. Kurt Piehler and Rutgers student Bryan Holzmacher on December 13, 1994.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Activist/PRFreedom.htm
Paul Robeson was the epitome of the 20th-century Renaissance man. He was an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist. His talents made him a revered man of his time, yet his radical political beliefs all but erased him from popular history. Today, more than one hundred years after his birth, Robeson is just beginning to receive the credit he is due.
Born in 1898, Paul Robeson grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. His father had escaped slavery and become a Presbyterian minister, while his mother was from a distinguished Philadelphia family. At seventeen, he was given a scholarship to Rutgers University, where he received an unprecedented twelve major letters in four years and was his class valedictorian. After graduating he went on to Columbia University Law School, and, in the early 1920s, took a job with a New York law firm. Racial strife at the firm ended Robeson's career as a lawyer early, but he was soon to find an appreciative home for his talents.
Returning to his love of public speaking, Robeson began to find work as an actor. In the mid-1920s he played the lead in Eugene O'Neill's "All God's Chillun Got Wings" (1924) and "The Emperor Jones" (1925). Throughout the late 1920s and 1930s, he was a widely acclaimed actor and singer. With songs such as his trademark "Ol' Man River," he became one of the most popular concert singers of his time. His "Othello" was the longest-running Shakespeare play in Broadway history, running for nearly three hundred performances. It is still considered one of the great-American Shakespeare productions. While his fame grew in the United States, he became equally well-loved internationally. He spoke fifteen languages, and performed benefits throughout the world for causes of social justice. More than any other performer of his time, he believed that the famous have a responsibility to fight for justice and peace.
As an actor, Robeson was one of the first black men to play serious roles in the primarily white American theater. He performed in a number of films as well, including a re-make of "The Emperor Jones" (1933) and "Song of Freedom" (1936). In a time of deeply entrenched racism, he continually struggled for further understanding of cultural difference. At the height of his popularity, Robeson was a national symbol and a cultural leader in the war against fascism abroad and racism at home. He was admired and befriended by both the general public and prominent personalities, including Eleanor Roosevelt, W.E.B. Du Bois, Joe Louis, Pablo Neruda, Lena Horne, and Harry Truman. While his varied talents and his outspoken defense of civil liberties brought him many admirers, it also made him enemies among conservatives trying to maintain the status quo.
During the 1940s, Robeson's Black Nationalist and anti-colonialist activities brought him to the attention of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Despite his contributions as an entertainer to the Allied forces during World War II, Robeson was singled out as a major threat to American democracy. Every attempt was made to silence and discredit him, and in 1950 the persecution reached a climax when his passport was revoked. He could no longer travel abroad to perform, and his career was stifled. Of this time, Lloyd Brown, a writer and long-time colleague of Robeson, states: "Paul Robeson was the most persecuted, the most ostracized, the most condemned black man in America, then or ever."
It was eight years before his passport was reinstated. A weary and triumphant Robeson began again to travel and give concerts in England and Australia. But the years of hardship had taken their toll. After several bouts of depression, he was admitted to a hospital in London, where he was administered continued shock treatments. When Robeson returned to the United States in 1963, he was misdiagnosed several times and treated for a variety of physical and psychological problems. Realizing that he was no longer the powerful singer or agile orator of his prime, he decided to step out of the public eye. He retired to Philadelphia and lived in self-imposed seclusion until his death in 1976.
To this day, Paul Robeson's many accomplishments remain obscured by the propaganda of those who tirelessly dogged him throughout his life. His role in the history of civil rights and as a spokesperson for the oppressed of other nations remains relatively unknown. In 1995, more than seventy-five years after graduating from Rutgers, his athletic achievements were finally recognized with his posthumous entry into the College Football Hall of Fame. Though a handful of movies and recordings are still available, they are a sad testament to one of the greatest Americans of the twentieth century. If we are to remember Paul Robeson for anything, it should be for the courage and the dignity with which he struggled for his own personal voice and for the rights of all people.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/robeson_p.html
Paul Robeson by Yousuf Karsh, 1938
Robeson found fame as an actor and singer with his fine bass-baritone voice. In addition to his stage performances, his renditions of old Negro spirituals were acclaimed. His first roles were in 1922 playing Simon in Simon the Cyrenian at the Harlem YMCA and Jim in Taboo at the Sam Harris Theater in Harlem. Taboo was later re-named Voodoo. He was acclaimed for his 1924 performance in the title role of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones - originally performed, also with great success, by Charles Gilpin in 1920. Next he played Crown in the stage version of DuBose Heyward's novel "Porgy", which provided the basis for Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess", and, in 1930, he played Othello in England, when no US company would employ him for the role. He reprised the role in New York in 1943-1945. At the time, the Broadway run of Othello was the longest of any Shakespeare play. He won the Spingarn Medal in 1945 for this performance. Uta Hagen played Desdemona, and José Ferrer played Iago. Robeson's repertoire of African-American folk songs helped bring these to much wider attention both inside the US and abroad — in particular his rendition of "Go Down Moses". Robeson also became interested in the folk music of the world; he came to be conversant with 20 languages, fluent or near fluent in 12. His standard repertoire after the 1920s included songs in many languages (e.g., Chinese, Russian, Yiddish, German, etc.).
Between 1925 and 1942 Robeson appeared in eleven films - all but four of them British productions - after he and his wife moved to England in the late 1920s. He remained there, with long periods away on singing tours, until the outbreak of World War II. At the height of his popularity in the 1930s, Robeson became a major box office attraction in British films such as Song of Freedom and The Proud Valley. Briefly returning to the US he reprised his title role in the film version of The Emperor Jones in 1933. He was also cast as Joe in the 1936 film version of Show Boat. His performance of "Ol' Man River" for this film was particularly notable. He was Umbopa in the 1937 version of King Solomon's Mines. In films such as "Jericho" and "Proud Valley," he portrayed strong black American male leading roles.
Activism and advocacy
Robeson was among the first performers to sing in concert on behalf of the U.S. World War II war effort. [September 26, 1982, The New York Times]
He sang and spoke out against racist conditions experienced by Asian and Black Americans; he condemned segregation in both the North and the South. In particular, Robeson spoke out against lynching and, in 1946, he founded the American Crusade Against Lynching.
In 1948, Robeson was active in the presidential campaign to elect Progressive Party candidate Henry Wallace, who had served as Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President, and Secretary of Commerce in the administrations of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. On the campaign trail in June of that year, Robeson came to Georgia, where he sang before "overflow audiences... in Negro churches in Atlanta and Macon." Source: The Atlanta Journal 6/21/48.
According to Progressive Party organizer Rev. I. J. Domas, Robeson rode a flatbed truck through the streets of the Black neighborhoods singing. When people came out of their homes to hear him, he urged them to register to vote. Source: Rev. Domas, whose role in church integration in Atlanta is told in a history on file at Emory University.
Robeson and the Soviet Union
Like many intellectuals and artists of the time, Robeson supported the Soviet Union. On July 8, 1943, at the largest pro-Soviet rally ever held in the United States, an event organized by the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee and chaired by Albert Einstein, Robeson met Solomon Mikhoels, the popular actor and director of the Moscow State Jewish Theater and the Yiddish poet Itzik Feffer. Mikhoels headed the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee in what was then the Soviet Union; Feffer was his second. After the rally, Robeson and his wife Essie entertained Feffer and Mikhoels.
Six years later, in June 1949 during the 150th anniversary celebration of the birth of Alexander Pushkin, Robeson visited the Soviet Union to sing in concert and was given a warm public welcome.
But Robeson was troubled because the Jewish pianist, who had accompanied Robeson's concerts, was denied a visa by the Russians, and their closest Russian Jewish friends were conspicuous by their absence. Concerned about their welfare, Robeson demanded of his Soviet hosts that he see Feffer. When they met, an obviously tortured Feffer indicated that Mikhoels had died in a suspicious motor vehicle accident. Unbeknownst to Robeson, Feffer -- who had been working as a Soviet agent -- might have set up the execution of Mikhoels himself. (Louis Rappaport's book Stalin's War Against the Jews is the source of the unconfirmed claim that Feffer, a Jew, took part in the murder of Mikhoels, the famous director of the Moscow State Jewish Theater.) Not knowing of Feffer's role in Mikhoels' state-sponsored murder, Robeson paid tribute to both Feffer and Mikhoels during his concert in Tchaikovsky Hall, June 14, 1948. After a spirited speech on their behalf in defiance of Soviet authorities, he sang the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising song "Zog Nit Kaynmal" in both Russian and Yiddish [3] and in solidarity with artists and writers then being persecuted by Stalin.
In 1952, Robeson was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. Robeson wrote a tribute in April, 1953, shortly after Joseph Stalin's death entitled To You Beloved Comrade, in which he praised Stalin's "deep humanity", "wise understanding", and dedication to peaceful co-existence. Because of the segregation African Americans faced in the United States, Robeson said he admired Stalin for the decisive role the Soviet leader played in encouraging national minorities. Robeson said, "I was later to travel - to see with my own eyes what could happen to so-called backward peoples. In the West (in England, in Belgium, France, Portugal, Holland) - the Africans, the Indians (East and West), many of the Asian peoples were considered so backward that centuries, perhaps, would have to pass before these so-called "colonials" could become a part of modern society."
"But in the Soviet Union, Yakuts, Nenetses, Kirgiz, Tadzhiks - had respect and were helped to advance with unbelievable rapidity in this socialist land. No empty promises, such as colored folk continuously hear in the United States, but deeds.”
International Travel Ban
In 1950, after he refused to sign an affidavit swearing that he was not a Communist the U.S. government took away Robeson's passport and, with it, his freedom to travel outside the United States. Robeson and his lawyers "were told that his frequent criticism of the treatment of blacks in the United States should not be aired in foreign countries—it was a "family affair." (Duberman, p. 389)
U.S. government officials asked Robeson to sign a statement guaranteeing not to give any speeches while outside the U.S.. When Robeson refused, the State Department declined to reconsider his passport application. His attorneys protested that this amounted to an unconstitutional violation of the right of free speech. (Duberman, p. 389)
In 1956, Robeson left the United States for the first time since the travel ban was imposed, performing concerts in two Canadian cities, Sudbury and Toronto, in March of that year.
The travel ban ended in 1958 when Robeson’s passport was returned to him after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Secretary of State had no right to deny a passport or require any citizen to sign an affidavit because of his political beliefs. (Duberman, p. 463)
However, because of the controversy surrounding him, all of Paul Robeson's recordings and films were withdrawn from circulation, including the successful 1936 film version of "Show Boat". As far as audiences of the late 1950's and 1960's knew, there was only one film version of the show, the MGM Technicolor version of 1951.
They assassinated M. L. King, then grudgingly named a Holiday after him. So here’s America’s “Tribute” to Paul Robeson - a day late and a $1.00 short.
In 1981's 'Body Heat', Kathleen Turner said, "Knowledge is power".
T.A.B.A.C.C.O. (Truth About Business And Congressional Crimes Organization)
Paul Robeson –
All-American Footballer,
Opera Star,
Black Movie Star in White Films
of 1930s, Political Activist
Without Paul Robeson, there could not be a Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx etc. etc.
"It is personally painful to me to realize that so gifted a man as Robeson should have been tricked by his own bitterness and by a total inability to understand the nature of political power in general, or Communist aims in particular, into missing the point of his own critique..."
James Baldwin
http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue25/finger25.htm
It is because of this quote that James Baldwin will never be inducted into the BHOF. As a social construct, Communism at its worst is no less than Capitalism at its best. Many Black notables were “required” to dump on Paul Robeson and other Blacks, who fought the “System”. Those notables saved their own asses and their own careers. Paul Robeson worked diligently on behalf of all people, not just himself.
Marian Anderson, great “Negro” contralto had few problems with her career vis-à-vis Paul Robeson because she kept her mouth shut except when she was singing. I don’t say that she was wrong; but I do say that Robeson was RIGHT! Marian Anderson was a great talent, but she will not be profiled by Tabacco in the BHOF.
Welcome, Paul Robeson, to your rightful place in the Black Hall Of Fame. And thank you sincerely for your contributions to Black America and the entire world. We salute you!
Photograph of Paul Robeson, Junior at
Rutgers University. Rutgers Special
Collection and University Archives.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/
Do you know who this man is?
Did you ever see his picture in a history book?
Does your teacher know of his accomplishments?
Why is there a street in Princeton, NJ named after him?
Why did Rutgers University offer a course about his life?
Do you know why Bugs Bunny got his picture on a stamp and he didn't?
Travel through his life by examining photographs, news clippings, and biographical excerpts to discover answers to these questions and more about the child, athlete, scholar, performer, and activist Paul Robeson.
Biography
In Princeton, New Jersey on April 9, 1898, Paul Robeson was born to a former slave, the Rev. William Robeson. His mother, a teacher, died shortly thereafter when he was only five years old. Three years later, the Robeson family moved to Westfield, New Jersey. In 1910, Robeson's father became pastor of St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church and the Robeson family moved to Somerville, New Jersey. Paul Robeson attended Somerville High School. There, Robeson excelled in sports, drama, singing, academics, and debating. He graduated from Somerville High School in 1915.
Robeson was awarded a four-year academic scholarship to Rutgers University in 1915, the third black student in the history of the institution. Despite the openly racist and violent opposition he faced, Robeson became a twelve-letter athlete excelling in baseball, basketball, football, and track. He was named to the All American Football team on two occasions. In addition to his athletic talents, Robeson was named a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, belonged to the Cap & Skull Honor Society, and graduated valedictorian of his class in 1919.
He went on to study law at Columbia in New York and received his degree in 1923. There he met and married Eslanda Cardozo Goode, who was the first black woman to head a pathology laboratory. Robeson worked as a law clerk in New York, but once again faced discrimination and soon left the practice because a white secretary refused to take dictation from him.
At this point in his life, Paul returned to his childhood love of drama and singing. He starred in Eugene O'Neill's All God's Chillun Got Wings in 1924, creating the starring role. While the racial subject matter of the play spurred controversy and protest, he went on to star in another play by O'Neill - Emperor Jones. Perhaps he is most widely recognized from the musical Showboat, where he changed the lines of the song "Old Man River". His eleven films included Body and Soul, Jericho, and Proud Valley.
His concert career reads like a world traveler's passport: New York, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Germany, Paris, Holland, London, Moscow, and Nairobi. His travels taught him that racism was not as prevalent in Europe as it was back home. In the United States, he couldn't enter theaters through the front door or sing without intimidation and protest, but in London he was welcomed with open arms and standing ovations. Robeson believed in the universality of music and that by performing Negro spirituals and other cultures' folk songs, he could promote intercultural understanding. As a result, he became a citizen of the world, singing for peace and equality in twenty-five languages.
During the 1940's Robeson continued to have success on the stage, in film, and in concert halls, but remained face to face with prejudice and racism. After finding the Soviet Union to be a tolerant and friendly nation, he began to protest the growing Cold War hostilities between the United States and the USSR. He began to question why African-Americans should support a government that did not treat them as equals. At a time when dissent was hardly tolerated, Robeson was looked upon as an enemy by his government. In 1947, he was named by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and the State Department denied him a passport until 1958. Events such as these, along with a negative public response, led to the demise of his public career.
Paul Robeson died on January 23, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after living in seclusion for ten years. Robeson's legacy has been an inspiration to millions around the world. His courageous stance against oppression and inequality in part led to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Through his stage and film performances he opened doors to inter-racial performances. With his travels across America and abroad, he opened the world's eyes to oppression. Robeson stood tall and proud against powerful governmental and societal forces. He remains in our memory a successful scholar, athlete, performer, and activist.
In the words of Paul Robeson: "To be free -to walk the good
American earth as equal citizens, to live
without fear, to enjoy the fruits of our toil to
give our children every opportunity in life -
that dream which we have held so long in our
hearts is today the destiny that we hold in our
hands."
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/PRBio.htm
Youth
Paul Robeson's childhood home in Princeton as it stands
today. Photograph taken by Thomas J. Crop, July 1998.
Paul Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey on April 9, 1898. He was the fifth and youngest child of Rev. William D. Robeson, a former escaped slave, and the former Maria Louisa Bustill. He lived in Princeton until 1907 when his father moved to Westfield, New Jersey to become pastor of St. Luke's A.M.E. Zion Church. In 1910 the Robeson family moved to Somerville, New Jersey when the Rev. Robeson became pastor of St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church. Paul attended school in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School in 1915. He attended Rutgers for the next four years. See the section of the site "Scholar Athlete" for information on his college years.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/youthintro.htm
Paul Robeson's father had tremendous influence on the formation of his character. William D. Robeson was a pastor at the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church in Princeton until 1901.
The Witherspoon Presbyterian Church in Princeton as it appears today. Photograph courtesy of Thomas J. Crop, July 1998.
Instructions: Read the following passages by Paul Robeson in his book Here I Stand (Paul Robeson, Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.). Think about the following questions as you read the excerpts:
* What influence does his father have upon his life?
* As you read other sections of this site, can you relate any actions Paul Robeson took in later years to the influence of his father?
Excerpts:
"The glory of my boyhood years was my father. I loved him like no one in all the world." p. 6
"He who comes hat-in-hand is expected to bow and bend, and so I marvel that there is no hint of servility in my father's makeup. Just as in youth he had refused to remain a slave, so in all his years of manhood, he disdained to be an Uncle Tom. From him we learned, and never doubted it, that the Negro was in every way the equal of a white man." p. 11
"That a so-called lowly station in life was no bar to a man's assertion of his full human dignity was heroically demonstrated by my father in the face of a grievous blow that came to him when I was still a baby. After more than two decades of honored leadership in his church, a factional dispute among the members removed him as pastor" p.11
"How proudly, as a boy, I walked at his side, my hand in his, as he moved among the people! There was a wide gap in years between us-he was fifty-three when I was born, nearly sixty when my mother died-but during many of his years as a widower I was the only child at home and his devoted care and attention bound us closely together. pg. 9
"A gentle scholar and teacher all his adult life, my father, then past middle age, with an invalid wife and dependent children at home, was forced to begin life anew. He got a horse and a wagon, and began to earn his living hauling ashes for the townsfolk. This was his work at the time I first remember him.... My father also went into the hack business, and as a coachman drove the gay young students around town and on trips to the seashore." p. 12
"Ash-man, coachman, he was still the dignified Reverend Robeson to the community, and no man carried himself with greater pride. Not once did I hear him complain of the poverty and misfortune of those years. Not one word of bitterness ever came from him. Serene, undaunted, he struggled to earn a livelihood and see to our education." p. 12
(Regarding a speech he gave at a family reunion) "I cannot recall anything I said in the speech on that occasion, though I did jot down in my scrapbook its title- 'Loyalty to Convictions.' That I chose this topic was not accidental, for that was the text of my father's life- loyalty to one's convictions. Unbending. Despite anything. From my youngest days I was imbued with that concept." p. 8
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/father.htm
White Society
Instructions: Read the following excerpts from Paul Robeson's book Here I Stand (Paul Robeson, Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.) and reflect on the following questions:
* As a youth, how does Paul Robeson react to white society?
* What are Robeson's thoughts on white society?
Excerpts:
"Rich Princeton was white: the Negroes were there to do the work. An aristocracy must have its retainers, and so the people of our small Negro community were, for the most part, a servant class-domestics in the homes of the wealthy, serving as cooks, waiters and caretakers at the university, coachmen for the town and laborers at the nearby farms and brickyards. I had the closest ties with these workers since many of my father's relatives ... had found employment at such jobs." p.10
"Princeton was Jim Crow: the grade school that I attended was segregated and Negroes were not permitted in any high school. My oldest brother, Bill, had to travel to Trenton- eleven miles away- to attend high school, and I would have had to do the same had we not moved to another town. No Negro students were admitted to the university, although one or two were allowed to attend the divinity school." p.10
"Under the caste system in Princeton the Negro, restricted to menial jobs at low pay and lacking any semblance of political rights or bargaining power, could hope not for justice but for charity. The stern hearts and tight purses of the master class could on occasion be opened by appeals from the 'deserving poor,' and then philanthropy, in the form of donations, small loans or cast-off clothing might be looked for. The Negro church, center of community life, was the main avenue through which such boons were sought and received, and, in fact, the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church was itself largely built by white philanthropy. The pastor was a sort of bridge between the Have-nots and the Haves, and he served his flock in many worldly ways-seeking work for the jobless, money for the needy, mercy from the Law."pp. 10-11.
"Westfield, and later Somerville, was quite unlike Princeton. Barriers between Negro and white existed, of course, but they were not so rigid: and in the ordinary way of small-town life there were more friendly connections between the two groups. And here there were white workingmen, too, many of them foreign-born, who, unlike the Princeton blue-bloods, could see in a workingman of a darker skin a fellow human being (a lower-paid worker of course, and perhaps a competitor for a job, but not a person of a totally different caste)." p.17
"In these towns I came to know more white people. I frequently visited the homes of my schoolmates and always received a friendly welcome. I wasn't conscious of it at the time, but now I realize that my easy moving between the two racial communities was rather exceptional. For one thing, I was the respected preacher's son, and then, too, I was popular with the other boys and girls because of my skill at sports and studies and because I was always ready to share in their larks and fun-making. Observing my manner of respectful politeness and courtesy, in which Pop had trained us, some of the white parents encouraged their children's friendship with me hoping, I suppose, that I might have a favorable influence on them. A good boy studied hard, helped with the chores, gladly ran errands, tipped his hat to ladies, always said 'No thank you' when offered a piece of cake (at the first offer, that is), never puffed a cigarette or said bad words, would never in all is years touch a drop of hard liquor, never told lies, never played hookey, (sic) never missed Sunday School, and got nothing but A's on his report card. Well, I was a good boy, sure enough-but I wasn't that good! Not all the time, at any rate." p. 17
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/prwhite.htm
High School
Paul Robeson's family moved to Somerville, NJ in 1910 when Paul was 12. Paul's father, the Rev. William D. Robeson, served as pastor of St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church from 1910 until his death in 1918 at the age of 73.
Paul attended school in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School in 1915.
To gain a better understanding of his high school years, read the excerpts below. For a fuller description refer to Paul Robeson's Here I Stand, Prologue: "A Home in that Rock" or Lloyd Brown's The Young Paul Robeson, Chapter Five: "High School: The Fledging Hero". See Bibliography for citation.
Instructions: Read the following excerpts from Paul Robeson's book, Here I Stand, (Paul Robeson, Here I Stand. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.)
"So for me in high school there would be four years of Latin and Greek. Closely my father watched my studies, and was with me page by page through Virgil and Homer and the other classics in which he was well grounded. p.18
"High school in Somerville was not Jim Crow, and there I formed close friendships with a number of white classmates. One of these was Douglas Brown, a brilliant student, who was in my class through the four years and who later became dean of Princeton University. I was welcomed as a member of the glee club (unlike later at college) and the dramatics club and into various sports and social activities around the school. The teachers also were friendly and several of them are especially remembered." p.19
"Miss Vosseller, the music teacher who directed our glee club, took special interest in training my voice. Anna Miller, English teacher, paid close attention to my development as a speaker and debater; and it is she who first introduced me to Shakespeare's works. Many years were to pass before the American theatre would permit a Negro to play Othello, but the idea seemed eminently right to Miss Miller and she coached me in the part for a high-school dramatic performance. Nervous and scared, I struggled through the lines on that solemn occasion (mindful of my father's ear for perfect diction and my teacher's patient direction) and no one in the world could have convinced me then that I should ever try acting again." p.19
"Miss Vandeveer, who taught Latin, seemed to have no taint of racial prejudice; and Miss Bragg, instructor in chemistry and physics, made every effort to make me feel welcome and at ease in the school's social life of which she was in charge. Miss Bragg urged me to attend the various parties and dances, and when I did so, it was she who was the first to dance with me. But despite her encouragement, I shied away from most of these social affairs. There was always the feeling that-well, something unpleasant might happen; for the two worlds of white and Negro were nowhere more separate than in social life".
p.19
"Well, as a boy in high school I tried my best to 'act right.' I would make the best of my opportunities. I would measure myself only against my own potential and not see myself in competition with anyone else. Certainly I had no idea of challenging the way things were. But courtesy and restraint did not shield me from all hostility: it soon became clear that the high school principal hated me. Dr. Ackerman, who later rose to higher positions in the New Jersey school system, made no effort to hide his bitter feelings. The better I did, the worse his scorn. The cheers of my fellow students as I played fullback on the football team- 'Let Paul carry the ball! Yay-Paul!'- seemed to curdle the very soul of Dr. Ackerman; and when the music teacher made me soloist of the glee club it was against the principal's furious opposition." p. 20
"He never spoke to me except to administer a reprimand; and he seemed constantly to be looking for an excuse to do so. One fault I had was occasionally being late to class in the morning-probably because our house was only a few hundred yards from school! 'Early to bed and early to rise' was always a hard rule for me to keep, and sometimes I misjudged the few minutes needed to get up and get to class. Then, like a watchful hawk, Dr. Ackerman would pounce on me, and his sharp words were meant to make me feel as miserably inferior as he thought a Negro was." pp. 20-21
"When I was seventeen and in my final year at Somerville High, I learned about a competitive examination open to all students in New Jersey; the prize-a four year scholarship to Rutgers College. ...One of the oldest colleges in America (founded in 1766), it was considered rather exclusive; and while one or two Negroes had once been admitted, none had attended Rutgers for many years." p. 24
"... but if I managed to win this scholarship the financial strain on my father's modest income would be eased...there was one big hitch: I should have taken a preliminary test the previous year, covering subjects studied in the first three years of high school. Somehow I had not known about it then, and so I was faced with an examination embracing the entire four-year course, in the same three-hour period during which the other competitors would cover only their senior year's work. Well, I won the scholarship examination-and here was a decisive point in my life. That I would go to Rutgers was the least of it, for I was sure I'd be happier at Lincoln University (where both his brother and father had graduated). pp. 24-25.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Youth/prhigh.htm
Robeson's Athletic
Experiences
Experiences
Setting the Scene
Entering Rutgers College in 1915 as only the third African-American student in the history of Rutgers College, Paul Robeson brought a constellation of talents and potential to his undergraduate experience. At Somerville High School, Paul had excelled both academically and athletically, garnering praise in the classroom, as a debater and member of the school’s glee club and in three sports: baseball, basketball and football. In high school, Paul, under the guiding influence of his minister father William Robeson, nurtured his multiple talents with the assistance of supportive teachers such as Anna Miller (English), Elizabeth Van Fleet Vosseller (Music), Miss Vanderveer (Latin) and Miss Bagg (Science). Paul was highly regarded by his peers, the overwhelmingly majority of whom were white students, as depicted in this excerpt from Lloyd Brown’s Young Paul Robeson.
His schoolmates admired him as much as they liked him. Thus Douglas Brown, whose later achievements fulfilled his own bright promise as a gifted student, would look back and say:
"It was a rich experience to have four years in school with as great a human being as Paul—to have him as a warm and loyal friend; to have him as a fellow student who was already showing that brilliance of genius as an all-around athlete, as a debater, as a singer and as an actor, and who could, at the same time, make one push very hard to keep up with him in a tough academic course." (Brown, 1997, 52)
Paul Robeson had intended to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps and attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, his father’s alma mater and one of the nation’s leading institutions of Afro-American higher education. During his senior year at Somerville High School, Paul participated in a statewide competition offering 4 year scholarships to Rutgers College in New Brunswick NJ. Displaying the determination and intellectual prowess that would characterize both his undergraduate years and professional career, Paul completed the examination’s two parts with the highest average score ever achieved in the competition, despite the fact that he had to complete an exam covering all four years of high school, while other examinees only were tested on what they had studied during their senior year. Apparently, the section of the exam covering the first three years of high school had been given during the end of the students’ junior year, but Paul had been unaware of it. Undaunted, he took the entire exam as a senior and modestly stated, "Well, I won" while not telling others the difficulty of the challenge he had faced. (Brown, 1997, 55)
One other pre-undergraduate connection to his future alma mater occurred during Paul’s senior year. Participating in a statewide oratorical contest, Paul chose to recite a famous abolitionist oration by Wendell Phillips. Originally given during the Civil War, Phillips' oration was a tribute to the Haitian patriot Toussaint L’Ouverture, who led the liberation of Haiti from Napoleonic rule. The contest was held on the campus of Rutgers College in New Brunswick, and the panel of all-white judges awarded Robeson third place.
The activity modules you find here will deepen your understanding of Paul Robeson’s experiences at Rutgers between 1915-1919. Activity One deals with Robeson's athletic experiences while Activity Two concerns Robeson's scholarship during his undergraduate years. You will be able to navigate from one activity to another using the menu bar displayed on the opening pages of each activity module. You may enter your responses to activity questions in the Electronic NJ Learning Forum by clicking on the Forum icons next to the questions.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/probschath.htm
Monologue
Instructions: One of Paul Robeson's most famous stage roles was his portrayal of Othello. Reading Shakespeare and hearing Shakespeare are two totally different experiences. This activity requires that you listen to Robeson's famous monologue from Othello. The audio is a clip from the 1944 commercial recording of Shakespeare's Othello, where Othello has killed Desdemona out of a jealous rage, but discovers that he was tragically deceived by Iago whom he had mistakenly trusted. This monologue was one of Robeson's most famous elements of his concert programs. To hear the voice of Robeson himself, click on the audio link in the column to the right.
The left hand column contains text from Othello to help you follow along with the audio.
Soft you, a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service, and they know’t.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely, but too well;
Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their med’cinable gum. Set you down this.
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him – thus.
He stabs himself.
Lodovico. O bloody period!
Gratiano. All that is spoke is marred.
Othello. I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this,
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.
He falls over Desdemona and dies.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/monologue.htm
Lyric Changes
Paul Robeson often changed lyrics of songs he performed to better reflect the reality of the Black American experience of his time. It's been said that Robeson felt it was an artist's duty to devote all of his skills and celebrity status toward upholding the rights of all people to enjoy the full benefits of democracy. In applying this philosophy to his performance career, one could deduce Robeson felt freedom of speech and expression was an integral part of being a performer. Examine the two sets of lyrics to the song, "Old Man River" from the Broadway musical Showboat. Robeson altered the lyrics when he performed in the musical as well as in concert.
Jerome Kern’s Original Lyrics Robeson Changes
Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi; There's an ol' man called de Mississippi;
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be! That's the ol' man I don't like to be!
What does he care if de world's got troubles? What does he care if the world's got troubles?
What does he care if de land ain't free? What does he care if the land ain't free..
Ol' Man River, Ol' Man River,
Dat Ol' Man River That Ol' Man River
He mus' know sumpin' But don't say nuthin', He mus' know sumpin' But don't say nuthin',
He jes' keeps rollin', He jes' keeps rollin',
He keeps on rollin' along. He keeps on rollin' along.
He don't plant taters, He don't plant taters,
He don't plant cotton, He don't plant cotton,
An' dem dat plants 'em An' dem dat plants 'em
Is soon forgotten, Is soon forgotten,
But Ol' Man River, But Ol' Man River,
He jes' keeps rollin' along He jes' keeps rollin' along
You an' me, we sweat an' strain, You an' me, we sweat an' strain,
Body all achin' an' racked wid pain - Body all achin' an' racked wid pain -
Tote dat barge! Tote that barge and
Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk, You show a little grit and
An' you land in jail... You lands in jail...
Ah gits weary But I keeps laffin' instead of cyrin'
An' sick of tryin';
Ah'm tired of livin' I must keep fightin';
An skeered of dyin', Until I'm dyin'
But Ol' Man River, And Ol' Man River,
He jes' keeps rollin' along He just keeps rollin' along
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/lyrics.htm
Activist
What images come to your mind when you read that word?
Perhaps someone who is outspoken, charismatic, or intelligent?
How about controversial?
Paul Robeson was all of these things and more. He was perhaps the most famous performer during his time. His voice was honored and cheered not only in the United States, but in several countries worldwide.
Why then, isn't he more well-known today?
You will soon discover that for a period of his life, that same famous voice was met with censorship and controversy.
Photograph of Paul Robeson, autographed. Rutgers
Special Collections and University Archives.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Activist/PRActivist.htm
As citizens of the United States of America, we are guaranteed certain rights by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. When we practice these rights, such as the freedom of speech, we are protected under these documents. There are times, however, when individual rights may be limited or denied by the actions of the government, other people, or by circumstance. Examine the three documents on this page to investigate how Robeson's life engaged problems of rights in conflict.
Robeson supporters marching in Germany
Caption: "Enters Motion Against Robeson" The denim trouser-clad girl in the foreground puts the finger on her feelings about the Paul Robeson concert near Peekskill, N.Y., Sunday as a state trooper holds in check a group of men and women taking part in a demonstration against the singer. Veterans and their supporters paraded past the concert grounds as nearly 1,500 peace officers tried to keep them from clashing with the audience.
Tabacco: Paul Robeson was not the only Black “Star”, who left the Racist U.S.A. for Europe/Asia. Can you name any others?
Paul Robeson and "Freedom
Train"
Train"
In 1947, the American Heritage Foundation prepared a plan to have the original copy of the Declaration of Independence and other significant historical documents tour the United States on a special train entitled the "freedom train." Although this project was endorsed by President Truman and sponsored by the Attorney General of the U. S., the American Heritage Foundation refused to guarantee the exhibition would not be segregated. Langston Hughes, the internationally renowned poet, responded to the outrage felt by the African-American community about the contradictions evident in an exhibit emphasizing constitutional ideals of freedom and justice which was touring a society where legal segregation was a daily occurrence. Hughes' poem "Freedom Train" was the result, and Paul Robeson soon recorded the piece. Robeson recited "Freedom Train" many times at his concerts, and it was a staple of his public performances up through 1960.
In the late 1940s, Robeson took the position that he would no longer sing at concerts where audiences were segregated. Kenneth Joel, a graduate of Rutgers College, Class of 1942, was present at a Robeson concert in Kansas City, Missouri when he witnessed Robeson's refusal to perform in front of a racially segregated audience. Listen to this audio excerpt from an interview with Kenneth Joel conducted by Dr. Kurt Piehler and Rutgers student Bryan Holzmacher on December 13, 1994.
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/Activist/PRFreedom.htm
Paul Robeson was the epitome of the 20th-century Renaissance man. He was an exceptional athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist. His talents made him a revered man of his time, yet his radical political beliefs all but erased him from popular history. Today, more than one hundred years after his birth, Robeson is just beginning to receive the credit he is due.
Born in 1898, Paul Robeson grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. His father had escaped slavery and become a Presbyterian minister, while his mother was from a distinguished Philadelphia family. At seventeen, he was given a scholarship to Rutgers University, where he received an unprecedented twelve major letters in four years and was his class valedictorian. After graduating he went on to Columbia University Law School, and, in the early 1920s, took a job with a New York law firm. Racial strife at the firm ended Robeson's career as a lawyer early, but he was soon to find an appreciative home for his talents.
Returning to his love of public speaking, Robeson began to find work as an actor. In the mid-1920s he played the lead in Eugene O'Neill's "All God's Chillun Got Wings" (1924) and "The Emperor Jones" (1925). Throughout the late 1920s and 1930s, he was a widely acclaimed actor and singer. With songs such as his trademark "Ol' Man River," he became one of the most popular concert singers of his time. His "Othello" was the longest-running Shakespeare play in Broadway history, running for nearly three hundred performances. It is still considered one of the great-American Shakespeare productions. While his fame grew in the United States, he became equally well-loved internationally. He spoke fifteen languages, and performed benefits throughout the world for causes of social justice. More than any other performer of his time, he believed that the famous have a responsibility to fight for justice and peace.
As an actor, Robeson was one of the first black men to play serious roles in the primarily white American theater. He performed in a number of films as well, including a re-make of "The Emperor Jones" (1933) and "Song of Freedom" (1936). In a time of deeply entrenched racism, he continually struggled for further understanding of cultural difference. At the height of his popularity, Robeson was a national symbol and a cultural leader in the war against fascism abroad and racism at home. He was admired and befriended by both the general public and prominent personalities, including Eleanor Roosevelt, W.E.B. Du Bois, Joe Louis, Pablo Neruda, Lena Horne, and Harry Truman. While his varied talents and his outspoken defense of civil liberties brought him many admirers, it also made him enemies among conservatives trying to maintain the status quo.
During the 1940s, Robeson's Black Nationalist and anti-colonialist activities brought him to the attention of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Despite his contributions as an entertainer to the Allied forces during World War II, Robeson was singled out as a major threat to American democracy. Every attempt was made to silence and discredit him, and in 1950 the persecution reached a climax when his passport was revoked. He could no longer travel abroad to perform, and his career was stifled. Of this time, Lloyd Brown, a writer and long-time colleague of Robeson, states: "Paul Robeson was the most persecuted, the most ostracized, the most condemned black man in America, then or ever."
It was eight years before his passport was reinstated. A weary and triumphant Robeson began again to travel and give concerts in England and Australia. But the years of hardship had taken their toll. After several bouts of depression, he was admitted to a hospital in London, where he was administered continued shock treatments. When Robeson returned to the United States in 1963, he was misdiagnosed several times and treated for a variety of physical and psychological problems. Realizing that he was no longer the powerful singer or agile orator of his prime, he decided to step out of the public eye. He retired to Philadelphia and lived in self-imposed seclusion until his death in 1976.
To this day, Paul Robeson's many accomplishments remain obscured by the propaganda of those who tirelessly dogged him throughout his life. His role in the history of civil rights and as a spokesperson for the oppressed of other nations remains relatively unknown. In 1995, more than seventy-five years after graduating from Rutgers, his athletic achievements were finally recognized with his posthumous entry into the College Football Hall of Fame. Though a handful of movies and recordings are still available, they are a sad testament to one of the greatest Americans of the twentieth century. If we are to remember Paul Robeson for anything, it should be for the courage and the dignity with which he struggled for his own personal voice and for the rights of all people.
Buy The Video
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
Buy VHS or DVD
Buy VHS or DVD
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/robeson_p.html
Paul Robeson by Yousuf Karsh, 1938
Robeson found fame as an actor and singer with his fine bass-baritone voice. In addition to his stage performances, his renditions of old Negro spirituals were acclaimed. His first roles were in 1922 playing Simon in Simon the Cyrenian at the Harlem YMCA and Jim in Taboo at the Sam Harris Theater in Harlem. Taboo was later re-named Voodoo. He was acclaimed for his 1924 performance in the title role of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones - originally performed, also with great success, by Charles Gilpin in 1920. Next he played Crown in the stage version of DuBose Heyward's novel "Porgy", which provided the basis for Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess", and, in 1930, he played Othello in England, when no US company would employ him for the role. He reprised the role in New York in 1943-1945. At the time, the Broadway run of Othello was the longest of any Shakespeare play. He won the Spingarn Medal in 1945 for this performance. Uta Hagen played Desdemona, and José Ferrer played Iago. Robeson's repertoire of African-American folk songs helped bring these to much wider attention both inside the US and abroad — in particular his rendition of "Go Down Moses". Robeson also became interested in the folk music of the world; he came to be conversant with 20 languages, fluent or near fluent in 12. His standard repertoire after the 1920s included songs in many languages (e.g., Chinese, Russian, Yiddish, German, etc.).
Between 1925 and 1942 Robeson appeared in eleven films - all but four of them British productions - after he and his wife moved to England in the late 1920s. He remained there, with long periods away on singing tours, until the outbreak of World War II. At the height of his popularity in the 1930s, Robeson became a major box office attraction in British films such as Song of Freedom and The Proud Valley. Briefly returning to the US he reprised his title role in the film version of The Emperor Jones in 1933. He was also cast as Joe in the 1936 film version of Show Boat. His performance of "Ol' Man River" for this film was particularly notable. He was Umbopa in the 1937 version of King Solomon's Mines. In films such as "Jericho" and "Proud Valley," he portrayed strong black American male leading roles.
Activism and advocacy
Robeson was among the first performers to sing in concert on behalf of the U.S. World War II war effort. [September 26, 1982, The New York Times]
He sang and spoke out against racist conditions experienced by Asian and Black Americans; he condemned segregation in both the North and the South. In particular, Robeson spoke out against lynching and, in 1946, he founded the American Crusade Against Lynching.
In 1948, Robeson was active in the presidential campaign to elect Progressive Party candidate Henry Wallace, who had served as Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President, and Secretary of Commerce in the administrations of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. On the campaign trail in June of that year, Robeson came to Georgia, where he sang before "overflow audiences... in Negro churches in Atlanta and Macon." Source: The Atlanta Journal 6/21/48.
According to Progressive Party organizer Rev. I. J. Domas, Robeson rode a flatbed truck through the streets of the Black neighborhoods singing. When people came out of their homes to hear him, he urged them to register to vote. Source: Rev. Domas, whose role in church integration in Atlanta is told in a history on file at Emory University.
Robeson and the Soviet Union
Like many intellectuals and artists of the time, Robeson supported the Soviet Union. On July 8, 1943, at the largest pro-Soviet rally ever held in the United States, an event organized by the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee and chaired by Albert Einstein, Robeson met Solomon Mikhoels, the popular actor and director of the Moscow State Jewish Theater and the Yiddish poet Itzik Feffer. Mikhoels headed the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee in what was then the Soviet Union; Feffer was his second. After the rally, Robeson and his wife Essie entertained Feffer and Mikhoels.
Six years later, in June 1949 during the 150th anniversary celebration of the birth of Alexander Pushkin, Robeson visited the Soviet Union to sing in concert and was given a warm public welcome.
But Robeson was troubled because the Jewish pianist, who had accompanied Robeson's concerts, was denied a visa by the Russians, and their closest Russian Jewish friends were conspicuous by their absence. Concerned about their welfare, Robeson demanded of his Soviet hosts that he see Feffer. When they met, an obviously tortured Feffer indicated that Mikhoels had died in a suspicious motor vehicle accident. Unbeknownst to Robeson, Feffer -- who had been working as a Soviet agent -- might have set up the execution of Mikhoels himself. (Louis Rappaport's book Stalin's War Against the Jews is the source of the unconfirmed claim that Feffer, a Jew, took part in the murder of Mikhoels, the famous director of the Moscow State Jewish Theater.) Not knowing of Feffer's role in Mikhoels' state-sponsored murder, Robeson paid tribute to both Feffer and Mikhoels during his concert in Tchaikovsky Hall, June 14, 1948. After a spirited speech on their behalf in defiance of Soviet authorities, he sang the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising song "Zog Nit Kaynmal" in both Russian and Yiddish [3] and in solidarity with artists and writers then being persecuted by Stalin.
In 1952, Robeson was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. Robeson wrote a tribute in April, 1953, shortly after Joseph Stalin's death entitled To You Beloved Comrade, in which he praised Stalin's "deep humanity", "wise understanding", and dedication to peaceful co-existence. Because of the segregation African Americans faced in the United States, Robeson said he admired Stalin for the decisive role the Soviet leader played in encouraging national minorities. Robeson said, "I was later to travel - to see with my own eyes what could happen to so-called backward peoples. In the West (in England, in Belgium, France, Portugal, Holland) - the Africans, the Indians (East and West), many of the Asian peoples were considered so backward that centuries, perhaps, would have to pass before these so-called "colonials" could become a part of modern society."
"But in the Soviet Union, Yakuts, Nenetses, Kirgiz, Tadzhiks - had respect and were helped to advance with unbelievable rapidity in this socialist land. No empty promises, such as colored folk continuously hear in the United States, but deeds.”
International Travel Ban
In 1950, after he refused to sign an affidavit swearing that he was not a Communist the U.S. government took away Robeson's passport and, with it, his freedom to travel outside the United States. Robeson and his lawyers "were told that his frequent criticism of the treatment of blacks in the United States should not be aired in foreign countries—it was a "family affair." (Duberman, p. 389)
U.S. government officials asked Robeson to sign a statement guaranteeing not to give any speeches while outside the U.S.. When Robeson refused, the State Department declined to reconsider his passport application. His attorneys protested that this amounted to an unconstitutional violation of the right of free speech. (Duberman, p. 389)
In 1956, Robeson left the United States for the first time since the travel ban was imposed, performing concerts in two Canadian cities, Sudbury and Toronto, in March of that year.
The travel ban ended in 1958 when Robeson’s passport was returned to him after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Secretary of State had no right to deny a passport or require any citizen to sign an affidavit because of his political beliefs. (Duberman, p. 463)
However, because of the controversy surrounding him, all of Paul Robeson's recordings and films were withdrawn from circulation, including the successful 1936 film version of "Show Boat". As far as audiences of the late 1950's and 1960's knew, there was only one film version of the show, the MGM Technicolor version of 1951.
They assassinated M. L. King, then grudgingly named a Holiday after him. So here’s America’s “Tribute” to Paul Robeson - a day late and a $1.00 short.
In 1981's 'Body Heat', Kathleen Turner said, "Knowledge is power".
T.A.B.A.C.C.O. (Truth About Business And Congressional Crimes Organization)
comments (2)
1. Tabacco left...
Sunday, 30 April 2006 8:27 pm :: http://tabacco.blog-city.com/
Tabacco Comments About Paul Robeson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Paul_Robeson
2. Stephen Bess left...
Wednesday, 3 May 2006 11:09 am :: http://www.civileyes.blogspot.com
This was a fantastic piece on Paul Robeson! Paul and I are part of the
same family tree. Paul's father, William Drew Robeson and my great-great
grandfather Ezekiel Robeson were brothers. I'm one of his distant cousins
from the Martin County, North Carolina Robersons. I've been thinking of
doing a blog on Paul Robeson, but I don't think that I could top this. :)