"Artists have choices, I choose to stand with my people": Paul Robeson's Story
Robeson seen here in his full Rutger’s football team gear
On U Street in Washington DC (a historical hub for the African American art scene) stands a mural of Paul Robeson. The mural depicts two larger than life images of Robeson plus smaller images arranged as a timeline of important events from his life. In the center, a quote from Robeson reads, “I make no distinction between my work as an artist and my life as a human being.” Unique among DC murals, Robeson’s mural is interactive; visitors can pull out their phones, scan the mural using their camera, and learn more about his life & times. The mural, “Living Timeline: Paul Robeson,” was created in 2015 by Cory Stowers and a team of other artists from his art collaborative, Art B.L.O.C. (Building Longevity for Our Community).
Robeson truly fit the definition of a Renaissance man. In his youth, he received a full scholarship to Rutgers University. Despite the racism and violence he faced as the first black football player at the school, Robeson played multiple sports, earned 15 varsity letters, and was awarded All American Honors for football in 1917 & 1918.
Robeson was not just an athlete but a scholar as well. He was a member of the Rutgers honor society, Cap & Skull, as well as earning a key from Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest honor society in the United States. He graduated as valedictorian in 1919 and went to study at Columbia Law School all while playing football professionally. At Columbia he met his future wife, Eslanda Cordoza Goode, who became the first black woman to head a pathology lab. After graduating from law school, he briefly worked at a New York law firm but left because a white secretary refused to take dictation from him.
Robeson starring as the title role in Othello on Broadway
His departure from law led him to the arts. He used his artistic platform to advocate and promote African-American history and culture. In 1925, Robeson (a powerful baritone) made his debut at a concert whose program consisted of “Black Music”. Soon, Robeson was starring on some of the world’s greatest stages. He performed in the Gershwin brothers’ Porgy and Bess and starred in Shakespeare’s Othello, which remains the longest running Shakespeare show on Broadway with over 300 performances. In addition to stage work, Robeson starred in 13 films - but eventually chose to end his film career in the 1940s insisting he could not continue to make movies until there were better opportunities for black people in America. His most successful performance was in Roger & Hammerstein’s Show Boat. His resounding baritone voice stole the show with an incomparable rendition of “Ol’ Man River.”
His fame grew in the US and abroad; he spoke 15 languages and performed all around world as both an artist and activist, ever committed to the cause of justice and peace. He believed that fame came with the responsibility to fight for others. Robeson became a symbol of opposition to fascism abroad and the fight against racism at home. Controversially, he associated himself with the Soviet Union and the communist movement after a trip to the USSR where Robeson experienced nothing but adulation and respect. He believed that the USSR was a nation that did not harbor racial animosity toward black people. “Here, I am not a Negro but a human being for the first time in my life,” he said. “I walk in full human dignity.” He was invited the Paris Peace Congress in 1949 and gave a speech which was misquoted by the Associated Press to say: “It is unthinkable that American Negros would go to war on behalf of those who have oppressed us for generations against the Soviet Union which in one generation has lifted our people to full human dignity.” French transcripts of the speech that Robeson gave that day indicate that he actually said: ”We in America do not forget that it is on the backs of the poor whites of Europe…and on the backs of millions of black people the wealth of America has been acquired. And we are resolved that it shall be distributed in an equitable manner among all of our children and we don’t want any hysterical stupidity about our participating in a war against anybody no matter whom. We are determined to fight for peace. We do not wish to fight the Soviet Union. ”
Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Dubois at the World Peace Conference in Paris, 1949
But the damage was already done. The next day, Robeson was labeled a traitor. He gained attention from the Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) - a body that attempted to discredit and silence Robeson’s staunch support for civil rights by highlighting his communist sympathies. Jackie Robinson was even called to testify in the hopes that he would denounce Robeson’s values as unrepresentative of the African-American community (a ploy which backfired). Nonetheless, Robeson’s passport was revoked and many of his concerts (abroad and at home) were cancelled. It wouldn’t be until 1958, eight years later, that he would be able to travel again, scheduling a three-year long tour of Europe and Australia. Unfortunately, in 1961, Robeson fell ill and had to return home. He retired from public life and lived out the rest of his days in Philadelphia. Robeson passed away on January 23, 1976 due to the complications caused by a stroke that had occurred in 1968.
Despite Paul Robeson’s many achievements and commitment to better the world , his memory was obscured and his legacy nearly forgotten. On the centennial of his 1898 birth, a new debate was sparked about his place in history and the effect of McCarthyism on the world. Robeson, once targeted as a communist and traitor, is now viewed as a man of fierce dignity striving to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.