Paul Robeson was born on April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey. He died of a stroke on January 23, 1976 at the age of 77 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was known for his intellect, athleticism, as a popular stage and screen singing personality, and his civil rights activism. He was a lawyer and international figure involved with racial injustice, the labor movement and world politics, including international cooperation.

Robeson’s mother died when he was 6 and his clergyman father moved the family to Somerville, New Jersey where he excelled in academics and sang in church. At the age of 17, Robeson earned a scholarship to attend Rutgers University, the third African American to do so, and became one of the institution’s most stellar students. He won 15 letters in four varsity sports (football, baseball, basketball and track), was elected Phi Betta Kappa and became his class valedictorian. He earned a law degree from Columbia University while teaching Latin and playing professional football on the weekends to pay tuition.

Robeson married fellow Columbia student, journalist Eslanda Goode and they had one son during their 40 years of marriage. Robeson briefly worked as a lawyer in 1923, but left after encountering severe racism at his firm. He then turned fully to the stage with his wife as his manager.

In 1928, starring in the stage production of Showboat, he brought down the house with what became his signature “Ol’ Man River.” He is known for changing the lyrics to the song from the meek “…I’m tired of livin’ and ‘feared of dyin’…,” to a declaration of resistance, “…I must keep fightin’ until I’m dying…”

Robeson lived with his family in Europe for more than ten years establishing both a singing and film career. He was featured in six British films and many stage productions. He returned to the United States and continued with his stage and screen career starring in several Hollywood productions, and earned international acclaim in the lead role in the 1943 Broadway production of Othello.

Robeson used his deep baritone voice to promote Black spirituals, to share the cultures of other countries, and to benefit the labor and social movements of his time. He sang for peace and justice in 25 languages throughout the U.S., Europe, the Soviet Union, and Africa. He became known as a citizenof the world. He regularly spoke out against racial injustice and spoke andperformed at strike rallies, conferences and labor festivals worldwide. Hesupported Pan-Africanism, (a belief that all African peoples share not merelya common history, but a common destiny), sang for Loyalist soldiers duringSpain’s civil war, took part in anti-Nazi demonstrations and performed forallied forces during WWII. He also visited the Soviet Union several times during the mid-1930s taken by much of its culture and ideas.

After Robeson returned the United States he was confronted with the Cold War and McCarthyism paranoia. Robeson found himself contending with government officials looking to silence a voice who spoke out eloquently against racism and who had political ties that were not popular for the time. He was labeled a communist and was barred by the State Department from renewing his passport in 1950 to travel abroad for engagements. He was eventually blacklisted from domestic concert venues (80 of his concerts were cancelled), recording labels and film studios. It was not until 1958 that he won the right to have his passport reinstated.

Robeson published his biography, Here I Stand in 1958 and began traveling internationally again receiving a number of accolades for his work. In 1960, Robeson made his last concert tour to New Zealand and Australia. He retired from public life in 1963.

Paul Robeson Biography Bio True Story: www.biography.com

Paul Robeson, a brief biography University of Chicago: www.cpsr.cs.uchicago.edu/robeson/bio.html

Here I Stand, by Paul Robeson

The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom, 1939-1976 by Paul Robeson Jr.

Paul Robeson by Martin Duberman