Discovering Paul Robeson

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 15, 1999 by Kari Leveton

When I mentioned to my grandmother that I was planning to see the Paul Robeson exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., she was very excited.

"Your great-uncle introduced me to a record when we were kids called, `Ballad for the Americans.' It was long, at least ten minutes, but I remember it was all about freedom and equality. I used to be crazy about that album," she said.

I had only known Paul Robeson as the original singer of Jerome Kern's "Old Man River." I never knew that any of his songs had a political agenda.

My mother's comments added to my curiosity about Robeson.

"I think Paul Robeson was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, but I'm not sure why."

The more people I told about the exhibit, the more confused, intrigued, and excited I became. I was given nuggets of information about Robeson, some fact, some fantasy. I was determined to discover the truth. After viewing the National Portrait Gallery exhibit I found a speaker with the oratorical skills of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and an actor with the talent of Sidney Poitier and the looks of Denzel Washington. I found an athlete who could give Michael Jordan a run for his money and a crusader with the strength of conviction of Malcolm X. I found a thinker with the intellectual prowess of Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and a man with the resolute determination of Rosa Parks.

I was so moved that I decided to read one of the many biographies on Robeson. I selected The Young Paul Robeson: `On My Journey Now,' written by Lloyd L. Brown, because I was curious to see how one of Robeson's best friends would chronicle such an outstanding life. It was a good selection for someone like me who knew very little about Robeson's life. It also was a great companion to the exhibit, the pictures and photos of which gave fascinating accounts of a truly fascinating life.

Both Brown's book and the exhibit devote a lot of time to explaining how Robeson's experience on the field and in school primed him for the rest of his life. In the exhibit, two entire walls are devoted to the display of photographs and artifacts from Robeson's scholastic and athletic achievements. The son of a brilliant runaway slave, Robeson was taught early in life by his father "that the heights of knowledge must be scaled by the freedom seeker" and that "Latin, Greek, philosophy, history, literature -- all the treasures of learning -- must be the Negro's heritage as well."

Inspired by his father's example, Paul Robeson excelled in both scholastic subjects and athletics. When he graduated from the "colored" grammar school in 1911, "the local newspaper praised his commencement recitation as `a rendition whose excellence has seldom been surpassed by a public school pupil.'"

Robeson earned 15 varsity letters in four different sports while attending Rutgers University. He also won national recognition in football. I would, however, hesitate to say that Robeson had as much "fun" playing these games in college as he did as a child. The photos taken of Robeson with his team-mates at this time show him as the only African American student on these teams. His stance in the pictures is strong, confident, and proud. They mask the pain he suffered at the hands of his racist teammates.

Robeson was "stomped, beaten and gang-tackled by White players who were determined to drive him off the team." Even his father, who had taught his son to overcome obstacles, encouraged the young scholar-athlete to quit. But Robeson refused, saying, "I was the representation of a lot of Negro boys who wanted to play football and wanted to go to college and as their representative I had to show I could take whatever was handed out."

Robeson persevered and graduated as one of four juniors with a Phi Beta Kappa key and one of five seniors inducted into the Cap and Skull Honor Society. He also was the star of the varsity debating team and winner of his class prize in oratory four years in a row.

Robeson graduated from Columbia Law School in 1923, but was coaxed into an acting career by his wife Essie. "As an actor I think I have less to buck against than a lawyer," Robeson once said. His stage career began with theatrical productions including, "Show Boat," "The Emperor Jones," and of course, "Othello." Robeson was the first African American to ever play the Moor of Venice, and he believed that an African American actor would have a much better understanding and interpretation of that role. The photography exhibit includes recorded excerpts of Robeson's performance in this play as well as various costumes, posters, and pictures from his theatrical career.

Throughout his extensive and distinguished professional life, Robeson demonstrated a "new spirit of racial pride," according to Brown. As an actor, he traveled all over the world. In 1934, he was invited to the U.S.S.R to discuss a prospective film role. While there, he admired the political structure of a country that seemed to ban all forms of racism. He adopted a socialist vision, but never joined the Communist party.