(Here I Stand) In the Spirit of Paul Robeson

Paul Leroy Robeson was born on April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey. His father, a Presbyterian minister, was born into slavery in eastern North Carolina and escaped to the North shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. An athletic and bright young man, Robeson attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he earned two first-team All-American honors in football and entry in Phi Beta Kappa. Only the third African American student in the university’s history, he also lettered in three other sports and was elected class valedictorian by his peers. After graduating from Rutgers in 1919, Robeson moved to Harlem and worked his way through Columbia Law School by playing professional football and acting on stage, eventually earning his degree and passing the bar in 1923. 

Due to the lack of opportunities for African Americans in the legal profession at the time, Robeson turned to theatre. He joined a New York City theatre group known as the Provincetown Players, where he met member and playwright Eugene O’Neill. Robeson then appeared in two of O’Neill’s plays, All God’s Chillun Got Wings and The Emperor Jones. His performance in the title role of the latter production earned him praise in New York City and London. Robeson garnered worldwide fame, however, for his performance as a stevedore named Joe in the musical and 1936 movie version of Show Boat, which featured his stunning rendition of “Ol’ Man River.” Later, in the early 1940s, Robeson became the first African American to perform in the title role of Othello on Broadway. 

As he established himself as an internationally renowned actor and singer, Robeson became more politically active. Angered and disturbed by racism and racial violence in the United States, he spoke out strongly against racial segregation and lynching. In the 1930s and 1940s, Robeson made numerous trips to the Soviet Union, commended the repressive communist country for its perceived colorblindness, and criticized the United States for its lack thereof. His political activism and praise for the Soviet Union eventually caught the attention of the federal government. In 1950, Robeson testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and after refusing to sign an affidavit swearing that he was not a member of the Communist Party, the U.S. State Department rescinded his passport and he was Blacklisted. Following the Supreme Court ruling in Kent v. Dulles in 1958, which restored his passport, Robeson left the United States, settled in London, and embarked on a global performing tour, which included stops in the Soviet Union, Australia, and New Zealand. He returned to the United States in 1963 due to failing health and died in Philadelphia on January 23, 1976 at the age of seventy-seven. 

To honor Robeson, Washington, D.C. artist Allen Uzikee Nelson created a public art piece entitled “(Here I Stand) In the Spirit of Paul Robeson.” Dedicated in April 2001 in a small triangular park at the intersection of Kansas Avenue NW and Georgia Avenue NW in the city’s Pentworth neighborhood, the free-standing sculpture is made of weathering steel and greenish-blue stained glass. Janus-faced, it blends features of African design with abstract art. 

"A Brief Overview of the Artist and His Work." uzikee.com. Web. 21 May 2021 <http://www.uzikee.com/statues.htm>.

"Paul Robeson." Encyclopædia Britannica. 5 April 2021. Web. 21 May 2021 <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Robeson>.

"Singer, Actor, Athlete, Activist Paul Robeson Dies." history.com. A&E Television Networks. 22 January 2020. Web. 21 May 2021 <https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/singer-actor-athlete-activist-paul-robeson-dies>.