" I know that if the peace movement takes its

 message boldly to the Negro people a powerful 

 force can be secured in pursuit of the greatest 

 goal of all mankind. And the same is true of labor

 and the great democratic sections of our population." 

 

 

Robeson, Paul (1898–1976), influential African American singer, actor, and social activist. Paul Robson was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and was the child of a clergyman who had been born a slave. After winning a scholarship competition, Robeson attended Rutgers University, distinguishing himself as both scholar and athlete. While at Rutgers he augmented his scholarship income by offering concerts and dramatic performances. After graduating from Columbia Law School in 1923, Robeson turned to dramatic and musical theater where he became internationally celebrated. His roles in Eugene O'Neill's All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924) and Emperor Jones (1924 in New York and 1925 in London) catapulted him to prominence as a serious actor when opportunities for African Americans on stage were generally limited to the comic or to racist stereotypes. Robeson's performances in productions of Shakespeare, particularly Othello, were enormously popular and won him enthusiastic critical acclaim.  Robeson was always acutely conscious of the complex racial politics of the American scene (even as early as his Rutgers years). From the mid-1930s on Robeson became increasingly interested in Communism, particularly as it seemed to speak to the plight of African Americans. In this respect, the trajectory of Robeson's life mirrors that of many African American artists and intellectuals, such as Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison. Robeson's interest in radical politics deepened over the years, even as it limited his opportunities to perform. This limitation became especially pronounced in the early 1950s, given the advent of explicit conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. Unlike Wright, who renounced Communism in favor of a more generalized anti colonialism, Robeson continued his interest in the politics of Communism, bringing him into conflict with the government of the United States, which revoked his passport (in 1950), though it was restored in 1958. Robeson spent the latter years of his life in ill health, living in Europe and later in the United States.