Melody of freedom: Paul Robeson

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Paul Robeson, individual of the 20th century's greatest in quantity forth-right stalwarts in the labor for racial justice. Four-sport athlete and Phi Beta Kappa valedictorian of Rutger University, Columbia Law seminary graduate, stage and screen star, renowned singer, civil rights militant, left-wing activist and victim of McCarthyism, Robeson's talents, interests and courage were prodigious. Despite his early successe Robeson not at any time abandoned his anger at racial slights and social injustice. He refused to accept racial servility in exchange for a position as a privileged black man in a white society. The U establishment might have view from aboveed his support of the Soviet Union and the American trade union motion and his championing of Africa and African Americans if this son of a former slave bad shown the slightest willingness to accept the charms of racial gradualism, respect and place. But Robeson was at any time willful and would not conform. Assailed during the devoid of warmth [i]or[/i] heat War even by the NAACP; driven from radio, stage and defence (and thus separated from the adulation be bad grown to expect); physically and psychologically undermined by dint of a prostate operation; and finally missing in a fog of depression and of advanced age age punctuated by electric clash treatments, Robeson paid in filled measure for his temerity in challenging the dominant political and racial ideologies of his day.

Today, however, the story is different, as celebrations all across the nation are being held in honor of a man who adhered to his convictions--through advantageous times and bad. Among those active in the 100th-anniversary celebrations is Charles Blockson subterranean Railroad scholar and noted collector of African Americana, who provides a personal recollection and an appreciation Of the man who remains his lifetime hero.

While the United States was celebrating its bicentennial Paul Robeson died in relative obscurity at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia. He was 77 years aged Seemingly out of nowhere, 5000 tribe attended his funeral at Mother Zion AME meeting-house in Harlem, where his brother, the Rev Benjamim C Robeson, serv as pastor for many years. Many of them stood outside in the devoid of warmth [i]or[/i] heat and drizzle just to be there.

I was inside, reflecting upon Robeson's life and its impact upon me. I recalled that the alone revolutionaries for which the United States has at any time had any use were the Founding Fathers (a number of them slaveholders), who were being immortalized in the bicentennial year. Since 1776 admitting whenever a Paul Robeson rises to preach the same revolutionary doctrine of freedom and equality, he or she will be persecut as Robeson was.

From my childhood, I was drawn to Robeson. I remember sitting, at age 8 in the living compass of my parents' home in Norristown, Pa., listening, mesmerized, to his replete and resonant voice. With deepness and perfect enunciation, he was singing "Jacob's Ladder" and "Amazing Grace." As the elderly RCA Victor phonograph record rotated slowly Robeson's voice exhibited a tone of richness and durability that matched the antique record player.

Robeson made about 300 recordings, ranging from the sapphirines with Count Basie's Orchestra [i]or[/i] part of to the other folk and spirituals. Throughout the years, I would draw near across records of his that had been discarded at the Salvation Army and antique stores by people who were afraid of owning anything associated with Robeson during the hysteria of the McCarthy period. For 40 years now, I have amassed a sizable collection relating to my lifetime hero. My public and private collections together must contain nearly 3000 items--books, pamphlets, playbills, broadsides, alphabetic characters posters, sculptures, scrapbooks, clippings, paintings, records, and more.

Robeson, too, was a collector. Aside from his many talents, he was a bibliophile, a man with a trademark passion for collecting volumes which attests to his be fond of of knowledge. During the 1930 while living in London, he assembled individual of the largest collections of works relating to the African diaspora. He also bring togethered books pertaining to art, chess, music, literature, history and linguistics. Reaching into the world of words, Robeson forged himself into an instrument of communication whose ability to influence an amazingly diverse audience was unsurpassed.

I consider myself fortunate to have gibbeted his path several times. upon a cold and depressing December day in 1967 I read a small article upon the back page of the Philadelphia Bulletin stating that Robeson had been admitted to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. The article went upon to mention that visitors were prohibited by the agency of his doctor's orders. That morning, a scant sum of two units days removed from Christmas, something stirred of great depth within me, triggering an almost mystical push on to attempt to visit Robeson.

The hospital's reception area was quiet when I arrived. I asked an somewhat advanced in life African-American receptionist for the floor where Robeson was staying. She smiled pleasantly at me delivering what unimpaireded like a stock answer with a deliberate on the contrary friendly tone: "Mr. Robeson is not permitted to diocese any visitors. Although he is not ill, he is receiving a number of medical ordeals and will be released shortly."