February is over, and so is Black History Month. Too bad. I think all of you should know who Paul Robeson was. Have you ever heard the song, “Old Man River?” On first hearing, you might think that such song by a Black man is somewhat a betrayal to African Americans and the Civil Rights cause. Well, I would be careful to question this man’s choice of roles. First, a bit about this remarkable man. Robeson was, in my opinion, the 20th century Renaissance Man. In some ways, he did it about all. He attended Rutgers where he played football and was named an All-American. He also lettered in several other sports, won awards for his oratory skill, and was named class valedictorian.
After graduation, he first entered law school at NYU and then transferred to Columbia, and played for the NFL while working on his law degree. He finished law school, acted in musical productions in New York and later played Othello in London. He went on to the silver screen in movies such as Show Boat. He also released several albums using that wonderful bass voice of his.
He was also a large figure in the early Civil Rights Movement, but was also a communist. While I disagree with his economic philosophy, he was unapologetic about any of his stances. McCarthyism took its toll on his career. He could have denounced his positions to save his career, but he did not. He started a small publication in Harlem criticizing US policy. Read about Paul Robeson here on Wikipedia.
-MC
It is truly amazing that one man like Robeson did all this in his lifetime. However, it is also saddening that such a man was blacklisted during the times of McCarthyism because of his affiliation with communism and anti-imperialism advocacy. Everyone has their own right to an opinion, and thus make their own choices. He made his, and those choices had their consequences and rewards. It is likewise for us today, every choice has its consequence and reward; we just have to figure out what we believe is the right one and that choice shall lead us to another and so on…such is the road of life.
Rebecca, yes, Paul Robeson had choices choices and faced consequences for his choices, but it is unfortunate that the rest of society punished him for holding an unpopular opinion, even though it is one I happen to disagree with. I disagree more with how people treated him for holding a differing view. He was one of true greatness.
I have never heard of Paul Robeson upon reading this article and im glad i did. When you take into the fact that all he accomplished being an African American he truly is an amazing story. The racisim he no doubt faced in politics was evident, but something that wasnt mentioned was that football was very raciest sport until much recently. The first black NFL quarterback to start a Superbowl was in the late 1980?s was Doug Williams, and black players were looked at as not smart enough to be an NFL quarterback. It is also sad that he was blacklisted and affiliated with the communism, but I dont think that undermines what he achomplished as an individual. I believe regardless of his choices Paul Robeson should be recognized more in black history month, and it is sad he is not due to bad choices.
I really do not know much about Paul Robeson, but form what I hear, he sounds like a true Renaissance man. He is a model of a well-rounded man that all people could abide by. I find it particularly interesting how he decided to play football and go to law school at the same time. He was one of the people of the Harlem Renaissance that took the time to pave a great path for other people to follow. I find it interesting how he was an entertainer and became America’s #1 entertainer. Even though he did face racism when deciding to become a lawyer, he overcame the adversity well. The fact that he also played for the NFL is also neat to me. He exemplified the example of the quote of Vince Lombardi: “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” This is why I find Paul Robeson interesting.
He is a man that people should follow, he support what he believe in even if it was right or wrong, and he did so much in his life time which was impressive since racism was really bad back then. I think is unfair that he was blacklisted during McCarthyism, he supported what he believe and is fair enough to believe is something different of what most of the people believe in. Paul Robeson should be in black history month for all his accomplishments in life.
I’m honestly surprised that I have never heard of Robeson before. To accomplish that much during his lifetime is truly a feat that should be remembered. It’s kind of upsetting that he was blacklisted by the FBI for his choice of economic policy. Everyone has the freedom to think and say what they want, and I find it sad that he was denied opportunities in his job because of his belief.