PAUL ROBESON SPEAKS OUT!
ALT Press
Alice E. Gerard 2/20/04
Just a month ago, the U.S. Postal Service honored actor
and singer Paul Robeson (1898-1976) by issuing a commemorative stamp in his
honor. This stamp was the 27th in the Black Heritage series that began in
1978 with a stamp honoring Harriet Tubman.
But in his lifetime, Robeson received few honors from the
United States government for his musical and acting gifts or for his tireless
work against racism and colonialism and for human rights and peace.
Instead, he was hauled before Representative Joseph McCarthy's House Un-American
Activities Committee and grilled mercilessly. His passport was revoked in
1950 and was not returned until 1958 after long battles in court and an
international outcry.
For the most part, the accolades didn't start coming to
Robeson until after he died. In 1978, Robeson was honored by the United
Nations for his tireless opposition to apartheid in South Africa. He was
inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995, and, in 1998, he was
awarded a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. There were many more
posthumous accolades. In 1979, PAUL ROBESON SPEAKS OUT, a two-act play
that honors Robeson's life, art, and passions, by Philip Hayes Dean, was
premiered. It featured James Earl Jones in the title role in the one-man
show. In 1995, the play was revived by Avery Brooks.
The version of PAUL ROBESON SPEAKS OUT presented at the New
Phoenix Theatre features local actor Willie Wl Judson, Jr., as Paul
Robeson. Dressed snazzily in tails and an untied bow tie, the 75-year-old
Robeson looked as if he was ready for a night on the town. In fact,
Robeson is the invited guest of honor at a 75th birthday party
celebration. He chose to stay at home, away from the fun and food of a
party to which hundreds had been invited. While at home, Robeson recalled
the events of his life. He remembered the racism that he endured.
One of the more dramatic instances of racism occurred when Robeson joined the
football team at Rutgers College (later called Rutgers University). His
teammates physically attacked him. Later, the same teammates hoisted him
to their shoulders after he was chosen for the All-American College football
team.
Robeson talked about his relations with his family, too,
especially with his father, a former slave who had become a minister. He
explored the sadness that he felt when various family members died. He
talked about his wife, Eslanda Cordoza Goode, and about his career. He
told stories about his years as a football player, his brief law career, and
life in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance.
After Robeson left the law firm, he turned to acting.
His first play was All God's Chillun Got Wings by Eugene O'Neill.
Robeson related that his character was required to whistle. But, because
he was incapable of whistling, Robeson chose to sing. "I sang like
there was no tomorrow," Robeson said. Later, Robeson found out that
O'Neill was in the audience. Later audience members would include such
people Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Kern. Robeson became famous for Showboat,
and especially for his rendition of "Ol' Man River," which, he said,
opened new doors and took him to England, where he lived for many years.
Trips to Spain, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Africa, among
other places, were turned into compelling stories in this play. It became
clear through the course of the play that Robeson had been a witness to many of
the major events of the Twentieth Century, including the rise of the Nazis and
the Spanish Civil War. For his witness, Robeson was attacked by the powers
that be during the darkest years of the cold war, the 1950s.
Judson played the role of Robeson with passion, eloquence,
and feeling. Director Kurt Schneiderman wrote in his notes that few people
today remember Robeson. I can only hope that this well-written, well-acted
play will be a start in changing that situation, that many people will want to
know more about the man immortalized by a stamp.