Paul Robeson: A man of many talents
Paul Robeson:
- Was an athlete, singer, actor, activist, orator, musicologist and scholar
- Was named to the All-American Football Team
- Was the first African-American to play professional football
- Spoke and wrote more than 20 languages
- Has many public schools, libraries and university buildings named in his honor
- Received honorary degrees from Rutgers, Howard, Morehouse and Lincoln Universities
- Was the third African-American to graduate from Columbia Law School
- Was known as "Roby"
- Made 11 feature films
- Won the major oratorical contest four years in a row
- Was the first African-American to demand and receive the right to final approval of films
- Was the first African-American to refuse to work under segregated conditions and to refuse to work in the South
- Was the first major artist to perform inside of the prison system
- Was awarded honorary memberships in major unions, including Longshoremen's and Maritime.
Chronology:
1898
- Born in Princeton on April 9 to the Rev. William Drew and Maria Louisa Robeson.
- Youngest of five children, three brothers and one sister.
- Mother was burned to death when a coal from the stove caught her dress on fire.
- Graduated with honors from Somerville High School in New Jersey.
- Awarded a four-year scholarship to Rutgers University in New Jersey by winning a statewide written competition.
- Third African-American to attend the private college.
- Won 15 varsity letters at Rutgers in baseball, basketball, track and football.
- Star scholar, orator, singer and athlete.
- Elected to all honor societies.
- One of four classmates admitted to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year.
- Father died at the age of 73.
- Member of Debating Team, Literary Society and Cap and Skull Honor Society.
- Graduated Valedictorian of his class.
- Moved to Harlem and was accepted at Columbia Law School.
- Met and married Eslanda (Essie) Cardozo Goode, a pathology technician who was working at Columbia Medical Center in New York City. Essie became a scientist, anthropologist, journalist and world traveler.
- Played Jim in "Taboo" at the Sam Harris Theater in Harlem (play was re-named "Vodoo").
- Played his last year of professional football.
- Played the title role as Simon in "Simon the Cyrenian" at the Harlem YMCA.
- Played professional football on weekends and coached basketball.
- Received a law degree from Columbia Law School.
- First African-American hired at Stotesbury and Miner, one of New York's most prestigious law firms.
- Lead role in "All God's Chillun Got Wings" in Greenwich Village.
- Lead role in "The Emperor Jones" which opened at the Provinceton Theater in New York.
- Sang his first formal concert at the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.
- Starred in his first film "Body and Soul" in New York.
- Toured and recorded four double-sided albums.
- Received 12 ovations in the opening of "The Emperor Jones."
- Appeared in "Shuffle Along" at the Plantation Club.
- Essie quit her job to become Paul's manager.
- Paul Robeson, Jr., (Pauli) was born in New York, their only child.
- Performed in "Porgy" in London.
- Sang Ol' Man River in "Show Boat" at the Drury Theater in London. The theater was so packed that hundreds of people were turned away.
- Prince of Wales Command Performance.
- Appeared in the title role of Shakespeare's "Othello" in London.
- Essie published a biography of Paul Robeson.
- Starred in "Borderline" filmed in Switzerland. Essie starred as Paul's wife in the movie.
- First African-American actor to play in a Shakespearean play.
- First major commercial film "Emperor Jones" was opened at the Rivoli and uptown Harlem at the Roosevelt. Film grossed over $10,000 the first week. More than 200,000 viewers were in attendance.
- Starred in "Sanders of the River" in London.
- Paul and Essie stopped in Seattle to perform in several concerts.
- Completed the filming of "Show Boat" in less than two months.
- Signed a contract to appear in the British production, "Song of Freedom" to appear at London's largest theater.
- Demanded and won the contract to approve the "final cut."
- Filmed "Jericho" in Egypt.
- Changed the words of "Ol' Man River" from 'I'm tired of livin' and scared of dyin' to 'I must keep fightin' until I'm dyin'.
- Co-founder of the Council on African Affairs. This chairmanship was shared with Dr. W.E.B. DuBois.
- Played with Essie in "Big Fella."
- Performed at concerts in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm.
- Live broadcast of "Ballad for Americans" in the Columbia Broadcasting System. CBS received hundreds of telephone calls and audience gave a 20-minute standing ovation.
- "Ballad of Americans" was immediately recorded and sold more than 30,000 copies within one year.
- Republican party selected "Ballad for Americans" for its theme song.
- Performed throughout the country and overseas for Armed Forces.
- Announced that he would no longer act in condescending roles.
- Received 13 encores for last concert tour.
- Spent summer addressing rallies for progressive causes.
- Played lead role in opening of "Othello" on Broadway.
- Received the Abraham Lincoln Medal for notable and distinguished service in human relations.
- Led delegation that requested the baseball commissioner lift the ban against African-Americans in the major leagues.
- 8,000 people attended Paul's 46th birthday party. 4,000 were turned away at the door.
- Awarded the Medal for Good Diction in New York by the American Academy of Arts and Letters (only nine others had previously received this award).
- Received the first Donaldson Award for his outstanding performance. It is equivalent to the Tony Award.
- Received NAACP's highest honor, the Springarn Medal.
- "Othello" closed. It was seen by more than half a million viewers.
- Increased activity and awareness for civil rights.
- Led delegation to the White House and met with President Truman for federal anti-lynching legislation.
- Subpoenaed by the California Legislation Committee and questioned on his political ideas and associations.
- One of the founders of the "Progressive Party." Challenged the Democrats and Republicans in upcoming Presidential elections.
- Eighty-five of his concerts were canceled.
- Attended the World Peace Congress in Paris with 17,000 delegates from all over the world.
- The State Department ordered Paul to surrender his passport.
- Paul refused to surrender his passport, the press released editorials that it was canceled.
- Essie and Paul, Jr., were also requested to cancel passports.
- Filed suit against the State Department for return of his passport.
- Demonstrated in Washington, D.C., to support the Fair Employment Practices Commission Bill.
- Attended the Civil Rights Congress Rally at Madison Square Garden.
- Attended the Harlem Rally sponsored by the Council on African American Affairs.
- 40,000 spellbound listeners gathered to hear Paul sing at the Peace Arch.
- Founded own company and recorded two albums: "Paul Robeson Sings" and "Solid Rock."
- Council on African Affairs was disbanded.
- Invited to address the Bandung Conference in Indonesia. Paul sent a tape-recorded message because he was unable to retrieve his passport.
- Praised Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, nonviolent methods.
- Circumvented passport restrictions by singing on a long-distance telephone call through a public address system to assemblies in London and Wales. Sold-out crowd, hundreds were turned away.
- Authorized to travel to places that did not require passports.
- Celebrated his 60th birthday.
- India declared March 17 as "Paul Robeson Day".
- Published "Here I Stand" autobiography.
- Gave two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall.
- Passport was returned when the U.S. Supreme Court ruling was won against the State Department.
- More than 4,000 listeners and 5,000 more stood outside of Saint Paul's Cathedral to hear Paul sing.
- Hospitalized and diagnosed with a form of arteriosclerosis.
- Gave the last concert of his career in Australia.
- Hospitalized in Moscow, East Berlin and London for several months.
- Diagnosed with a bone disorder.
- Retired from public life.
- Essie was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
- Almost died from double pneumonia.
- Essie died on the eve of her sixty-ninth birthday.
- "Freedomways" magazine sponsored a welcome home birthday party in New York for Paul.
- Celebrated his 75th birthday.
- Rutgers sponsored a Robeson life symposium.
- Paul Robeson, Jr., organized a "Salute to Paul Robeson" at Carnegie Hall.
- Coretta Scott King spoke in support of Paul's civil rights and human dignity efforts.
- Hospitalized from a stoke on Dec. 28.
- Died on Jan. 23 in Philadelphia at the age of seventy-seven.
- Paul's body was viewed at Benta's Funeral Home in Harlem.
- Over 5,000 mourners attended the funeral services.
- Nineteen years after his death, Paul was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.