Paul Robeson

Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American actor, athlete, singer, writer, and political and civil rights activist.

Critic of the United States

On his frequent trips to Western Europe and the Soviet Union he was highly critical of the conditions experienced by black Americans, especially in the segregated southern states. Robeson was an activist against lynching. He pressed President Truman aggressively on the issue in a tense 1946, making remarks that implied black people would fight back to defend themselves if the government would not, and in the same year founded the American Crusade Against Lynching. This outspokenness, together with sympathies expressed towards the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin in particular, his membership in the Communist Party of the United States of America and his frequent trips to the Soviet Union led to his being investigated by the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. Robeson was under surveillance by the FBI from 1941 to 1974, when the Bureau decided that "no further investigation was warranted." http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/infosrv/MicroCollections/fbirobeson.htm

Related Topics:
Soviet Union - Lynching - American Crusade Against Lynching - Joseph Stalin - Communist Party of the United States of America - FBI - J. Edgar Hoover

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He still occasionally sang overseas, including a performance at the Welsh National Eisteddfod conducted over the telephone. In 1940, Robeson had appeared in The Proud Valley, in which he played a black labourer arriving in south Wales and winning the hearts of the local population; he continues to be thought of as having particular links with Wales, where his political views were not seen as controversial. Indeed, Robeson remains a popular figure in the nation, and he once said, "South Wales is my favourite place on Earth." Robeson also toured the Soviet Union in the summer of 1949 where during a rendition of "People's Battle Song," Robeson was applauded for over fifteen minutes by the Moscow audience.

Related Topics:
Welsh - National Eisteddfod - 1940 - The Proud Valley

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In 1949, Robeson performed a concert in Peekskill, New York. After the concert, organized anti-Communist and racist vigilantes attacked departing concertgoers, while local police stood by and did nothing. The local newspaper was accused of encouraging the attacks, dubbed the Peekskill Riots.

Related Topics:
1949 - Peekskill, New York - Anti-Communist - Racist - Vigilante - Peekskill Riots

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