Paul+Robeson

Paul Robeson was a righteous man because he fought for human rights. He was a singer with a deep, deep voice who sang about freedom in 25 languages. He stood up for the workers and for Black people. Paul Robeson was born on April 9, 1898 in Princeton New Jersey. He had five siblings and he was the youngest of all of them. His mother came from a Quaker family. She burned in a fire when Paul was six years old. His father was a runaway slave who went to Lincoln University. He was a preacher, so Paul Robeson grew up in a church. His people were tobacco workers and his family was very poor. When Paul was in high school he wanted to play football, so he tried out for the team, but they were racist, and so they tried to make sure he didn’t get on the team. But the coach found out he was tough, so he let him on the team because he knew he wouldn’t quit. Then he got really good at football. When Paul Robeson finished high school in 1915, he went to Rutgers University. and got a scholarship. He was the first Black person at Rutgers, and the first to play football with white people. He played football, basketball, baseball and ran track. He got money from singing for his tuition. When he graduated he was the valedictorian. After he graduated he went to Columbia Law School and became a lawyer. In 1921 Paul Robeson got married to a Jewish Black lady named Eslanda Cordoza Goode. They had a son named Paul Robeson, Jr. in 1927. Paul Robeson never let himself down. He got a job as a lawyer, but his secretary was a racist and wouldn’t listen to him or do what he said so he quit. He left his job to promote African American history by singing and fighting for freedom. He used his art to fight for justice for Black people. He used his baritone voice and sang in 25 languages around the world for people who needed justice. He also was a great actor. During the Cold War, the two Super powers, the USSR and the USA were enemies. The USSR was Communist. The USA was scared of communism spreading around the world. Paul Robeson didn’t want to fight with the USSR so they though he was a communist. Jackie Robinson was under a lot of pressure to call Paul Robeson a communist, so he went to the Senate Hearings and called Paul Robeson a communist. The government asked whether Paul Robeson was a communist and he said “You have no right to ask me”. So his passport got taken away and he couldn’t go to any of his concerts. He couldn’t go to any other countries for nine years. Since he was called a communist, he couldn’t perform. In 1958 Paul Robeson got his passport back and was allowed to go back on his tours. He started performing in concerts again until he got heart disease in 1961. Two years later he retired and he was still sick. He llived at his sister’s house in Philadelphia. In 1976 he died of a stroke. When he died he was in the Football Hall of Fame. He is still famous today for fighting for human rights. He is very important man because he changed the world.
 * By Kevin, Ronald, Zoe, Brooke, Jabril, Layla and Jimir, Grade 3**