African American History, Paul Robeson Photo Print

Civil Rights activist, singer & actor Paul Robeson, sepia-tone photo prints. Created in the early 1990's for The American Heritage Galleries, printed on heavy cardstock, in original packaging. 11" X 14". Paul Leroy Robeson (1898 – 1976) was an American bass baritone concert artist & stage & film actor who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments & for his political activism. Educated at Rutgers College & Columbia University, he was a star athlete, who also studied Swahili & phonetics at the School of Oriental & African Studies in London in 1934. His political activities began with his involvement with unemployed workers & anti-imperialist students whom he met in Britain & continued with support for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War & his opposition to fascism. In the United States he became active in the Civil Rights Movement & other social justice campaigns. His sympathies for the Soviet Union & for communism, & his criticism of the United States government & its foreign policies, caused him to be blacklisted during the McCarthy era. In 1928, Robeson famously played "Joe" in the London production of the American musical Show Boat, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. His rendition of "Ol' Man River" became the benchmark for all future performers of the song.