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Thursday, March 19, 1998

History often has selective memory

HISTORY: Robeson finally given due notice after one hundred
years

By A. Marisol Sulsona and Kelly Vlahakis

Do you know who Paul Robeson is? Did you learn about him in
history class? Was his name even mentioned at your school during
Black History Month? Do you know that there is an entire class at
UCLA about him? Unfortunately, although Robeson deserves as much
recognition as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X, most
Americans have never even heard his name.

Robeson’s multifaceted talents have long been maligned, ignored
and often denied. He was a scholar, athlete, singer, stage and
screen actor, orator, linguist, lawyer and political activist for
human civil rights of people all around the world. Yet, although
his greatness is unmatched, his legacy has not been preserved.
Therefore, on the centennial of his birth, it is crucial to revive
the memory of a man who is, arguably, the greatest renaissance
person of the 20th century.

Robeson was born on April 9, 1898, in Princeton, N.J. His father
was an escaped slave, who taught him to stand up for what he
believed, regardless of the price or consequences of his actions.
Robeson never backed away from a challenge or his moral
convictions.

In an era where racism afforded African Americans few basic
rights, Robeson still managed to perform brilliantly in each of his
endeavors. In 1915 he won a four-year academic scholarship to
Rutgers University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and
valedictorian.

During his years there he lettered in baseball, basketball,
track, and was named twice to the All-American football team, the
first All-American in Rutgers history. Although he confronted
racism at every corner, Robeson excelled at Rutgers and proceeded
to attend Columbia Law School. As a lawyer, Robeson’s full
potential was suppressed by racism. Instead, he turned to theater
and music as a means of exercising his talent and full
potential.

He became the first African American to play Othello. His
stunning performance became the longest running Shakespearean play
in Broadway history. Along with appearing in theatrical productions
he also starred in such films as, Sanders of the River, King
Solomon’s Mines, Proud Valley, Body and Soul, The Emperor Jones,
Jericho, Tales of Manhattan, and several others. Through his music,
he promoted empowerment through black spirituals and sang in
numerous languages throughout the United States, Africa, Europe and
the Soviet Union to encourage peace and social justice. With these
talents, he began his journey to restore dignity to his people.
Unfortunately, his human and civil rights activities placed him
under intense scrutiny by the House on Un-American Activities
Committee during the McCarthy era and the Cold War. It labeled him
as a communist, revoked his passport, and sabotaged his entire
career. As a victim of the political hysteria of the times, his
outstanding lifetime accomplishments were tragically erased from
our historical records. His legacy is not widely taught in our
school nor is his name known by the majority of our population.
Instead of being remembered as the hero that he was, our historical
amnesia has allowed him to fade away.

A remedy for this atrocious censorship is finally beginning to
surface. This year, the centennial of his birth, a concerted effort
is being made throughout the nation to pay tribute to this
quintessential genius. On Feb. 25, he was awarded a Lifetime
Achievement Award during the Grammy proceedings.

Furthermore, committees all over the country are putting on
events in his honor. Currently, there is an exhibit at the
Hollywood Entertainment Museum as well as at the Kerckhoff Art
Gallery at UCLA.

Also, on April 9, a birthday celebration for Robeson will take
place at the Museum of Tolerance from 7-10 p.m. For more
information on upcoming events, you can contact the Paul Robeson
Community Center and Centennial Committee of Southern California at
(213) 752-PAUL (7285) or visit one of the many web sites. Paul
Robeson is only one of many people who our sanitized version of
history chooses to ignore. It is our responsibility to empower
ourselves through learning more about these important people.