“Do you know why Bugs Bunny got his picture on a stamp and he didn't?”

Paul Robeson 1898-1976

Ol' Man River

Lyrics rewritten by Paul Robeson

There's an old man called the Mississippi,That's the old man that I wants to be…

(I keeps laughin’ instead of cryin'I must keep fightin' until I'm dyin‘…)Original Lyrics

Niggers all work on the Mississippi,Niggers all work while the white folks play.

(I gits weary and sick of tryin';I'm tired of livin' and scared of dyin‘…)

“Ol' Man River is the song most closely associated with Paul Robeson; it was dedicated to him by composer Jerome

Kern and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II and was a major element in the musical

Showboat (1930).

The original 1927 lyrics reflected the racism in the culture of the time and were

re-written by Robeson to eliminate the racist words and establish a message of

determined defiance.”-www.rutgers.edu/robeson/oldman

He don't plant taters, and he don't plant cotton

And them that plants ‘em, is soon forgotten

But Ol' Man River, he just keeps rollin' along

You and me, we sweat and strain

Body all achin' and racked with pain

Tote that barge and lift that bail

You get a little drunk and you lands in jail

(“You can wreck my name, vilify me,

stretch me on the rack… But I won't bow down to any man,

be he white or be he black…

…Take away my passport, refuse to let me travel…

But I will not get down on my knees-you’re never gonna make

me grovel…”)

(“You can call me a “traitor”,

but I love my country And I will not sell it out

because of your hypocrisy I refuse to hide behind “the

Fifth”…

…I've no fear of honesty”)

You always know exactly where I am,

so why don't you just

Come on over here Come on over here

and get me…and get me…

-Larry Kirwan, Black 47Paul Robeson(Born to be Free)

Paul Robeson (a student/teacher

collaboration byJared Hunt/Mr.

Rozell)

Words and Music

by Larry Kirwan

and

Black 47

"The artist must elect to fight for Freedom or for Slavery. I have made my choice. I had no alternative."

Paul Robeson

Early Life

• Paul Robeson was born on April 9th, 1898.

• As a youth he showed great talent in athletics, academics, music and speaking.

• At 17 he won a statewide contest, winning himself a free four year scholarship to Rutgers University.

University Life• Only the third black man accepted to Rutgers, Robeson was a star athlete, winning 15 varsity letters in Football, Baseball, Basketball and Track… though he was “benched” on occasion when opposing teams refused to take the field against a black man.

• He also was Rutgers'star scholar, orator and singer.

Robeson on the Gridiron

• Robeson was Rutgers’ valedictorian, Class of 1919.

• His speech urged people to strive for a world where, "black and white shall clasp friendly hands in the consciousness of the fact that we are brethren and that God is the Father of us all."

Robeson College Portrait

• Robeson continued school at Columbia, earning a law degree.

• His law career was short. A white secretary refused to take dictation and he immediately quit.

“The Star”• After Law, Robeson was

encouraged to pursue a theatrical career.

• He performed in notable works like “Emperor Jones”, “Othello” and “Showboat.”

• “Ol’ Man River” became his trademark song.

• By 1930 Robeson was a certified Star.

Political Views• After being invited to the

USSR, Robeson was enamored by the racial and ethnic equality found there.

• Robeson seriously contemplated living in the USSR and even sent his son the Soviet schools.

• Robeson believed that the Soviet society was the pinnacle of Man's achievement…

Soviet Symbols

• Robeson Supported Self Determination for Colonies and despised Imperialism and Fascism…

• Robeson also

supported the Civil Rights movement, the labor movement and other progressive movements in the United States.

•Leading shipyard workers in singing The Star-Spangled Banner, September 1942

World War II

• Robeson gave benefit concerts and asked the government to aid China and the USSR.

• Robeson Toured with the USO when it became integrated in 1945.

1943

• He received the Abraham Lincoln Medal for notable and distinguished service in human relations; the FBI, however, labeled him a leading Communist and issued a “custodial detention card” that would allow his immediate arrest in a national emergency.

-www.rutgers.edu/robeson

•Robeson used his winning of the NAACP’s Springam Medal in 1945 as a platform to speak out against the post-war developments he disagreed with.

•The FBI fully noted this occasion.

"I stand here struggling for the rights of my people to be full citizens in this country and

they are not!”

Paul Robeson

Backlash …• After being placed on

a list as a suspected communist, many cities moved to ban Robeson.

• The Albany, NY Board of Education was among those that refused to let him sing; the NYS Supreme Court ruled he could, if he stuck to the musical program only.

"Whether I am or am not a Communist is irrelevant. The question is whether American

citizens, regardless of their political beliefs or sympathies, may enjoy their constitutional

rights."

Paul Robeson

• Robeson spent time picketing outside the White House and testifying before a Senate committee protesting a bill that would force communists to register with the government.

• Robeson was misquoted as saying Blacks should not serve in an army that does not guarantee them civil rights.

Robeson

• Black leaders condemned Robeson before the House Un-American Activities Committee due to his comment.

• A Riot occurred at a Robeson concert in Peekskill NY. Rioters torched chairs, smashed the stage and sent 12 people to the hospital.

Joseph McCarthy, Chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee

"I'm going to sing wherever the people want me to sing...and I won't be

frightened by crosses burning in Peekskill or

anywhere else."

Paul Robeson

Passport Problems• Robeson’s passport

was revoked after speaking out against the Korean War.

• Robeson could have gotten his passport back if he had sworn he was not a communist.

• Robeson refused, and started an 8 year crusade to regain his passport.

Pro-Robeson Poster

“I am born and bred in this America of ours, I want to love it. But we must have the courage to

shout at the top of our voices about our injustices. And we must

lay the blame right where it is belonged for over three hundred years of slavery and misery; right

here on our doorstep!”

Paul Robeson

Robeson’s Offensive • Forced to testify in 1956

before McCarty’s HUAC, Robeson boldly declared the committee members "the true un-Americans, and you should be ashamed of yourselves."

• Prominent Black leaders continued to shun Robeson.

Robeson Speaking out

“Because my father was a slave, and my people died to build this country and I am

going to stay here and have a part of it just like you. And no

fascist- minded people will drive me from it. Is that clear?”

Paul Robeson(Reply to H.U.A.C. question, “Why did you not stay in Russia?”)

• Robeson defied his “imprisonment” by performing via telephone to foreign countries.

• Robeson started his own record company because he was blacklisted by all others.

• Robeson continued to speak out against persecution of communists and Cold War foreign Policy.

One of Robeson’s Albums released under his own label.

• The U.S.Supreme Court reversed the passport revocation in 1958, but by then it was too late. He had been “forgotten” by America.

• He spent his later years delusional, suffering from many emotional breakdowns.

• Robeson died on January 23rd, 1976, from a stroke.

“Although Robeson never regained completely his health or career, he became a worldwide symbol of resistance to oppression…” http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/robeson/robes2.htm

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www.ovationtv.com/artszone/programs/robeson

Credits• “Paul Robeson (Born to be Free)”,

performed by Black 47. Used with artist’s permission (and wholehearted blessings).

• Chambers, Lori, et al., Paul Robeson, www.rutgers.edu/robeson/main.html Accessed June 2002.

The definitive website on Paul Robeson, from which much of the material for this presentation was garnered, was produced by his alma mater Rutgers University in 1998, the centennial of his birth.

• Remembering Paul Robeson- April 9, 1998,Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/remember/1998/robeson_4-9.html. Discussion on the centennial of Robeson’s birth. Accessed 10-02.

• Paul Robeson Home Page, Electronic New Jersey- A Digital History of New Jersey, www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson. Accessed 10-02. Exploration of Robeson’s formative years growing up in a predominately “white” world.

• Paul Robeson on the Web, Princeton Public Library, www.princeton.lib.nj.us/robeson/links, Accessed 10-02. Exhaustive list of links to Robeson related websites.

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