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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.