Editing Paul Robeson (section)

{{short description|American singer, actor, political activist, and athlete (1898–1976)}}
{{about|the singer and activist|his son|Paul Robeson Jr.}}
{{use American English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Paul Robeson
| image              = Paul Robeson 1942 crop.jpg
| caption            = Robeson in 1942
| birth_name         = Paul Leroy Robeson
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1898|4|9}}
| birth_place        = [[Princeton, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|1976|1|23|1898|4|9}}}}
| death_place        = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Ferncliff Cemetery]] ([[Greenburgh, New York]])
| education          = {{plainlist|
*[[Rutgers University–New Brunswick|Rutgers University, New Brunswick]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])}}
*[[New York University]]
*[[Columbia University]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])}}
*[[SOAS University of London]]}}
| known_for          = ''[[Show Boat]]''<br>''[[The Emperor Jones (1933 film)|The Emperor Jones]]''<br>''[[Othello]]''<br>''[[All God's Chillun Got Wings (play)|All God's Chillun Got Wings]]''
| occupation         = {{hlist|Singer|actor|activist|athlete}}
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Eslanda Goode Robeson|Eslanda Goode]]|1921|1965|reason=died}}
| children           = [[Paul Robeson Jr.]]
| parents            = {{ubl|[[William Drew Robeson I|William Drew Robeson]]|[[Maria Louisa Bustill]]}}
| relatives          = [[Bustill family]]
| module             = {{Infobox NFL biography
| embed       = yes
| name        = Paul Robeson
| image       = PRobeson.jpg
| caption     = Robeson in football uniform at [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights football|Rutgers]], {{Circa|1919}}
| number      = 21, 17
| position    = [[End (American football)|End]] / [[Tackle (American football)|tackle]]
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 3
| weight_lbs  = 219
| high_school = [[Somerville High School (New Jersey)|Somerville (NJ)]]
| college     = [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights football|Rutgers]]
| teams       = *[[Akron Pros]] ({{NFL Year|1921}})
*[[Milwaukee Badgers]] ({{NFL Year|1922}})
| highlights  = *2× Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1917 College Football All-America Team|1917]], [[1918 College Football All-America Team|1918]])
| statlabel1  = Games played
| statvalue1  = 15
| statlabel2  = Games started
| statvalue2  = 15
| statlabel3  = [[Touchdowns]]
| statvalue3  = 2<ref>{{cite news |title=Thorpe–M'Millan Fight Great Duel: Robeson Scores Both Touchdowns for Locals Against Indians |date=November 20, 1922 |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel#The Milwaukee Journal|The Milwaukee Journal]] |page=7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://fs64sports.blogspot.com/2013/11/1922-robeson-scores-2-tds-as-milwaukee.html |title=Today in Pro Football History |date=19 November 2013 |last=Yowell |first=Keith}}</ref>
| pfr         = R/RobePa20
| CollegeHOF  = 1339
}}
}}
'''Paul Leroy Robeson''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|oʊ|b|s|ən}} {{respell|ROHB|sən}};<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cpsr.cs.uchicago.edu/robeson/links/quotes.html |title=Paul Robeson Quotations |publisher=Paul Robeson Centennial Celebration |access-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315091456/http://www.cpsr.cs.uchicago.edu/robeson/links/quotes.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=What's the Name, Please? |first=Frank H. |last=Vizetelly |author-link=Frank Horace Vizetelly |date=March 3, 1934 |journal=[[The Literary Digest]] |page=11 }}</ref> April 9, 1898&nbsp;– January 23, 1976) was an American [[bass-baritone]] concert artist, actor, professional [[American football|football]] player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political stances.

In 1915, Robeson won an academic scholarship to [[Rutgers University|Rutgers College]] in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]], where he was the only African-American student. While at Rutgers, he was twice named a consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] in football and was elected class valedictorian. He earned his LL.B. from [[Columbia Law School]], while playing in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). After graduation, he became a figure in the [[Harlem Renaissance]], with performances in [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[The Emperor Jones]]'' and ''[[All God's Chillun Got Wings (play)|All God's Chillun Got Wings]]''.

Robeson performed in Britain in a touring melodrama, ''Voodoo'', in 1922, and in ''Emperor Jones'' in 1925. In 1928, he scored a major success in the London premiere of ''[[Show Boat]]''. Living in London for several years with his wife [[Eslanda Goode Robeson|Eslanda]], Robeson continued to establish himself as a concert artist and starred in a London production of ''[[Othello]]'', the first of three productions of the play over the course of his career. He also gained attention in ''[[Sanders of the River]]'' (1935) and in the film production of ''[[Show Boat (1936 film)|Show Boat]]'' (1936). Robeson's political activities began with his involvement with unemployed workers and anti-imperialist students in Britain, and it continued with his support for the [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Republican]] cause during the [[Spanish Civil War]] and his involvement in the [[Council on African Affairs]].

After returning to the United States in 1939, Robeson supported the American and Allied war efforts during [[World War II]]. His history of supporting civil rights causes and Soviet policies, however, brought scrutiny from the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI). After the war ended, the Council on African Affairs was placed on the [[Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations]]. Robeson was investigated during the [[McCarthy era]]. When he refused to recant his public advocacy of his political beliefs, the [[United States Department of State|U.S. State Department]] withdrew his passport and his income plummeted. He moved to [[Harlem]] and published a periodical called [[Freedom (American newspaper)|''Freedom'']],<ref>{{cite web |title=Freedom |url=http://dlib.nyu.edu/freedom/ |publisher=NYU Libraries |access-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315193159/http://dlib.nyu.edu/freedom/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which was critical of United States policies, from 1950 to 1955. Robeson's right to travel was eventually restored as a result of the 1958 [[Supreme Court of the United States|United States Supreme Court]] decision ''[[Kent v. Dulles]]''.

Between 1925 and 1961, Robeson released recordings of some 276 songs. The first of these was the [[Spiritual (music)|spiritual]] "[[Steal Away]]", backed with "[[Were You There]]", in 1925. Robeson's recorded repertoire spanned many styles, including Americana, popular standards, classical music, European folk songs, political songs, poetry and spoken excerpts from plays.<ref>[http://www.cpsr.cs.uchicago.edu/robeson/links/discography.html "Resources About Paul Robeson (1898–1976)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622165600/http://www.cpsr.cs.uchicago.edu/robeson/links/discography.html |date=June 22, 2017 }}, Paul Robeson Centennial Celebration. Retrieved June 12, 2017.</ref>