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

To Hear Audio

Paul Robeson

How to Download

• in Windows, right-click and save to disk;
• Mac OS 9 users click and hold, Download Link to Disk;
• Mac OS X users, click once and file will open in Quicktime or your favorite audio player.

Paul Robeson

April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976

Paul Robeson – activist, scholar, artist, athlete – was shunted from the center of America's cultural stage to its wings. For a generation, his memory was obscured and his achievements forgotten, but the centennial of his 1898 birth has sparked new debate about his place in our history.

A man of fierce dignity striving against immense adversity, he was vigilant in fighting for Civil Rights and was the director of the Civil Rights Congress and as their representative, he charged the United States with genocide against blacks to the United Nations. A prominent communist, he was often shunned by those in other Civil Rights organizations such as the NAACP.

For more information:

• Paul Robeson: Words Like Freedom from Freedom Archives