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.