[News] Ron Jacobs - Robeson's Words of Freedom

[Anti-Imperialist News]

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16820


Walking the Lonely Road:A Review of Paul Robeson's Words of Freedom

March 09, 2008 By Ron Jacobs


When we think of Paul Robeson, those of us who 
know his work hear that bass voice professing a 
melody like no other voice bass ever recorded. 
His voice on “Ol' Man River” is the undercurrent 
of that mighty river pulling the silt across its 
bottom and leaving the oppressed working people 
along its shores behind. His version of 
“Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” 
provides a new depth to the meaning of forlorn. 
These songs, barely political, speak to us of the 
despair that has been the historical situation of 
the African-American since the first one was sold 
to the European slaver and packed into the hold 
of a slaving ship. They also resonate with a hope 
that the more fortunate often find difficult to comprehend.



Unlike some of his contemporaries that also had 
the white man's ear, Paul Robeson was never 
afraid to share his opinion about that history of 
oppression and its legacy. Nor was he quiet about 
the oppression of his fellow colonized peoples. 
This naturally did not endear him to the wealthy 
and powerful. Of course, this was not his 
intention, either. Born in North Carolina of a 
slave father who was also a freedom fighter, 
Robeson did not have to go far to find reasons 
for his beliefs. Racial apartheid and the 
accompanying irrationality and brutality were 
part of his family's everyday life. Even after he 
had made it professionally, he knew that to many 
people he was just another black man. On top of 
that, he was also a communist in an era when 
being such was tantamount to being a witch in the middle ages.



Freedom Archives of San Francisco, California, 
recently released a CD of oratory from Mr. 
Robeson titled Words of Freedom. This is the 
latest in the Archives series of audio and video 
releases recognizing the freedom struggle of 
black Americans. Earlier releases included a 
collection of conversations and speeches by and 
about Robert Williams and a video about the 
police torture of several Black Panther Party 
members­some of whom find themselves once again 
on trial for the very same crimes they were 
tortured by police for in the 1970s (charges that were dropped in 1975).



Robeson's stentorian voice enhances the messages 
of resistance and freedom on this disc. He talks 
about his life, slavery, the black freedom 
movement, and art, among other things. The 
longest excerpt is from his testimony in front of 
the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC). 
Unlike many others that were called before this 
committee and failed to stand up to its 
persecutory intimidation, Robeson challenges the 
hateful men he finds himself facing and unmasks 
their racist line of questions with an 
unequivocal statement of his belief in freedom 
and social justice. After a contentious go-around 
with the chair of the committee, a Representative 
from Pennsylvania, Robeson was asked: “Now, what 
prejudice are you talking about? You were 
graduated from Rutgers and you were graduated 
from the University of Pennsylvania. I remember 
seeing you play football at Lehigh.” Robeson 
responded with a joking reminder that Lehigh beat 
UPenn in football while he was there. The Senator 
and Robeson shared a thought or two on the 
subject of football and then the Senator repeated 
his question: “What prejudice are you talking 
about?”  Robeson responded: “Just a moment. This 
is something that I challenge very deeply, and 
very sincerely: that the success of a few 
Negroes, including myself or Jackie Robinson can 
make up­and here is a study from Columbia 
University­for seven hundred dollars a year for 
thousands of Negro families in the South. My 
father was a slave, and I have cousins who are 
sharecroppers, and I do not see my success in 
terms of myself. That is the reason my own 
success has not meant what it should mean....”



Although there is no music on this cd, the 
orations are like music to this ear. The depth of 
passion one hears on Robeson's musical recordings 
is equaled in these excerpts. The people that put 
together this CD hope to see it enter libraries 
and classrooms so that it can serve not only as 
the study of a great man who never wavered from 
his principles despite the temptations of wealth 
and the threats of his government, but also as an 
inspiration to those who listen to it. Words of 
Freedom is historical proof that artists and 
performers can be successful in the capitalist 
culture of the US without selling their heart or their soul.





Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
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