Honoring a Princeton-born athlete, singer, actor and civil rights activist.
By: Jeff Milgram
In an emotion-filled ceremony, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a commemorative stamp Tuesday in honor of Paul Robeson, the Princeton-born athlete, singer, actor and civil rights activist.
The ceremony took place in Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium, the site of a moving celebration of the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the day before.
The stamp is the 27th in the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage series.
"I am particularly pleased to be honoring Paul Robeson here today in Alexander Hall in his hometown of Princeton a very appropriate location for this event," said Murry E. Weatherall, the vice president of diversity development for the Postal Service, who dedicated the stamp. "This place symbolizes genius, knowledge, study and fame, the perfect description of Paul Robeson’s life."
Born almost 106 years ago, Mr. Robeson did not attend Princeton University. As Rep. Rush Holt (D-12) noted, Mr. Robeson, a black, probably would not have been accepted.
Instead, he attended Rutgers University on a scholarship, became a Phi Beta Kappa, a two-time All-American football star and the class valedictorian. He then went to Columbia University Law School.
A 20th century Renaissance man, Mr. Robeson achieved worldwide fame as a singer and actor, and is best known for his role as the title character in Shakespeare’s "Othello," which he performed at McCarter Theatre. He also played the lead in Eugene O’Neill’s "Emperor Jones."
With songs such as his trademark "Ol’ Man River," Mr. Robeson became one of the most popular concert singers of his time.
"He sought grace in being a great artist," his son, Paul Robeson Jr., said Tuesday.
The son of an escaped slave who became a Presbyterian minister, Mr. Robeson used his fame to fight for racial equality, workers’ rights and other social justice causes. During the Cold War, his association with the Communist Party and his defense of the Soviet Union led him to be blacklisted on Broadway and have his passport revoked in 1950.
"Paul Robeson, born in Princeton nearly 106 years ago, became a citizen of the world through his ceaseless efforts to break down the barriers of race and ignorance, to advance civil rights and to promote peace," said Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman.
"In spite of the resistance he found … he never relented in his battle against oppression," she said.
Before the unveiling of the stamp, actor Avery Brooks sang a stirring rendition of "Balm in Gilead" and later spoke in the persona of Mr. Robeson in celebrating the stamp, thanking the audience and then singing part of "Ol’ Man River."
The Princeton a cappella group Shere Khan and Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church Choir also performed.
In one of the most impassioned speeches of the day, Rep. Holt spoke about his boyhood hero, Paul Robeson. He said that the university was an appropriate place for the ceremony because Mr. Robeson’s childhood in Princeton was among his happiest.
"The people of Princeton, the close-knit African-American community of Princeton, gave him an abiding sense of security," Rep. Holt said.
Rep. Holt said the stamp cannot erase the pain and isolation that Mr. Robeson endured because of the "hatred of racism and the fearful excesses of the Cold War," but it can serve as a reminder of Mr. Robeson’s powerful legacy.
"A stamp doesn’t make it right. … This stamp helps a lot. This is first-class postage," Rep. Holt said.
"Every time we affix one of these stamps to a letter, a stamp depicting Paul Robeson with a cheerful dignity, let’s draw a lesson or two," Rep. Holt said. "First, as the people of Princeton once did for a small boy, let’s show young boys and girls that there is something special about them, that they can do great things. Second, let us remember that we as a government, we as the media, we who comprise conventional wisdom can be wrong painfully wrong."
Fighting tears, New Jersey Secretary of State Regena Thomas praised Mr. Robeson’s fight for equality and the impact he and other black Americans honored with a stamp Harriet Tubman and Fannie Lou Hamer had on her life.
"I’m here today because Paul Robeson redefined what could be accomplished," Ms. Thomas said. "Now my possibilities are ever more endless."
Looking at Mr. Robeson’s son, she said, "I hope I can uphold all the honor and dignity of your father."
Henry Foner, the former president of the Fur and Leatherworkers Union and now the president of the Paul Robeson Foundation, said, "In every corner of the world the name Paul Robeson means freedom."
Paul Robeson Jr. said his father should be recognized alongside other champions of America’s progressive tradition, such as Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, the Rev. King, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.
"The stamp is a symbol of our nation’s recognition of Paul Robeson’s service, not only to our nation but also to the world."