Context: The Cold War |
Image: Peekskill Museum, 1949
|
U.S.-Soviet relations collapsed after World War II and a bitter Cold War pitting communism against capitalism began. Amidst heightened fears of communism, Senator Joseph McCarthy embarked on a vitriolic anti-communist crusade. Robeson's leftist politics and Soviet sympathies soon came under scrutiny, especially after he refused to denounce brutal Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
Backlash
Robeson became embroiled in controversy in 1949 after the Associated Press circulated the following quotation:
It is unthinkable that American Negroes would go to war on behalf of those who have oppressed us for generations against a country [the Soviet Union] which in one generation has raised our people to the full dignity of mankind. Because of Robeson’s vocal support of the Soviet Union and his involvement in leftist causes, he became the target of a government campaign to silence and destroy him. He was vilified as an out-of-touch “Kremlin Stooge” by the press and blacklisted by the entertainment industry. Violent riots erupted at a concert in Peekskill, New York, and the 1950 revocation of Robeson’s passport by the State Department dealt a major blow to the international star’s career. Robeson’s unquestioning dedication to the Soviet experiment led him to willfully ignore Stalin’s flaws, greatly diminishing his credibility as a leader.
|
Clip from Paul Robeson: Tribute to a Artist,
Janus Films, 1979 |
Unbroken
You are the nonpatriots, and you are the un-Americans, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. In 1956, Robeson was summoned to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. His fiery testimony proved that his powerful voice would not be silenced. When asked “Why do you not stay in Russia?” Robeson retorted, “Because my father was a slave, and my people died to build this country, and I am going to stay here, and have a part of it just like you. And no Fascist-minded people will drive me from it. Is that clear?”
|
Death
Because of his controversial beliefs, Robeson was relegated to the sidelines of the burgeoning civil rights movement of the 1960s for which he helped lay the foundation. Virtually unheard from in his final years, Robeson died of a stroke on January 23, 1976.
As artist and man, he was a prophetic vision of how wondrously beautiful the human race can become. Now he belongs to the future. |