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Paul Robeson Accomplishments

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“This is the basis, and I am not being tried for whether I am a Communist, I am being tried for fighting for the rights of my people, who are still second-class citizens in this United States of America.” said Paul Robeson. Paul Robeson is important to the culture, history, and legacy of African Americans because he was an advocate for the civil rights of people around the world. He rose to prominence in a time when segregation was legal in the United States, and perhaps the first U.S. communist to be so honored.(Paul Robeson remembered.") When he was just a young man he had realized he could do something better for the people and he rose to becoming an inspirational hero.As a young man, Robeson was virile, charismatic, eloquent, and powerful. …show more content…

`Here, for the first time in my life . . . I walk in full human dignity,'"But because of his singular support for communism and Stalin, because his life in retrospect became "a pathetic tale of talent sacrificed, loyalty misplaced, and idealism betrayed,"Paul Robeson's lifetime accomplishments are worthy of a pack of high achievers: All-American football player, honors student as the only Black at Rutgers, lawyer, dramatic actor, renowned singer, and political activist. The last proved calamitous: his support of socialism led to his blacklisting in the 1950s and his reputation has since languished, if not in obscurity, then in a kind of limbo. Yet Robeson's left-wing activities derived from a strong character and high idealism (however mistaken history would prove his flirtation with Soviet style communism).(Contemporary Black Biography) It is well past time for wider public recognition of Robeson.In 1946 the former All-American explained his loyalty to an investigating committee: `The coach tells you what to do and you do it.' It

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