As a former professional football player, lawyer, singer, and actor on Broadway and in film, Paul Robeson was a commanding figure. But it wasn’t his 6’3” frame that scared racists the most. It was his political activism.
Fluent in more than 20 languages, Robeson was famous around the world. He learned languages one by one, as if they were collectibles. But the true value of his multilingualism intertwined with his passion for racial equality.
Robeson viewed languages as “unnecessary barriers” to unity, as he just wanted to see people around the world collectively free from oppression. But he knew he had to continue learning languages to communicate with the people he wanted to help.
Robeson composed songs in several languages, many of them about the global concept of equality. Fearing his full-throated condemnation of oppression and human suffering, the U.S. government revoked his passport, but Robeson knew that his activism could bring retaliation.
“The artist must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice. I had no alternative.” Robeson knew that when he chose political activism, he would be a target. But because he was able to touch millions of people with his music and his message, he had no regrets.
Paul Robeson showed that it’s not about what we know, but how we use what we know. What do you know that can help our people, whether in America or other places around the world?