n the consciousness of the fact that we are brethren and that God is the father of us all.” This was given forty-four years before Martin Luther King became famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech.After college Paul Robeson moved on to become a world famous singer and actor. In 1924 he debuts in the lead of All God’s Chillun Got Wings in Greenwich Village. The play centers around a black man and his white wife. Such a relationship was scandalous in the 1920s. After the success of his first play he acted in Emperor Jones and four other musicals. In the 1920s and 1930s he starred in eleven films which included Body and Soul, Jericho, and Proud Valley. When he was in London, he became an international star for the title role in Othello. This role won him the Donaldson Award for Best Acting Performance in 1944. All parts that Robeson would accept portrayed African-Americans with great dignity. “Robeson, realizing his acting range was limited both by the choice of roles available to him as a black performer and by his own acting abilities, turned to singing full time as an outlet for his creative energies and growing social convictions.” (1992, Nagel) His most celebrated song came from the musical Showboat. He is famous for changing the words in the song “Old Man River” from “ . . . I’m tired of livin’ and ‘feared of dyin’ to a “declaration of resistance,” “ . . . I must keep fightn’ until I’m dying . . . ” After singing “Old Man River” in London, he began to receive invitations to perform all over the globe, including a special performance for the Prince of Wales and King of Spain. As he traveled Europe, he learned that racism wasn’t as prevalent there as it was in America. This new worldly view led him to become an outspoken advocate for many causes. At the time Newsweek wrote that Paul Robeson was, “...
