Honors for Robeson

He was one of the most accomplished men of his or any other time. A star athlete at Rutgers. Admitted to the New York Bar in 1923. A star actor on stage in All God's Chillun Got Wings, Show Boat and Othello, and on screen in Emperor Jones, among others. Singer and recording artist.

Activist and author. Self-taught in 20 languages. Staunch supporter of the Soviet Union and the ideals of a collective society in the midst of the Cold War. Outspoken critic of fascism and racist policies in the United States. Supporter of organized labor and working people everywhere. Called before Joe McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee. Blacklisted. Stripped of his passport. Ignored and to many segments of society, forgotten.

Paul Robeson lived his life holding fast to strong convictions, with few regrets. In this day and age of non-political celebrities, it is hard to imagine someone so willing to sacrifice his own status for his beliefs, but Robeson did so because he understood his personal accomplishments meant little if others still lived lives of oppression and hardship.

Now some 28 years after his death, the United States Postal Service has honored Robeson by putting his likeness on a 37 cent postage stamp. Officially issued on Tuesday, January 20 at a ceremony in his hometown of Princeton, NJ, the stamp will be the 27th in the Black Heritage series. The Black Heritage series began in 1978 with the issuance of the Harriet Tubman commemorative stamp.

Largely because of his controversial stance on many social issues of the 20th Century, Robeson has received less recognition than other Black civil rights figures. He was a hard-liner before it was popular and long after others had mellowed.

Hopefully this new awareness will spur people to examine his overall contributions to not just the fight for human rights, but worker rights, the artistic community, and international relations.

HOW TO ORDER THE FIRST DAY OF ISSUE POSTMARK

Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase the new stamps at their local post office, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store Web site at www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to: PAUL ROBESON COMMEMORATIVE STAMP, POSTMASTER, 213 CARNEGIE CENTER, PRINCETON NJ 08540-9991. After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by February 20, 2004.

Posted by bernie at January 21, 2004 11:20 PM