Domestic Activism

"I am a Negro. The house I live in is in Harlem--this city within a city, Negro metropolis of America. . .I am an American. From within my window I gaze out upon a scene that reminds me how deep-going are the roots of my people in this land." - Paul Robeson, Here I Stand

socialism & the ‘common people’

“I speak as an American Negro whose life is dedicated, first and foremost, to winning full freedom, and nothing less than full freedom, for my people in America.” -Here I Stand, 1958

In Robeson’s Here I Stand, he blatantly expresses his position as a fighter for the “common people” that comprise his idea of America. He often found himself angered by not only the radical forms of racism in American, but also the institutionalized racism which he saw in place in American structures. During the course of his life he fought against much of this racism, including anti-lynching campaigns, and a movement toward a celebration of African heritage amongst Black Americans.

Associated with Robeson’s idea of fighting for the common people is his belief in socialism as a component of his fight for full freedom. He felt that “a socialist society represents an advance to a higher stage of life,” it was to him, “superior to a system based upon production for private profit” (Here I Stand 47) . But a large part of his belief in socialism was that it was irrelevant to argue about the relevance of socialism, and move toward the creation of this society. Looking at this as a method, it can be argued that one must assert socialism as an ideology if one expect others to understand the idea and move toward it. While Robeson seemed to argue that the evolution toward socialism would be a natural societal occurrence, and implied this through his relationship with the Soviet Union, a more highly developed advocacy for socialism in the ‘common people’ of America may have made it more of a reality, and served as a counter to the McCarthy attacks Robeson and many others had to endure. As a result of the House of Un-American’s Activities Committee, decision that Robeson and his wife were members of the communist party, Robeson was denied his passport and unable to travel outside the United States for several years.

pride in heritage

“I have met negroes in the United States who believed that the African negro communicated his thoughts solely by means of gestures, that, in fact he was practically incapable of speech and merely used sign language!

“It is my first concern to dispel this regrettable and abysmal ignorance of the value of its own heritage in the negro race itself. I intend to make a comparative study of the main language groups: Indo-European, Asiatic and African, choosing two or three principal languages out of each group, and indicate their comparative richness at a comparable stage of development. It may take me five years to complete this work but I am convinced that the results will be adequate to form a concrete foundation for a movement to in spite confidence in the negro in the value of his own past and future.” - Robeson, “The Culture of the Negro,” The Spectator, London, June 15, 1934

One of the ways in which Paul Robeson felt he could fight for the freedom of Black Americans was through a celebration of heritage. He felt that, as a people, Black America could either disappear into their Americanness, or create themselves as a people with roots in an African past, which he felt asserted a sense of equality in American society.

While it is not the typical activism, Robeson’s commitment to heritage as a component of struggle underscores a belief in social justice as something that is both internal and external. Not only is it about transforming the society which seeks to oppress Blacks, but also transforming Blacks so they understand their importance in a society which sought to ignore their heritage and contribution to the construction of the society.

anti-lynching campaign

One of Robeson’s earliest domestic campaigns was against the lynchings which were rampant during the period from his college career through the 1940s. In 1946 Robeson led a delegation, the American Crusade to End Lynching, attempting to get President Harry S. Truman to sponsor anti-lynching legislation. Part of this campaign included an open letter to the president, denouncing the crimes committed against American citizens. In Robeson’s commitment to a campaign against lynching, he continued the legacy of such figures as Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, and many others.

other forms of activism

Although there are specific works and actions that can be acknowledged as Robeson’s activism against oppression in America, his work as an entertainer also served as a sort of activism for him, although there were times when these works were controversial in the Black community. In the roles that Robeson took in plays and films, he fought to make sure that he was not perpetuating stereotypes of Black life. He also opened doors for future Black figures in the theater and on film. In spite of his dedication to incorporating the struggle of Black America into his entertainment career, there were many criticism of Robeson from the Black community with respect to this career. Individuals who supported cultural separatism disagreed with both the roles he took in film, and his decision to sing Negro spirituals.

Another space in which Robeson spoke against American racism was in his valedictorian speech at Rutgers, entitled “The New Idealism.” In pieces such as these he spoke out against lynching and other violence against Black Americans. He asserted for an equality to an audience that shared much of the racist ideology he argued against. This bold speech showed the beginning of the development of a sociopolitical activist, who was rooted in socialist thought.

With all of the things that are a part of Robeson’s legacy in domestic activism, it is impossible to look at this legacy without taking his international activism into account as well. His activism was firmly rooted into his experience as a Black American, but it is necessary to look at what happened when this foundation was taken from American soil to an international realm.