PRINTER'S NO. 2659
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
331
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY KRAJEWSKI, RABB, HILL-EVANS, WAXMAN, KENYATTA,
KHAN, KINSEY, PROBST, BELLMON, DELLOSO, HADDOCK, CEPEDA-
FREYTIZ, DALEY AND BOYD, MARCH 5, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM AND ECONOMIC AND RECREATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT, MARCH 5, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Designating April 9, 2024, as "Paul Robeson Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, On April 9, 1898, Paul Robeson was born in
Princeton, New Jersey, to a father who had escaped slavery and
become a Presbyterian minister and a mother from a prominent
Philadelphia Quaker family; and
WHEREAS, At 17 years old, Paul Robeson graduated high school
as valedictorian and earned a full scholarship to Rutgers
University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, making him just the
third African American to attend the school; and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson excelled at Rutgers as a member of the
Cap & Skull Honor Society, playing in four varsity sports,
including as a two-time All American in football, winning speech
and debate tournaments and graduating as valedictorian of his
class; and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson then went on to Columbia University Law
School, where he graduated with a law degree in 1923; and
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WHEREAS, Paul Robeson obtained a job at a New York law firm
but soon thereafter left the firm and ended his career as a
lawyer due to racial discrimination; and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson next began to find work as an actor,
using his talents to promote African and African-American
history and culture as one of the first Black men to play
serious roles in the primarily White American theater; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Paul Robeson was a
widely acclaimed actor and singer, with songs such as his
trademark "Ol' Man River" and lead performances in Eugene
O'Neill's "All God's Chillun Got Wings" and "The Emperor Jones";
and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson's "Othello" is still considered one of
the greatest American Shakespeare productions, and it was the
longest-running Shakespeare play in Broadway history; and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson also experienced great international
success, as he spoke 20 languages and performed benefits
throughout the world in Europe and Africa, using his deep
baritone voice to promote social justice; and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson was a staunch advocate for civil rights
and workers' rights, leading an anti-lynching campaign,
performing at equal housing rallies and fighting for the freedom
of Black Americans and oppressed peoples across the world; and
WHEREAS, In 1966, Paul Robeson moved in with his sister,
residing in her West Philadelphia home for the last 10 years of
his life, where he became a beloved fixture of the community;
and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson died on January 23, 1976, at 77 years
of age, in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson's legacy lives on in this Commonwealth
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at The Paul Robeson House & Museum in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, A true renaissance man, Paul Robeson used his
remarkable talents in various fields, overcoming racism and
prejudice to speak for peace, justice and equity across the
world; and
WHEREAS, Paul Robeson's outstanding lifetime accomplishments
as an athlete, actor, singer, scholar and political activist
have yet to be fully recognized by this Commonwealth; therefore
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate April
9, 2024, as "Paul Robeson Day" in Pennsylvania.
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