PRINTER'S NO. 2110
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
285
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY RABB, DEAN, J. HARRIS, CALTAGIRONE, FREEMAN,
READSHAW, MILLARD, DiGIROLAMO, PASHINSKI, SOLOMON, D. COSTA,
BULLOCK, DAVIDSON, WARREN, V. BROWN, NEILSON, ROZZI AND
McCLINTON, JUNE 22, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 22, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and legacy of Paul Leroy Robeson, civil rights
activist, lawyer, thespian, athlete and entertainer.
WHEREAS, On April 9, 1898, Paul Leroy Robeson was born the
youngest of five children to Reverend William Drew and Anna
Louisa Robeson in Princeton, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson's upbringing was that of a very unique
and cultured one, as his father had managed to escape slavery
and graduate from Lincoln University before going on to become a
Presbyterian minister, and his mother was a member of the
distinguished Bustill family, a renowned abolitionist Quaker
family out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Despite losing his mother at six years of age, Mr.
Robeson and his family moved to Somerville, New Jersey, where he
spent the remaining period of his formative years learning the
value of hard work from his father and expanding his personal,
recreational and social horizons; and
WHEREAS, Regarded as a studious and distinguished student, at
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seventeen years of age, Mr. Robeson was awarded an academic
scholarship to Rutgers University where he was the third
African-American student in the school's history; and
WHEREAS, Widely regarded for his athletic prowess during his
time at Rutgers University, Mr. Robeson excelled in baseball,
basketball and track and field; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson was Rutgers University's first black
football player and earned the honor of being a two-time All-
American; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson was posthumously inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1995; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson's academic record at Rutgers University
was comprised of his induction into the Cap & Skull Senior Honor
Society, the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and the duly bestowed
title of Valedictorian at the time of his graduation in 1919;
and
WHEREAS, Upon the completion of his undergraduate studies,
Mr. Robeson played professional football while enrolled at
Columbia University Law School, where he earned his law degree
in 1923 and was admitted to the New York State Bar Association;
and
WHEREAS, During his time at law school, he met and wed his
loving wife Eslanda Cardozo Goode, the union of which produced
his only child, Paul Robeson, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, As a result of widespread discrimination and
recurring acts of racism that he encountered in the legal field,
Mr. Robeson abruptly ended his career as a lawyer and chose to
refocus his attention and artistic talents toward the spheres of
theater, music, African culture and African-American history;
and
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WHEREAS, In 1924, Mr. Robeson landed the lead role in the
stage play All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924) and then
subsequently earned starring roles in his debut film, Body and
Soul (1925), and his follow-up film, The Emperor Jones (1933);
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson's early body of work cultivated the
launching pad that gave rise to national and international
acclaim as he frequently performed domestically and abroad; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson also starred in internationally
acclaimed stage presentations and films such as Show Boat
(1928), Toussaint L'Ouverture (1934), Stevedore (1935), Song of
Freedom (1936) and Proud Valley (1939), and amassed an
extraordinary career in the entertainment industry as a world-
renowned concert singer, thespian and orator; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson's most culturally significant and
impactful performance as an actor was in his role as Othello in
the Shakespearean Broadway play; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robeson was the first black actor to assume that
role, and the Broadway production ran for a remarkable 296
performances from 1943 to 1944; and
WHEREAS, Not one to rest on his laurels or to lose sight of
the harrowing plight of black Americans and other subjugated
populations across the world, Mr. Robeson effectively utilized
his popularity, talents, including his ability to speak more
than a dozen different languages, and platform to advocate for
justice and peace in response to many military and political
conflicts that included, but were not limited to, the Italo-
Ethiopian War (1935), the Spanish Civil War (1936), World War II
(1939) and the era of America's oppressive and discriminatory
Jim Crow policies; and
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WHEREAS, In the face of strident criticism of his advocacy
efforts and at the expense of his career and livelihood, Mr.
Robeson remained steadfast in serving as a national symbol for
justice and a veritable champion of the world's persecuted,
disenfranchised and voiceless citizenry; and
WHEREAS, During the twilight of Mr. Robeson's illustrious
career, he relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the City of
Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, where he resided until
the date of his death on January 23, 1976; and
WHEREAS, As an homage to the late Mr. Robeson's extraordinary
impact on the world, especially relating to the plight of black
Americans, many institutions within the City of Philadelphia
started to bear the name of the late human rights leader and
scholar, including the Paul Robeson High School for Human
Services; and
WHEREAS, The Paul Robeson House, former home of the late Mr.
Robeson was converted into a museum to honor his life, legacy,
philosophy and historical significance and was designated as a
National Historical Landmark in the National Register of
Historic Places in 1991; and
WHEREAS, April 9, 1998, marked the centennial of Mr.
Robeson's birth, the occasion procured his posthumously
conferred Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award which was observed
by innumerable individuals, organizations and institutions in
the City of Philadelphia and all across the world; and
WHEREAS, April 9, 2017, marks what would have been the 119th
birthday of Paul Leroy Robeson and 41 years since the date of
his death; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
milestones, achievements and legacy of one of our nation's last
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Renaissance men, the incomparable Paul Leroy Robeson; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor Mr.
Robeson's extraordinary and far-reaching impact on our national
and global landscape.
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