Roland Ayers was one of those local artists who was a friend and mentor to a few people but was largely unknown to many. For years, he ran the Friends of the Free Library of…
Tag: Paul Robeson
Song does not intertwine Paul Robeson & Kate Smith
Posted in Black history, history, and Music
When I began reading the stories about the removal of Kate Smith’s “God Bless America” recording from the games of two sports teams, one name stood out for me. Paul Robeson. I’m very familiar with…
I’m sure I had seen the drawing somewhere before, but I apparently was so awed by its towering figure that I didn’t read past the title. This time, I did. I went to see the Charles…
In Paul Robeson’s day, Russia was the enemy
Posted in Black history, Music, Performers, Politics, and theater
Paul Robeson must be turning over in his grave. That’s what we say in the South when something unbelievable happens that a now-deceased person had fought/spoken for or against. That saying keeps coming to my…
The last house where Paul Robeson lived
Posted in Art, history, Music, Performers, Plays, Sports, and theater
Arcenia McClendon was telling a story about the time she met Paul Robeson: She was a young school teacher in her early 20s and she passed the house at 50th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia on her…