JUST SAYIN’-Though technically a one-man show, Daniel Beaty (who so skillfully portrayed the demagogued author, actor, activist, Paul Robeson) played to perfection all the parts of The Tallest Tree in the Forest. Beaty so seamlessly intertwined the figures of Robeson; his wife Essie; both his father and brother; the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover; congressmembers on the House Un-American Activities Committee; dignitaries abroad—that the audience could not help but believe they were listening to different characters instead of the one man portraying all of them. When he looked your way, it was as if he were gazing into your own eyes and making an intimate connection.
In the background there was live music played on stage. There was an effective use of film clips, contemporary to the times, which evoked stark images—Welsh coal miners marching in London, the Nazi parades through Berlin in 1934, the grand welcome at the train depot in Moscow which would later contribute to the accusations against him back “home” by FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover.
His words soared and grabbed at your heart as he alternately sang the imposing lyrics of many of Robeson’s impactful songs. The audience appreciatively recognized bits of the history and music but were also awed by presentations of information that had not previously been known to them. Grateful applause interrupted the performance many times throughout this two-act play.
My point here is not to do a review of the play presently being staged at the intimate Mark Taper Theatre. It is intended, however, to point out how past history and present events are still overlapping. The play does beseech us not to be indifferent to the horrific events that are transpiring around us but to speak up, through acts of courage, not to allow such ugliness to be perpetrated and perpetuated.
Robeson was indeed a product of his times, but he took a decidedly different tack from what others did and chose, many times at his own peril, to champion causes throughout the world that needed our attention.
His father had been a slave and his mother had come from Pennsylvania Quaker roots. [I was struck by his African Igbo ancestry, a culture from which our younger son got his name.] Paul was both academically brilliant (eventually speaking fluently in 15 languages and performing in 25) and athletically talented. Taking advantage of his various talents, he was able to put himself through Rutgers (from which he graduated valedictorian) and Colombia University Law School.
He stood his ground when he refused to work for a prominent law office where a white secretary unabashedly declined to take dictation from a Black man! He dramatically altered the course of his life and that of countless others as “he was drawn to under-represented people and to giving them a voice.”
His wife, Dr. Eslanda “Essie” Cardozo Goode (being of Black/Latina/Jewish heritage and a prominent chemist and author in her own right), backed him then and throughout his life, often acting as his manager in all affairs—financial and otherwise. She recognized his performing talents and encouraged him to pursue them professionally.
Both he and his wife chose to take a committed route in life to enlighten the world about its failings and to promote ways to do something constructive about them.
What Robeson accomplished reminds me of how, today, many of our own performers and other news-worthy individuals use their bully pulpits to bring about awareness and change. Consider people like George Clooney (Darfur and Sudan) and his cadre of like-minded friends, like Matt Damon (in East Africa). Consider the commitment of Barbara Streisand (anti-war; education), Jay Z (the arts and student empowerment), Tom Steyer (environmentalist), George Soros (progressive causes)—the list goes on.
Robeson, however, was the pioneer and taught other talented people how to follow his lead. Importantly, he selflessly put his own livelihood and reputation on the line to achieve his ends: supporting the Welsh coal miners for reasonable pay and safe conditions; equality for Africans and the end to colonialism; supporting independence for British-controlled India; inspiring the anti-fascists in Spain during its Civil War; working with Jewish and Black coalitions in this country to advance minimum wage and union issues. . . .
During the Harlem Renaissance, he was part of the Provincetown Players of Greenwich Village where he collaborated with such people as Eugene O’Neill (who offered him a major role in his movie, The Emperor Jones—making Robeson the first Black man to star in a major motion picture production). He also performed as Othello on stage and in the subsequent film and similarly was the first Black man to play that role even though Othello, as a character, is unquestionably Black.
The group had indeed included many communist sympathizers—a situation which would later seem to support the allegations against Robeson when he was called before the HUAC. It certainly was not uncommon at that time for many labor unionists, Jewish people, and other groups to be sympathetic to the philosophy behind communism (“from each according to his ability to each according to his need”—a credo that attracted millions around the world but ultimately brought disappointment when the SU gave the lie to that philosophy).
He had, in fact, lived in the Soviet Union/Russia for some years (before World War II), believing the country stood for equality among all races and religions because those promises were included in its post-Tzarist constitution. It was only much later that he came to realize that the SU was not living up to its own creed and thus he renounced the communists.
When Hoover came after this Black man, Paul Robeson, the FBI director was able to get such figures as Jackie Robinson, Roy Wilkins, and Mary McLeod Bethune to turn on him and testify against him during the McCarthy/Hoover-era HUAC. To me it is simply unconscionable (and unforgivable) for anyone to go on record purporting untruths about others for the sole reason of maintaining the success of their own careers and standing. Perhaps we should reconsider how we revere such figures (whether they later had second thoughts about their actions or not).
For years, as a result of those hearings, Robeson was not able to leave the country to tour abroad in order to bring his message to others (his passport was revoked for 8 years until the U. S Supreme Court ruled the unconstitutionality of that action). Nor for a lengthy time was he able to earn a living within the United States because he had become persona non grata.
Too many people today don’t recognize his name, let alone are unaware of all that he had accomplished. He remains a role model for anyone who wants to right wrongs. He refused to renounce communism or make a statement that he had never been involved with the Party—essentially on the basis that by our own Constitution we are guaranteed the right to speak, assemble, believe as we wish without fear of governmental condemnation or penalty. It was nobody’s business!
His life could have been easier then had he complied with HUAC’s demands, but he stood on solid principle. And that is the lesson for each of us: Stand on principle, advocate for the rights of others, seek a society in which all are treated equitably before the law. We should settle for nothing less from ourselves and the leaders who represent us.
The campaign for equality is not nearly over. Brazen racist statements have recently been made by Clippers owner, Donald Sterling (“Don’t bring Blacks around here”) and anti-government freeloader, Cliven Bundy (who stated the Blacks would still be better off as slaves). Congressional officials, such as Senators Dean Heller, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz; Texas AG Greg Abbott; Nevada State Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, immediately lent their support for Bundy, claiming that he represents the true patriot. Talk show hosts, like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, have proudly and repeatedly voiced racist rants.
Yes, the fight, the struggle is not over—and not just for Blacks. The Irish-Americans who were victims of hatred for so long (called apes and thugs—despised just like the former slaves of the time). The Jews (“No Jews or Black allowed here”). The undocumented. The under-represented Latinos and Muslims and Asians. The LGBT community. Those who are faced with ongoing obstacles to exercise the franchise. If he were alive today, Robeson would unquestionably be a voice on their behalf.
During Paul Robeson’s life, others had said that he was “the tallest tree in the forest”—in part because of his great height but more so because of his philosophic stature. Today, his son (Paul Robeson Jr—a self-proclaimed radical like his father) and grandchildren and so many others (like playwright and actor, Daniel Beaty) are helping to pass on his legacy (as should we).
The tallest tree—this is something which we should all strive to be.
Just sayin’.
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written Leticia in Her Wedding Dress and Other Poems, A Quick-and-Easy Reference to Correct Grammar and Composition and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 35
Pub: Apr 29, 2014