This week, we are discussing a gifted performer, a scholar, athlete, and, above all, a tireless activist. Born to a lineage marked by slavery and resilience, he rose to become one of the twentieth century’s greatest Renaissance figures, fighting for civil rights, and championing peace and internationalism.

His legacy is inseparable from the complex development of American national identity. His cosmopolitan vision, his refusal to be “just an entertainer” in a segregated nation, and his insistence that the artist must “take sides” brought him both global adulation and the crushing weight of McCarthyite repression.

We’re going to revisit his early influences, his multifaceted career, the full arc of his activism, and his impact on ideas of citizenship, art, and what it means to stand for justice in America and the world.

So in this episode, I’m asking… who is Paul Robeson?

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Special Guest:

• Nicholas Grant, an Associate Professor of International History at the University of East Anglia. He is an expert on twentieth century United States, researching race, internationalism and transnational activism.

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Highlights:

02:51 - A disdain for Uncle Tom

09:02 - Race and social mobility

17:50 - Black America and the Harlem renaissance

23:19 - Leaving the echo chamber

29:05 - Robeson and Wales

39:18 - McCarthyism

44:17 - HUAC

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For an extended reading list and to learn more, join our Patreon community now: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/americathestoryoftheusa⁠

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Contact us: america@podcastsbyliam.com

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