Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus is presenting an all-day event celebrating his life and evaluating his legacy on Saturday, February 28, in the Humanities Conference Hall.
Admission is free.
Paul Robeson Foundation trustee and labor leader Henry Foner will make introductory remarks, as will Gale Stevens Haynes, Brooklyn Campus Provost. A highlight of the day will be an address by acclaimed novelist Howard Fast, who will revisit the Peekskill Riot of 1949. A good friend of Robeson, Fast attended the singer's concert in Peekskill after which concert-goers leaving the premises were attacked by bigots while police looked the other way. Fast led a protest meeting about this incident. Many facets of Robeson's complex legacy will be explored by historians, popular culture enthusiasts and playwrights.