The year I moved to Philadelphia marked the centenary of his birth. It was only then that I learned about Robeson's ground-breaking contributions in sports, law, theatre, and social justice. He deserves an entire page to himself, but here he must share it with authors, rockstars, and philosophers.
Heroes come in many forms.
But Paul Robeson is number one. Learn more about him here . Richard Rorty , philosopher. Photo credit, Lionel Metz. Rorty has taught me that despite the contingent nature of all I hold dear, I must still get out of bed in the morning to try to make the world a better place.