IV
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 511
To provide for the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp in honor
of Paul Robeson.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 1996
Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois (for herself, Mr. CLAY, Ms. NORTON, Miss COLLINS
of Michigan, Mr. STOKES, and Mr. TOWNS) submitted the following reso-
lution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform and
Oversight
RESOLUTION
To provide for the issuance of a commemorative postage
stamp in honor of Paul Robeson.
Whereas Paul Robeson is perhaps the only true Renaissance
man our century has known;
Whereas Paul Robeson was an African American scholar,
actor, singer, and athlete who blazed a trail of accom-
plishment across American arts and letters and sports in
the first half of the 20th century;
Whereas Paul Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey,
on April 9, 1898, to William Drew Robeson and Marla
Louisa Bustill;
Whereas Paul Robeson won a four year scholarship to attend
Rutgers University, where he became the first black All-
HRES 511 IH
American football player in 1917; he also received 15 var-
sity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track;
Whereas Paul Robeson was a debating champion, member of
Phi Beta Kappa, and valedictorian of his graduating
class, he went on to attend and graduate from Columbia
Law School, subsequently playing professional football on
weekends to support himself;
Whereas Paul Robeson abandoned law and joined the
Provincetown Players in New York, where he caught the
eye of Eugene O’Neill, who gave him the lead in ‘‘All
God’s Chillun Got Wings’’ and ‘‘The Emperor Jones’’;
his untrained bass-baritone voice landed him the part of
Joe in ‘‘Showboat’’, where he was widely known for his
performance of ‘‘Ol’ Man River’’;
Whereas Paul Robeson’s most spectacular dramatic triumph
was the portrayal of Othello, on the Shakespearean stage.
‘‘Othello’’ ran for 295 performances on Broadway in
1943;
Whereas Paul Robeson espoused the principles of scientific
socialism and accepted the Stalin Peace Prize in 1952;
Whereas Paul Robeson was a vigorous opponent of racism,
picketing the White House, refusing to sing before seg-
regated audiences, starting a crusade against lynching
and urging Congress to outlaw racial barriers in baseball;
Whereas Paul Robeson was summoned before the House
Committee on Un-American Activities, where he refused
to say whether or not he was a Communist;
Whereas Paul Robeson, in fighting for the rights and dignity
of all Black Americans, saw the Department of State re-
voke his passport: he was subsequently blacklisted by
concert managers;
HRES 511 IH
Whereas the indignities which Paul Robeson suffered during
the McCarthy era are the types of actions the Constitu-
tion of the United States was designed to prevent, Paul
Robeson was denied this protection and sacrificed his
fame, fortune, and endured personal hardship to stand
for the principles he believed in; and
Whereas the ‘‘Paul Robeson 100th Birthday Committee’’,
spearheaded by Dr. Margaret Burroughs, founder of the
DuSable Museum of African American History in Chi-
cago, Illinois, has targeted Robeson’s centennial birthday
on April 9, 1998, for the publication of a commemorative
stamp by the United States Postal Service: Now, there-
fore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that a commemorative postage stamp should
be issued by the United States Postal Service in honor
of Paul Robeson; and the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Com-
mittee of the United States Postal Service should rec-
ommend to the Postmaster General that such a postage
stamp be issued.
Æ