On this day in Labor History the year was 1945.
That was the day that Paul Robeson received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.
The award was given annually to the African American with the “highest achievement.”
Robeson certainly fit that criteria.
He was born in Princeton, New Jersey.
He attended Rutgers University, where he was an athletic standout and valedictorian.
He earned his law degree from Columbia.
He was a successful singer, as well as stage and film actor.
He was an internationally recognized star, with singing engagements all around the world.
Robeson strongly supported labor and working people.
He was also an outspoken critic of US colonialism.
His stand for social justice made him a target of Senator Joe McCarthy during hysteria of the Cold War red-scare.
Because of his alleged Communist ties, in 1950 Robeson’s passport was revoked.
It took him eight years to get it reissued.
During that time, he could not travel abroad to perform.
The International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers invited Robeson to sing at their Canadian convention in 1952.
Since he could not travel, he sang over the telephone.
The union then organized a concert on the Washington State-Canadian border.
Standing on a flatbed truck parked on the US side of the border he gave a 45-minute performance to a crowd of 40,000.
He started the concert by saying, "I stand here today under great stress because I dare, as do you -- all of you, to fight for peace and for a decent life for all men, women and children.”
October 15 - Too Little, Too Late for Radiation Sickness
October 14 - Marching for Equality
October 13 - We Whipped the Ivy League and You Can Too!
October 12 - Workers Begin to Come Together
October 11 - Remembering Mary Heaton Vorse
October 10 - With a Push of a Button, Oceans Are Joined
October 9 - The End of the Boom Boom RoOm
October 8 - The Great Chicago Fire
October 7 - Housing Now!
October 6 - Clinton Signs the Hatch Act
October 5 - Hollywood’s Black Friday
October 4 - A Chain Reaction of Human Misery
October 3 - Remembering Woody Guthrie
October 2 - Rebuilding in Tough Times
October 1 - The Jerry Level
September 30 - The Elaine, Arkansas Massacre
September 29 - Creating a Standing Army
September 28 - Solidarity on the Docks
September 27 - Wreck of the Old ‘97
September 26 - Disaster on the Job Around the Globe
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast