Reread Book Club: Paul Robeson: A Watched Man
Book: Paul Robeson: A Watched Man
Author: Jordan Goodman
Times Read: 3
I happen to be reading this book when the whole controversy started when Trump told the so-called Squad – Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilham Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib – that they needed to go back to the countries they come from. Only one out of the four is an immigrant. It is a racial trope all people of color have had said this to them at some point in their lives because they used their first amendment right to share their opinion. And then a few days ago, Trump demanded that the Israeli government deny entry to Omar and Tlaib into its country, to only reverse their decision for Tlaib on a humanitarian basis to let her see her grandmother.
So it is interesting how the American government went out of its way to keep actor and activist Paul Robeson in the United States because of his opinion. The State Department revoked his passport because of his outspokenness on racism in America and anti-colonial struggles around the world. He was also branded a communist, which abruptly ended his career. Today, he is viewed as a human rights hero worldwide.
Listen to the man himself speak his truth on a wide variety of issues: