Editing Paul Robeson (section)

== Early Life and Achievement ==

Paul Leroy Robeson was born on April 9, 1898, in Princeton, New Jersey, his father a former slave who had become a Presbyterian minister. His mother's death when he was six and his family's subsequent moves within New Jersey provided the challenging circumstances that his abilities would nonetheless overcome. His athletic and academic excellence at Rutgers—he was valedictorian and an All-American football player—demonstrated the breadth of talent that his subsequent career would display across multiple fields.<ref name="boyle">{{cite book |last=Boyle |first=Sheila Tully |last2=Bunie |first2=Andrew |title=Paul Robeson: The Years of Promise and Achievement |year=2001 |publisher=University of Massachusetts Press |location=Amherst}}</ref>

His Columbia Law School education and brief legal career gave way to performance work that his extraordinary voice made possible. His bass-baritone, one of the most distinctive in musical history, brought him success on concert stages and in recordings that reached audiences worldwide. His acting career, including the landmark 1943 Broadway production of "Othello" and films including "Show Boat" (1936), demonstrated that his abilities extended beyond music to dramatic performance of the highest caliber.<ref name="duberman"/>

His Philadelphia connections included performances at the Academy of Music and other venues where his voice filled spaces that his reputation preceded. The city's Black community, and its radical political circles, provided audiences who embraced both his artistry and his politics. His prominence made him one of the most recognized African Americans in the world, his voice carrying not only music but messages that powerful forces would soon seek to silence.<ref name="boyle"/>