Brooklyn, NY-- "A victim of Cold War politics, Paul Robeson did not receive the recognition that he richly deserved for his extraordinary achievements," says History Professor Joseph Dorinson of Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus.
Dorinson, a specialist in popular culture who coordinated a major tribute to Jackie Robinson at the Brooklyn Campus last spring, is coordinating a tribute to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of activist/singer Robeson with an all-day event on Saturday, February 28. Robeson's son, Paul Robeson, Jr., a Fort Greene, Brooklyn resident, will be the keynote speaker.
A highlight will be a performance of the "The Ballad for Americans," by the New York City Labor Chorus and New York's All-City High School Orchestra, composed in 1940 by Earl Robinson and John Latouche and premiered by Paul Robeson. An academic symposium also will be part of the day's activities.
The event will be held in the Campus' Humanities Conference Hall starting at 9 a.m.
A renaissance man, Paul Robeson excelled in music, drama, language, athletics, scholarship, oratory and political action. Among the awards or honors he received were: honorary memberships in numerous labor unions, the NAACP Springarn Medal, the National Urban League's Whitney M. Young Memorial Award, the Stalin Peace Prize, and the Donaldson Award for Outstanding Lead Performance for his work in Othello. He died in Philadelphia in 1976.
For more information, contact: Michele Forsten, 718-488-1015 (voice), 718-780-4046 (fax) or
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One of the fastest-growing institutions of higher learning in the New York metropolitan area, the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University offers more than 10,000 students 120 programs in more than 50 undergraduate and a comparable number of graduate fields, including the PhD in clinical psychology and in pharmaceutics. Its cultural diversity, innovative academic spirit, NCAA Division I Blackbirds sports teams and landscaped campus in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn's MetroTech revival make it a model of urban higher education. The Campus is located at DeKalb Ave. and Flatbush Ave. Extension in Downtown Brooklyn.
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