Robeson Center in Princeton

This is a bit of a riddle. Try to find the common denominator here: the longest-running Shakespeare play on Broadway, and one of the thickest files the FBI has on any U.S. citizen. Paul Robeson plays a central role in both, and both of these things tell part of the story about his life, which almost makes a pretty fair picture. It’s still a biography that’s up for interpretation, and like a great Shakespeare play, that just means that it’s dense and interesting.

Robeson was born in Princeton, and today, the Arts Council here is houses at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts . This is a long way to come, but it also points to a long way still to go, and his inspirations can certainly help point in the right directions.

He was born in Princeton in 1898, studied law at Colombia, where he also did drama on the side. He became a lawyer right around the same time that his side hobby led to a role in one of O’Neill’s plays, and this lead to a whole lot more. When he did play Othello, in the title role, this was the one that got him the kinds of accolades after recognition has set in. People did come to see him perform, enough to warrant a very long run that’s still a record holder to this day.

At the same time, while he was meeting remarkable people in show business, he was making observations that would lead to a life that was very active in social justice. When he went to the Soviet Union with the genius director Eisenstein, he had something of a breakthrough moment, where he felt he was seen as a full human being for the first time. He spent the rest of his life challenging injustices, and struggling for the rights of exiled, oppressed, and native peoples all around the world.

With the legacy he’d left behind, which includes a broken ceiling that allowed other generations that chance to climb, art centers, and centennial celebrations at the University , there’s a big debt the world owes him. Visitors can see the birthplace and the arts center from some of the luxurious hotels Princeton has to offer, knowing this is a place where magnificent changes can happen, and perhaps even more importantly, the city itself recognizes this and celebrates it.

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