Paul Robeson, singer, actor, All-American athlete, scholar, civil rights activist, and one of the most persecuted Americans of the 20th century, lived in West Philadelphia. The Robeson House is a National Historic Landmark that tells the full story: the man who could fill Carnegie Hall and who had his passport revoked by the U.S. government for refusing to denounce the Soviet Union.
For visitors from the African continent, Robeson carries a specific resonance that transcends his American story. He learned Yoruba, Swahili, and other African languages. He stood publicly with Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta, and the architects of African independence when that solidarity cost him everything. The full story belongs to the diaspora.