Paul Robeson's concert was attacked by a racist and Anti-semitic mob outside of Peekskill, NY. The violence would become a national scandal, as anti-communist rhetoric had now culminated in physical violence.
To understand Peekskill during the Riots, we must first understand the forgotten past of the “Friendly Town” by the River.
The first episode of The Peekskill Riots docu-series explores the life and times of Paul Robeson, the first and last casualty of the 1949 riots.