On August 27 and September 4th, 1949, violence broke out at two concerts held outside Peekskill, NY, headlined by black singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson. Citizens of Peekskill, galvanized by racist and anti-Semitic sentiments and disdain for Robeson’s left-wing views and campaign for civil rights, started two riots that resulted in hundreds of injuries, made national news, and unofficially marked the beginning of the McCarthy era, which would nearly erase Robeson from the public consciousness. Who was he? What did he do? What did he stand for? These questions must be answered in order to understand what brought him to Peekskill.

This first episode of a 5-part docu-series serves not only as an introduction to the story of the concerts, but also introduces the headlining performer, Paul Robeson, the first and last casualty of The Peekskill Riots.

Sources Cited:

INTRO QUOTE: New York Age, 9/10/1949

I. “PAUL ROBESON” by MARTIN DUBERMAN, pg. 3

II. DUBERMAN, pg. 12

III. CAA Press Release, 6/19/1949 & DUBERMAN pp, 5-7

IV. DUBERMAN, pg. 6

V. DUBERMAN, pg. 7

VI. DUBERMAN, pg. 10

VII. Royal Shakespeare Company Interview, BBC Archive, 4/12/1959

VIII. DUBERMAN, pg. 19

IX. Paul Robeson: Here I Stand, Dir. St. Claire Bourne, Eagle Rock Entertainment, 1999.

X. DUBERMAN, pg. 15

XI “HERE I STAND” by PAUL ROBESON, pp. 19-20

XII. “THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS” by SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 20

XIII. “ROBESON REMEMBERS” NY TIMES 1/16/1944, pg. 1

XIV. “DASHING ROBESON HUMBLES BLACK’S NOTED WARRIORS”, NY Tribune, 11/25/1917, pg. 13

XV. DUBERMAN, pg. 22

XVI. THE TARGUM, vol. 50, 1918-19, pp. 570-571

XVII. “PAUL ROBESON: NEGRO” by ESLANDA ROBESON, pg. 68

XVIII. DUBERMAN, pg. 31

XIX. SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 20

XX. BIRMINGHAM POST, 5/7/1995 & DUBERMAN, pg. 35

XXI. DUBERMAN, pg. 38

XXII. Borderline, Dir. Kenneth Macpherson, The Pool Group, 1930

XXIII. DUBERMAN, pg. 43

XXIV. ESLANDA ROBESON, pp 73-75

XXV. SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 34

XXVI. NY TELEGRAM AND EVENING MAIL 5/7/1924 & DUBERMAN, pg. 63

XXVII. DUBERMAN, pg. 55

XXVIII. The Emperor Jones, Dir. Dudley Murphy, United Artists, 1933

XXIX. SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 35

XXX. Showboat, Dir. James Whale, Universal Pictures, 1936

XXXI. PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE, 11/2/1933 & DUBERMAN, pg. 168

XXXII. SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 36

XXXIII. Spotlight Interview, ABC, 11/5/1960

XXXIV. DUBERMAN, pg. 184-185

XXXV. NEWS DEUTSCHLAND, 6/21/1960 & DUBERMAN, pp. 184-185

XXXVI. Paul Robeson Senate Testimony, 5/31/1948

XXXVII. Speech at Rally for Aid of the Spanish Refugee Children, 6/24/1937

XXXVIII. “The Passionate War: The Narrative History of the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939. by PETER WYDEN, pp. 433-434

XXXIX. British Declaration Of War, BBC, 9/3/1939

XL. Ballad For Americans, Lyrics. John La Touche, Music. Earl Robinson, Perf. Paul Robeson, 1939

XLI. SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 118

XLII. SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 119

XLIII. The Proud Valley, Dir. Pen Tennyson, Ealing Studios, 1940

XLIV. Othello, Dir. Margaret Webster, Pavilion Records, 1944

XLV. New World Telegram, 1944 & SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 142

XLVI. HELEN EAGER REVIEW BOSTON TRAVELER, 9/21/1943 & SUSAN ROBESON, pg. 142

XLVII. “Masks of Othello” by MARVIN ROSENBERG, pg. 195

XLVIII. Robeson on Othello, BBC Arts, 1959

XLIX. DUBERMAN, pg. 295