Exhibit Info
This Exhibition Is No Longer Showing
Title:
“A Prologue to the Chapters that Follow”: Princeton and Paul Robeson
Dates:
April 5 to April 30, 2023
Location:
Princeton Room
About:
Photo: Paul Robeson with childhood friend Christine Moore Howell in Princeton, ca.1920s. Historical Society of Princeton.
Today, Princeton celebrates Paul Robeson – the noted actor, athlete, scholar, and activist – as its “native son,” but in his writings, Robeson was often resentful towards the segregated Princeton of his childhood. The love and support he received from the town’s Black community, however, shone through – despite his complex relationship with the town – and remained a guiding force throughout his life.
This exhibition, developed in partnership with the Historical Society of Princeton, the Princeton Public Library, the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical & Cultural Society, and the Paul Robeson House of Princeton, uses Robeson’s own words to examine both sides of the Robeson-Princeton relationship and its evolution throughout his life.
A digital version of this exhibit is now available through the Historical Society of Princeton’s website. Click here.
Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.