Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (center) displays a facsimile sign along with Vernoca L. Michael (left), former executive director of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/Paul Robeson House and Museum; Janice Sykes-Ross (right), executive director, and former Councilmember Jannie Blackwell (far right).

The draping came down on a new street sign at the corner of 50th and Walnut Streets Friday morning as the 4900 block of Walnut Street became “Paul L. Robeson Way.”

Dozens of local officials, including Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, neighbors and supporters of the Paul Robeson House and Museum were on hand for the street-renaming ceremony near 4951 Walnut, where Robeson lived with his sister Marian Forsythe for the last 10 years of his life. He died in 1976.

“Paul Robeson became one of the most devoted fighters at home and abroad,” said Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier, who introduced resolutions in City Council renaming the block and designating April 9 as “Paul Robeson Day.” “He did this during a time when racists regularly lynched people who looked like him for speaking out against injustice.” Continue Reading

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The Paul Robeson House & Museum in West Philadelphia is celebrating the 125th birthday of the legendary Renaissance man – a football star, singer, actor, lawyer, social activist, orator and linguist – next month with an impressive series of special guests and events.

Robeson fearlessly used his bass-baritone voice for both singing and speaking for the rights of Black people in America and oppressed people all over the world. For his advocacy of those considered outsiders, he became a pariah in his own country. The goal of these celebrations is to “pull Robeson out of the shadows.”

The headliner is Sweet Honey in the Rock, a legendary group whose songs and message are in the same vein as Robeson’s. Harry Belafonte, who considered Robeson his mentor, is the honorary chair of the 125th Birthday Celebration of Paul Robeson. Actor Danny Glover is the honorary co-chair. The celebration is being held from April 8-15, 2023, in conjunction with the Paul Robeson Alliance, a collection of Robeson-related organizations from across the country. Continue Reading

The West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/Paul Robeson House & Museum (WPCA/PRHM) is hosting a virtual community gathering to celebrate the life of Paul Leroy Robeson, the distinguished African American actor, singer, athlete and activist. The event, which is marking Robeson’s 124th birthday, will highlight the many facets of his life not only as a performer, but also as a pioneer in the arts and entertainment industry.

The event will include a musical tribute featuring performances of Robeson’s classics, including spirituals and music from the Harlem Renaissance, produced by Key Arts Productions. In addition, dramatic renditions will be performed by Theatre in the X, and Paul Robeson High School students will share reflections of the man whose name the school bears. Continue Reading

In honor of the birthday of Paul Robeson, an acclaimed actor, concert singer, lawyer, athlete and social activist, The Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library presents two programs in collaboration with the Friends of the Blackwell Library and the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

On Saturday, April 7, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. two biographical films will be shown: “Speak of me as I Am” and “Paul Robeson, Tribute to an Artist.” Refreshments will be served.

On Tuesday, April 17, at 6:00 p.m. there will be a lecture by Frances Aulston, Founder & CEO of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance-Paul Robeson House. A reception will follow.

A series of panels depicting various stages of Paul Robeson’s life will be on display for both programs.

The Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library is located at 125 South 52nd Street (corner of 52nd and Sansom). For more information call 215-685-7433.

Paul Robeson, the famed stage and screen actor who spent his later years in West Philly, is back at the corner of 45th and Chestnut keeping a keen eye on eastbound motorists.

Artist Ernel Martinez recently finished a mural of Robeson on the side of an apartment building across Chestnut Street from West Philadelphia Catholic High School that replaced an older mural of Robeson removed this summer.

The new mural is very similar to the original – a full-body portrait of an elegant Robeson in a black suit and tie.

Robeson, who was also an All-American athlete and the son of a former slave, lived in his sister’s row home at 4949 Walnut St. from 1968 to his death in 1976.

The Robeson mural is part of the African American Iconic Images collection, which also includes portraits of Jackie Robinson, Women of Jazz and Malcolm X, among others, and historical scenes of African American life and community.

If you have been near the corner of 45th and Chestnut recently, you may have noticed the large, blank, west-facing apartment building wall and thought something wasn’t quite right. That’s because the large mural of Paul Robeson, which greeted eastbound travelers on Chestnut, is gone.

But worry not; the famous actor and All-American athlete and son of a former slave who lived his later years in his sister’s row home at 4949 Walnut St. shall return. A new Robeson mural is being created as you read this.

The original mural, painted by Peter Pagast in 1999 and removed in February, is being replaced with one by Ernel Martinez, who painted the Malcolm X. mural at Ridge Avenue and W. Susquehanna Avenue.

Amy Johnston from the City’s Mural Arts Program said the mural will be back up some time next month.

“The mural is being repainted on parachute cloth in the artist’s studio,” she said.

The Robeson and Malcolm X murals are part of the African American Iconic Images collection, which also includes portraits of Jackie Robinson, Women of Jazz and Malcolm X, among others, and historical scenes of African American life and community.