1-22-08, 9:21 am

Detroit, Mich. – An exhibition celebrating the life of Paul Robeson opened here last Saturday, Jan. 19, at Swords into Plowshares Peace Center and Gallery.

The exhibit, titled 'Celebrating Paul Robeson: Athlete, Artist and Activist for Justice and World Peace,' is largely a collection of photographs, record album jackets and liner notes, newspaper clippings, books, posters, playbills and other materials highlighting the life and career of the famed actor and activist. The exhibit will be hosted at Swords into Plowshares until April 12th.

The collection's owner, James L. Wheeler, 66, says the exhibit provides a special focus on Robeson's relationship to the city of Detroit.

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Robeson visited Detroit on behalf of the autoworkers attempting to organize the union at Ford Motor Company. Robeson performed at local churches and theaters and in an outdoor rally of tens of thousands of city residents at Cadillac Square. Robeson was instrumental in building popular support for the workers' cause. (Read more about the organizing drive at Ford in this interview with Dave Moore here.)

Even as McCarthyite repression destroyed Robeson's acting and singing career in the 1950s, African American churches in Detroit stood by him. 'When he couldn't travel and he couldn't sing, the Black churches in Detroit welcomed Paul Robeson. The Black churches did not succumb to the threats of the government,' Wheeler said.

Wheeler described Robeson's artistic legacy as sending an activist message to future generations. Robeson believed that 'an artist must take sides. An artist must choose slavery or freedom,' he said.

Wendy Hamilton, the gallery's director, expressed the Center's pride in being able to host the three-month long exhibition. The Robeson exhibit fits into the Center's mission of peace and social justice, she said.

'What I know of Paul Robeson is that his whole life was about speaking truth to power, pointing out things in the world that were wrong and that needed changing,' she noted.

Hamilton stated that she hoped the exhibit will stimulate viewers' interest in both Robeson's life and in Detroit's colorful working-class history.

'I hope Detroiters will learn about the connection he had with our city,' Hamilton added.

Related events include a film series at the 1515 Broadway theater in Detroit which will show three of Robeson's popular movies and a tribute concert to be held at the Central United Methodist Church on April 12th. On March 29th, the Center will host a 'remembrance day' during which Detroit residents who knew Robeson will talk about their memories of his life.

For more information see: Swords into Plowshares or What's On at the People's Weekly World.

--Reach Joel Wendland at