PAUL ROBESON RESISTING McCARTHYISM

On this day, actor, athlete and activist Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was born in New Jersey, USA. He played a significant role as a pan-Africanist organiser during the anti-communist McCarthyist era, running the anti-imperialist Council on African Affairs, which called for an end to colonialism on the African continent.

In the mid-20th century, the US government investigated Robeson for being a member of the Communist Party, stripping him of his passport. He argued that his work for African emancipation, both on the continent and in the diaspora, prompted his persecution. In other words, the ‘Red Scare’ over his alleged communist affiliation was a pretext to shut down his struggle for African people worldwide.

African Stream can relate to what Robeson went through. Though no government has stripped us of our right to travel, we know what it’s like to have the US government seek to shut down one’s agitation for Africa’s freedom. When YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and Gmail closed our accounts in September 2023 (after the State Department accused us of peddling propaganda), African Stream boasted 2.5-million subscribers and hundreds of millions of viewers thanks to our uncompromising pan-Africanist, anti-imperialist agenda. And Washington didn’t like that. Just like they didn't like Robenson's.

Thank you Paul Robeson for your powerful example.