In partnership with the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance/Paul Robeson House, come celebrate the enduring Paul Robeson House Museum, meant to honor the life and legacy of noted artist, activist, and scholar Paul Robeson.
In a recent biography, Gerald Horne writes of Robeson: "A world-famous singer and actor, a trained lawyer, an early star of American professional football and a polyglot who spoke over a dozen languages: these could be the crowning achievements of a life well-lived. Yet for Paul Robeson the higher calling of social justice led him to abandon both the NFL and Hollywood and become one of the most important political activists of his generation, a crusader for freedom and equality who battled both Jim Crow and Joseph McCarthy."
This event shall feature tours of the new exhibition at the Paul Robeson House Museum along with a special staged reading of Paul Robeson's historic testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities on June 12, 1956. This event is co-sponsored by the FUTURES Atmosphere of Philadelphia Assembled, a project of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
About Art Sanctuary's Celebration of Black Arts Festival: Art Sanctuary’s Celebration of Black Arts Festival (CBA) is one of the most prominent African-American literary and arts events in the nation putting the spotlight on black literary, visual and performing arts. Larry Robin of Robin’s Bookstore originally founded the event as a one-day gathering of literary scholars and authors over 30 years ago. After taking over, Art Sanctuary has spent over a decade transforming the celebration into a month-long festival showcasing the talents of African Americans of all ages, background and interests. This May, black art and culture will fill the city of Philadelphia with a month-long exhibit, community literary and performance events, author readings, and workshops for emerging writers and artists. This year is sure to be the biggest celebration yet! For more of the events in our 33rd annual Celebration of Black Arts Festival, please visit our Festival At-a-Glance page.