Eslanda Goode Robeson, his wife and business manager, was an anthropologist, writer, actress, photographer, and civil-rights and women’s-rights activist.
Maria Bustill Robeson, his mother who descended from abolitionists, was a schoolteacher before becoming a homemaker.
Marian Robeson Forsythe, his big sister, was a special-education teacher in the Philadelphia public schools and active in community service.
Frances P. Aulston was a librarian, community activist and advocate for the arts who founded the Paul Robeson House & Museum in Marian’s home, where Robeson spent the final years of his life.
Vernoca L. Michael is a woman of many firsts, including the first licensed female African American boxing promoter in Pennsylvania, whose family was so close to Paul Robeson and Marian Forsythe that she calls them “Uncle Paul” and “Aunt Marian.”
These women are impactful in their own ways, and each of us are the same. We invite visitors to interact with the exhibit by reflecting on the contributions that they and other women have made. We encourage you to take selfies, post your own experiences and share your stories: the lessons you’ve learned, your values and beliefs, and your hopes and dreams.
For more information about the exhibit, contact WPCA Executive Director Janice Sykes-Ross at wphlcajanice@gmail.com.,
