Stories from The Paul Robeson House
Lives Touched by a Renaissance Man
There are endless stories about Paul Robeson. For Stories from the Paul Robeson House, Frances Aulston, the indomitable and ever-cheery President and CEO of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and Jacqui Simmons, Office Manager and unofficial chief storyteller, identified thirty-three people to share personal narratives through individual interviews or one group gathering. Some knew him personally; others met him briefly at his concerts and other events or while visiting the house in West Philadelphia; and then there were those who were influenced by his amazing life even though they never met him. From 93-year-old Arlethia Overton, who socialized with Mr. Robeson, to 15-year-old Cierra Sheppard, a Paul Robeson High School (www.paulrobesonhs.org) student whose writing has been kindled by his life and writings, the stories are humorous, heartfelt and, sometimes, downright remarkable.
We invite you to listen to their stories.
The Paul Robeson House
Frances Aulston
The Neighborhood
Jacqui Simmons
Marian Forsythe/Paul Robeson at Home
Reginald M. Thompson
Vernoca L. Michaels
Arcenia McClendon
Henry Roundtree
Thomas Deloach
Paul Robeson Camp
Pamela A. Hooks
A Resilient Champ
Robert Perkins
Growing Up in Princeton
Shirley Satterfield
Singer & Musician
Arlethia Overton
Blanche Burton-Lyles
Vivian Schatz
Robert Cole
An Undaunted Activist
Dr. Harold (Hal) Weaver
Sonia Sanchez
Cierra Sheppard
The Robeson Stamp
Barba-Del Campbell
Renaissance Man
Larry Robin
Juliana M. Taylor
Charles L. Blockson
Reading in Concert
Frances Aulston (Intro)
Valerie Harris, Sister Cecilia R. Wilson, Rosalyn Seabrook, Gladys W. Tucker, William Forsythe Carson, Jr., Thomasina James, Mildred H. Craig, Frances Turner, James L. Brown, IV, Rosalie Cross, Charlotte B. Brown
Credits
Interviewer: Elisabeth Perez-Luna, Executive Producer of Audio Content, WHYY
Associate Producer: Mike Villers, WHYY
Project Partner: WHYY (www.whyy.org)
Photography by © Karl Seifert (www.KarlsPortfolio.com)
As a media partner of Stories from the Paul Robeson House, WHYY has gathered original archival materials from our daily national radio program Fresh Air, PBS's American Masters and the sound and text of a 1958 interview with Paul Robeson from the Pacifica Radio Archives. Visit "Paul Robeson's Philadelphia Story" at WHYY.com.
This project has been funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (www.pcah.us) through the Heritage Philadelphia Program (www.heritagephila.org) with additional support from the Marketing Innovation Program.
