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Teacher's Guide for FOOTSTEPS Paul Robeson

November 2003

Teacher Guide prepared by: Leslie Anderson Morales.

Objectives Include:
  • Showing students the historical context of an individual's life including where they fit in;
  • Showing students the power of art and artists in social and political venues;
  • Showing students the origins of controversy and how individuals choose to respond.
Name ten African American entertainers (living or dead).
What discipline(s)of art does each one perform?
Choose one person and do some research to find out about their childhood and young adulthood. Think about how their early experiences have affected who they are. Give examples of how their experiences have affected them as people and as artists.
Paul Robeson was committed to overcoming harsh divisions of race and class. He was committed to workers' rights, justice, and political freedom.
Can you name other performers who support the causes of the common people?
Do you think that an entertainer should be involved in political issues? Why or why not?
Paul Robeson and other African American actors refused to take roles that "portrayed blacks as being lazy, dishonest, or ignorant." Sometimes, this meant that they did not get much work. Other African Americans accepted roles that were not flattering.
Discuss the reasons for each point of view.
What would you have done?
There is a variation on the situation today. Several African American comedians have been sharply criticized for the topics they talk about, their language, and their facial expressions. Rappers have also been criticized for the content of their music and for their music videos. Critics say that their "art" is demeaning, that it based on negative stereotypes. These comics and rappers say that they are "telling it like it is."
Do you agree or disagree?
Why do you think people feel so strongly about stereotypes?
Make a list of positive and negative stereotypes about African Americans.
Robeson participated in a number of controversial activities. He had visited the Soviet Union but he was never a member of the Communist Party. He and Albert Einstein led a campaign against lynching. His activities made him the target of illegal investigations by the United States government for more than 20 years. His telephone was tapped and his mail was read. His passport was cancelled and his travel outside the country was restricted.
Do you think this treatment was justified?
Imagine that you are a government official and write a page or two supporting your decision OR write a page or two opposing the government's case.
Robeson's travels to England, Germany, the Soviet Union formed his outlook on world affairs.
What countries would you like to visit?
How would you prepare for your trip?
What would you like to learn?
What would you like to experience while you are away?
Few of us grow up thinking that we'll be famous. Paul Robeson's life was influenced by events before his lifetime and during his lifetime. His father escaped on the Underground Railroad before he was born. His mother died when he was six years old. As a young teenager, he struggled to get along in integrated schools.
Fold a sheet of paper into thirds (lengthwise). In the first column, write down the year that you were born. Skip a few lines, write down the year that you were six. Skip a few more lines and write down the current year. Skip a few more lines and subtract 20 years from the year you were born. Then write that year. You will now have four dates in the first column. In the second column, write a few sentences about a significant historical event that took place during each year. In the third column, write a few sentences about an event going on in your family, school, or neighborhood.
How much did you know about those events that took place during your lifetime?
Do you feel differently about these events now than you did before?
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