I've learned that my people are not the only ones oppressed... I have sung my songs all over the world and everywhere found that some common bond makes the people of all lands take to Negro songs as their own.
Paul RobesonRead
My mother was born in your state, Mr. Walter, and my mother was a Quaker, and my ancestors in the time of Washington baked bread for George Washington's troops when they crossed the Delaware, and my own father was a slave.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the deep historical connections and sacrifices of Robeson's ancestry, emphasizing themes of heritage and resilience.
In this quote, Paul Robeson reflects on his rich family history and the significance of their contributions to American history, particularly during the Revolutionary War, while also acknowledging the stark contrast of his father's status as a slave. It speaks to the legacy of struggle and strength passed down through generations, illustrating how personal and national histories intertwine.
Themes
HeritageResilienceHistoryStruggleAncestry
In practice
Example use cases
During a history presentation highlighting contributions of African Americans.
More from Paul Robeson
All quotes →We ask for nothing that is not ours by right, and herein lies the great moral power of our demand.
Paul RobesonRead
The intolerance of the few, or the risk of it, carries the day against the wider humanity of the many.
Paul RobesonRead
I shall take my voice wherever there are those who want to hear the melody of freedom
Paul RobesonRead
And at home in the United States we found continued and increased persecution, first of leaders of the Communist Party, and then of all honest anti-fascists.
Paul RobesonRead
Art is not just to show life as it is, but to show life as it should be.
Paul RobesonRead
Similar quotes
The histories of the poor and the powerless are as important as those of their conquerors, their colonizers, their kings and queens.
Johnnetta B. ColeRead
The rise of African nations concurrent with the spread of the Nation of Islam and the civil rights movement gave black America a burst of pride over and above anything they had had since the decline of the movement of Marcus Garvey.
John Henrik ClarkeRead
I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government an official note stating that unless we heard from them by eleven o'clock, that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and consequently this country is at war with Germany.
Neville ChamberlainRead
What distinguishes the historian from the collector of historical facts is generalization.
Edward Hallett CarrRead
If you read about millions of people doing this and millions of people doing that, history seems remote and inaccessible.
Margaret MacmillanRead
There are two kinds of man: the ones who make history and the ones who endure it.
Camilo Jose CelaRead