U.S. #3834
2004 37¢ Paul Robeson
Black Heritage Series
Issue Date: January 20, 2004
City: Princeton, NJ
Quantity: 130,000,000
Printed By: American Packaging Corporation for Sennett Security Products
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: Serpentine die cut 10 ¾
Color: Multicolored

Paul Robeson was born on April 9, 1898, in Princeton, New Jersey, the youngest of five children. His father had escaped slavery before the Civil War and went on to earn a divinity degree, eventually serving as pastor of a Presbyterian church, while his mother came from a distinguished Philadelphia family with deep roots in the abolitionist movement. Robeson attended Rutgers College on an academic scholarship, becoming the school's third Black student and its first Black football player, where he earned fifteen varsity letters across four sports and was twice named a football All American.

After graduating from Rutgers, Robeson earned a law degree from Columbia University before turning his talents toward the stage, where his powerful baritone voice and commanding presence made him one of the most celebrated performers of his era. He starred in landmark productions including Show Boat and Othello, becoming one of the first Black actors to achieve major success in roles previously closed to performers of color. Robeson also became a passionate advocate for civil rights and international human rights, using his fame and his ability to sing in dozens of languages to build solidarity across racial and national lines.

Robeson's outspoken political views, including his sympathies toward the Soviet Union, led to years of blacklisting and government scrutiny during the Cold War era, significantly curtailing his career in his later decades. He spent several years living in Great Britain before returning to the United States, eventually retiring from public life amid declining health. Robeson died on January 23, 1976, in Philadelphia, and this stamp, issued nearly three decades later as the 24th release in the Black Heritage Series, helped restore public recognition to a man whose talents as an athlete, scholar, performer, and activist made him one of the most accomplished Americans of the twentieth century.