Paul Leroy Robeson: A Brief Biography

Du Bois was born to Alfred and Mary Silvina Du Bois, a pair who had African, Dutch, and English descendant, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Due to their unique background, the Du Bois were able to own a good amount of land in their town. They were, however, far from wealthy. When W.E.B Du Bois was 18, he relied on donations from family and friends to afford to attend Fisk University, a majority black college in Nashville, Tennessee. This was the first time he’d ever been to the south and this major shift in environment is when Du Bois truly got a feel of the weight of his identity. Living in Tennessee meant dealing with Jim Crow and race based bigotry. Du Bois was struck by the amount of injustice and ignorance facing blacks in the nation and knew that something had to be done. After finishing his courses at Fisk University, Du Bois applied and accepted a place as a freshman in Harvard University and eventually went on to receive a

Thomas Tryon’s debut novel, The Other, tells a tale of harrowing macabre and psychosis that haunts a New England family. The Other follows the life of a set of young twin boys and the horror that follows. In The Other, Thomas Tryon crafts a story of delusion and insanity, one that preys on the readers’ fear because of the story’s normalcy and familiarity.

William Edward Burghardt Dubois was the first African-American to earn a doctorate and lived Atlanta Georgia. He was civil rights activist and historian. In 1903 he wrote The Souls of Black Folk where he disagreed with Washington because he felt the color-line was performing a disservice to the black population. While Dubois acknowledges him as, “a compromiser between the South, the North, and the Negro” : he also said,” Mr. Washington is especially to be criticized.” Dubois believed the exact opposite of Washington, he said, “Such men feel in conscience bound to ask of this nation

Paul Laurence Dunbar is another great poet of the Harlem Renaissance Era, Writing about equality and the lack there of for the African American brothers and sisters. His father served in the 55 regiment Army in Massachusetts when the war broke out between the North and the South inspiring young Paul to write several poems celebrating the role of African American soldiers in winning the Civil War and ending slavery. Paul’s mother fought hard and sacrificed much for him to be able to obtain a good education, he was the only African American in his class at Central High School where he excelled and had many friends. He became the editor of his school paper, was elected president of the literacy club, and was given the honor of composed and presented

Romare Bearden’s art exhibition “Vision and Activism” portrayed his perception of society and the need to put in motion social change. The Black History Museum is where I observed his art collection. The set up of the pieces were by category and was not congested because there was a moderate amount of space between each piece. For first impressions the two art pieces titled “Noah and the Seventh Day (Prevalence of ritual series)” and “The Family” is highly detailed and the use of tone exhibits dramatic traits in the first piece while the second piece has tranquility. The subject matter for “Noah and the Seventh Day” is culture and for “The Family” is a focus on African American lifestyle. Intently scrutinizing “Noah and The Seventh Day” the setting is outside among the sea and animals are on a boat. The color is subtle, slightly vibrant, and uses cool tertiary colors. The texture has a grainy and hard effect as if he stippled using a paint brush. The shapes are organic but the water had strong emphasis where the lines gradually got deeper and broader away from the horizon. On the contrary, “The Family” setting took place inside of a house with women gathered at the table preparing food. The colors are subtle, earthy, and include warm tertiary colors. The background texture has a fine and smooth appearance. He included recognizable shapes such as cylinders, rectangles, and squares. By Bearden applying cross contour, pointillism, and cross

If one was to go out into the street, walked up to a random stranger and asked them if they knew who Louis Armstrong was, chances are that they would be able to answer you correctly. Louis Armstrong (Aug 4th, 1901 - Jul 6th, 1971) was an American trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor who became one of the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. He first came to prominence in the 1920s as a trumpeter and cornet player with no technique as well as being very skilled in scat singing, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, influencing many later jazz artists as well as shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance.With his very well-known and recognizable gravelly voice, a technique that was later named “crooning”, Armstrong was an incredibly influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser by bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes on demand. Renowned for his charming and incredibly charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet and/or cornet playing, Armstrong 's influence extends far beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the early 1970s at his death, he was widely regarded as a deep and profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first very popular

Born on April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey, Paul Robeson was the youngest of five children.  His father was a runaway slave who went on to graduate from Lincoln University, and his mother came from a family of Quakers who worked for the abolition of slavery. His family was familiar with hardship and the determination to rise above it.  His own life was no less challenging.

William Edward Burkhardt DuBois, whom we all know as W.E.B. DuBois; was a novelist, public speaker, poet, editor, author, leader, teacher, scholar, and romantic. He graduated from high school at the age of 16, and was selected as the valedictorian, being that he was the only black in his graduating class of 12. He was orphaned shortly after his graduation and was forced to fund his own college education. He was a pioneer in black political thoughts and known by many as a main figure in the history of African-American politics. W.E.B. DuBois attended Fisk University, where he was awarded a scholarship after he graduated high school. Fisk University was located in Nashville, Tennessee. While attending this University, this is where he saw

Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2,1908 in Baltimore,Maryland. His parents were William and Norma Marshall and his brother was William A. Marshall. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father was a railroad porter. His parents pushed him and his brother to get their education. His father was fascinated with trials and took Thurgood to as many public trials as he could. “Marshall’s exposure to the law and the Constitution was unusually early”(Thurgood Marshall)

Born to poverty on February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois was of French Huguenot, Dutch, and Afro-American ancestry. He graduated from high school in 1884 as a penniless orphan. However, upon the insistence of the principal of his school, who recognized Du Bois' intelligence and talent, he sought a college education. Through working part-time and with a scholarship donated by members of his church, Du Bois attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee (Reed, 1997 & Logan, 1971). During his time at Fisk, Du Bois was exposed to racism and lynchings, as well as the scientific ideas of truth by way of empirical investigation and statistical methods. These experiences spurred his interest in the use of science and scholarship in the struggle for social justice. Du Bois realized that scientific inquiry could be a powerful tool in the quest to transform society and obtain

The life of Robert Johnson, one of the most influential early blues artists, in shrouded by vague details and encompassed in mystery. His emotion filled playing and singing blends to form some of the most moving, original blues music ever produced. Ironically, despite being one of the top influences to blues music, little is known about the shy, mild mannered bluesman. "Almost nothing, is known about his life… he is only a name on a few recordings." Where did he come from? Who was Johnson’s family. Who inspired Robert to play the blues and who influenced his music? Who exactly was Robert Johnson? Only the vague recollections of his friends and family link us to the mysterious life of

W.E.B. Du Bois was born on February 23rd, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He was born into a freed family which owned land. He attended an integrated public school. He eventually attended Fisk University, with money which was contributed to him by his fellow church members. While at Fisk, Du Bois was subjected to the harsh racism of the South. After graduating from Fisk University, he continued his education at Harvard College and then Berlin University – before returning to Harvard for his Ph.D. He eventually went on to become a professor at the Atlanta University. Du Bois was a strong racial activist, and fought for the equal rights of blacks – but he also fought for the

Elvin Jones is a standout amongst the most vital drummers in history of Modern Jazz.

Marvin Gaye grew up surrounded by the art of music. Born in the nations capital on April 2, 1939, Gaye’s ageless sounds and intriguing vocals still influence the world today. Gaye’s father, a minister in the Apostolic Church, played a foremost role in Marvin’s musical education. In fact, most of Marvin’s inspiration for religious topics came from the church music he grew up singing. Through the art of song, musical icon Marvin Gaye uses pathos, symbolism, and imagery with an objective to connect to listeners on tremendously personal levels.

James Brown is American funk and soul artist who is well-known as the ‘Godfather of Soul’ and he was one of the most iconic figures in soul and funk music from 1950s. James had inspired a lot of artists and also on some genres. For example, his rhythmical funk songs were sampled on some hip-hop genre songs and influenced on the hip-hop genre’s development. Brown was known as his unique soulful voice with great showmanship. Brown was also known for his work of social Activist, writing songs about social problems. Some of his well-known songs are “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” (1965), “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965), and “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (1966). Even though his greatest hits are from 1960s, a lot of these songs are still used in the commercials, films, and T.V. shows even in nowadays.