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Spotlight: Attaining equality, 1960

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Paul Robeson sits in TV interview
Spotlight: Attaining equality, 1960

SUBJECTS: Civics and Citizenship, History

YEARS: 9–10


Explore the idea of pride in your forebears as famous entertainer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson reflects on being both African American and a citizen of the USA.

In this 1960 'Spotlight' panel discussion, Robeson points out the difficulty and importance of gaining equality in a society that is based on conquest and slavery.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Who are the role models in your life? What sorts of people do we look for as role models? How do we learn from them? Why are role models important?
  2. 2.How is America losing by treating African Americans as second-class citizens? How does Robeson use humour to defuse what could have been a tricky situation in the discussion? What examples does Robeson give of 'Western imperialist' treatment of people as inferior or primitive?
  3. 3.What similarities does Robeson see in the way Western nations, including Australia, treat people who were once enslaved or conquered? Do you agree with him? If Robeson were doing the interview in Australia today, what do you think his concerns might be?
  4. 4.

    Paul Robeson paid a high price for his civil rights campaigning. Research how he was treated by the USA in the late 1940s and 1950s. Describe and explain the influence Robeson had in Australia during his 1960 tour.



Date of broadcast: 5 Nov 1960


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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