Services/Departments Human Rights Letters & Submissions Letters Human Rights Department Letters Paul Robeson Memorial Concert: May 18, 2002 Services/Departments Human Rights Letters & Submissions Letters Human Rights Department Letters Paul Robeson Memorial Concert: May 18, 2002Paul Robeson Memorial Concert: May 18, 2002
HERE WE STAND!
Paul Robeson Memorial Concert
1952 - 2002
Peace Arch Park
May 18th, 2002, 1 - 5 pm
Fifty years ago Paul Robeson, one of the greatest voices of our time, stood on the back of a flatbed truck at the Canada/US Peace Arch boarder crossing and sang songs of solidarity, justice and peace to more than 40,000 people.
You are all invited to join us on May 18, 2002 from 1-5 when we will commemorate that historic event with a free concert.
WHO WAS PAUL ROBESON?
Paul Robeson was the son of an escaped slave, the second black man to be named college football All-American and the third black scholar ever to attend Columbia Law School. An accomplished actor and a magnificent singer, Robeson's deep resonant voice and commitment to social justice inspired millions. For years he performed around the world, singing in many different languages with a single theme. "The idea of my concerts," he said, "is to suggest that all men are brothers because of their music."
In the 1940s Robeson was one of the most prominent Black men in the world. However, with the advent of McCarthyism, the US government branded him as Ôone of the most dangerous men in the world'. Concerts were cancelled, recordings were removed from the shelves and his passport revoked. Robeson's career and personal life suffered greatly.
On May 18th 1952...
Denied permission to leave the U.S. and sing at a Mine Mill Conference in Vancouver, Robeson stood on the back of a flat bed truck and sang songs of defiance and solidarity to 40,000 people on the US-Canadian border at the Peace Arch.
On May 18th 2002...
...that historic event will be commemorated with another concert on the border in Peace Arch Park. Its purpose is to bring together people of conscience from Canada and the United States, to celebrate the life and achievements of Paul Robeson and to build solidarity among those who are working for change.
This free event will present inspiring music and other performance, featuring artists of major international stature and great performers from the Pacific Northwest.
The piano Lawrence Brown played at the original concert in 1952 , lovingly kept all these years, will once again be on stage. Artists who live, work and sing for the things that Robeson represented, "peace and a decent life for all men, women, and children", will perform from that stage.
Music will include numerous pieces from Paul Robeson's repertoire. His 1952 speech will be performed and two addresses will be given: by a Canadian and an American activist. There will also be a historical display of pictures and memorabilia from the original concert and a corner for elders who were part of the 1952 events to tell their stories.
Here We Stand!
The 2002 Peace Arch Concert will reach back across the years to remember the people, the music, and the vision of Robeson which were part of the 1952 concert. And it will reach forward into our future. Through it, artists who live, work and sing for the things that Robeson represented will help us renew our commitment. In the face of governments who serve the wealthy, confronted by racism, oppression, globalization and war we'll draw on the bonds of solidarity that span the decades and span the globe.
Where? When? Etc...
Date: 1:00pm - 5:00pm, May 18, 2002
Cost: free
Location: Peace Arch Park Canada / US Border Crossing
spanning Blaine, Washington and White Rock, BC
General Information: White Rock, BC, is a suburb of
Vancouver, located approximately 1 hour south of the city centre.
Blaine is a town located approximately 3 hours north of
Seattle.
Transit: There will be FREE buses(Courtesy CAW local111 & Coast Mountain Bus) running every fifteen minutes from King George Skytrain.
Public transit is available from the Vancouver International Airport to White Rock via downtown Vancouver. Private shuttle bus services are also available; for more information, see the Vancouver International Airport site. Greyhound US services Blaine, WA. For bus information from Seattle contact Verlene Wilder at 206-441-7102
Driving Directions: If you are coming north from the US, take the I5; Peace Arch Park is on the border between Canada and the US at the spot where the I5 crosses the border. If you are driving south from Vancouver, take Highway 99 South. If you are driving from the east, take Highway 10 or Highway 99A South to Highway 99. For local maps and driving directions, see MyBC.com. Mapquest is a better source of long-distance maps and directions.
Tourism Information: See the Tourism BC site, and the related HelloBC site for information about BC. See Travel in Washington for information about WA.
Volunteers are needed both before and during the event on May
18th.
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Irma Mohammed at
604-325-5982. Or email us at: info@herewestand.org.
Visit website at www.herewestand.org
