Paul Robeson's Passport Revoked: State Department Silences Global Civil Rights Advocate

In August 1950, the State Department revokes Paul Robeson's passport, citing his refusal to sign an affidavit stating he is not a Communist. Robeson is an internationally celebrated singer and actor who had spoken to the UN, organized labor internationally, and consistently linked Black American freedom to global anti-colonialism. Without a passport he cannot perform abroad and loses his primary income. The action silences one of the most effective Black internationalist voices. His passport is restored only in 1958 after a Supreme Court ruling in a related case.