Paul Robeson in Liverpool

Liverpool John Moores University has announced that the new series of Roscoe Lectures will begin with a lecture by the son of the famous singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson.

"The next series will be launched on 3 October 2007 with a lecture by civil rights activist Paul Robeson Jnr, the only child of the legendary singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson. The lecture entitled 'My Father and Pioneering the Civil Rights Agenda in the US' will take place in St George's Hall, starting at 5pm.

Tickets for all Roscoe Lectures are free and are available by contacting Barbara Mace on 0151 231 3852 or emailing b.mace@ljmu.ac.uk."

Paul Robeson sang to a crowd of 10,00 in Liverpool in 1949, and there must be many people still around who can remember this. I wonder what they all felt as they heard him sing in the bomb sites of the post-war city. The city had also been the scene of some vicious racist attacks the previous year, and I imagine that Robeson's magnificent presence restored confidence to the black community.