Press release Aug 30, 1949 "IWO Condemns Peekskill Pogrom" (first Peekskill riot against Paul Robeson)
- Description:
- Press release August 30, 1949 from IWO President artist Rockwell Kent who condemns the attack on performer Paul Robeson and on Jews by locals and law enforcement at Robeson's Peekskill concert, describing it as a "pogrom" and "organized lynch mob." The first Peekskill outdoors concert by Paul Robeson on August 27, 1949 was to be held as a benefit for the Civil Rights Congress (CRC). The concert was cancelled after he arrived since his life was threatened and he was lynched in effigy; crosses were burned and anti-Black and antisemitic chants and violence ensued. The press release deals with the aftermath of the cancelled first concert and calls on Governor Dewey to investigate and prosecute those involved with the violence that wasabetted by the lack of law enforcement. The IWO was involved in supporting the CRC, headed by William "Pat" Patterson, spouse of IWO Vice President Louise Thompson Patterson. Kent states: "The outrageous and horrifying attack by an organized lynch mob against the Paul Robeson concert in Peekskill, New York on Saturday night was a danger signal, indicating how far the drive against civil liberties and the freedom to assemble peaceably had advanced. The burning cross of the Ku Klux Klan illuminated the pattern of violence growing out of the "loyalty" drive, the red-baiting hysteria, and the tide of anti-Negro and anti-Semitic racism unleashed by reaction." This text uses the term ‘Negro’ to refer to Black people in the context of the concerted efforts made primarily in the 1920s-1940s to fight racial discrimination. While the term ‘Negro’ might be read as pejorative today, the term was then used in a positive regard, including by Black leftists.
- Date:
- 1949-08-30
- Copyright:
- The copyright status and copyright owners of most of the images in the International Workers Order (IWO) Records Collection (Kheel Center #5276) are unknown. This material was digitized from physical holdings by Cornell University Library in 2016, with funding from an Arts and Sciences Grant to Jonathan Boyarin. Documents include language and representations which comprise the historical record and should not be interpreted to mean that Cornell University or its staff endorse or approve of negative representations or stereotypes presented. Cornell is providing access to the materials as a digital aggregate under an assertion of fair use for non-commercial educational use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Cornell would like to learn more about items in the collection and to hear from individuals or institutions that have any additional information as to rights holders. Please contact the Kheel Center at kheel_center@cornell.edu
- Creator:
- International Workers Order
- File Name:
- 5276b48f28_14
- Identifier:
- International Workers Order (IWO) Records #5276, Box 48, Folder 28
- Repository:
- Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University