“Essie” was Paul Robeson’s wife, business partner, and financial manager. Essie documented her difficult marriage and adventures with Paul in a journal that is now a major resource for scholars of Paul’s life and career. Outside of her marriage, this remarkable woman achieved international renown in her own right as an anthropologist, freelance journalist, U.N. correspondent, and commentator on international affairs and domestic politics—all in the service of human rights and social justice.
California Labor School Negative Collection, Labor Archives & Research Center, J. Paul Leonard Library, San Francisco State University.