Completed petition Install a commemorative statue of African-American singer Paul Robeson in the Valleys
Paul Robeson was an African-American singer & actor who came to have a love for Wales & its mining communities. He supported Welsh miners with proceeds from his concerts to their striking relief fund & toured Wales, singing in Cardiff, Neath & elsewhere to raise funds for miners.
Whilst he was subject to segregation in the U.S., he described the reception he received in Wales as warm beyond "all bounds", and said that Welsh mining communities had "shaped" his life.
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Paul Robeson, during his life, showed incredible solidarity for Welsh mining communities in the Valleys.
From his starring role in 'The Proud Valley', a film that he would call his most cherished, to his raising money for striking Welsh miners through his singing, to his being invited to perform for the Welsh Miners' Eisteddfod in 1957 (but being unable to because of the United States' Government confiscation of his passport), Robeson is someone who was prized amongst the Welsh population during his time, & should be prized as such posthumously.
Robeson even learned some Welsh in order to sing to miners in their language!
The support he gave for Welsh mining communities in his life, the love he received from the Welsh people & the returned solidarity from Welsh miners whilst he was being interrogated by the House Un-American Activities Committee & forbidden from travelling abroad mean he has a uniquely special and exceptional place in Welsh history, & should be honoured as such.
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