In 1949, Jackie Robinson, baseball's barrier-breaking hero, was asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee against Paul Robeson, one of the most famous Black men in the world. They never met. They never shook hands. But America placed them in opposition to each other during the Second Red Scare.

Award-winning ESPN journalist and author Howard Bryant joins us to discuss his powerful new book "Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America." This conversation explores one of the most overlooked chapters in Black history the 1945-1953 era when the Cold War and the fight for civil rights collided.

Bryant reveals how Paul Robeson, an All-American football player, Columbia Law graduate, internationally acclaimed singer, actor, and civil rights activist was systematically erased from American history. His passport was revoked, his income destroyed, and the Black establishment turned against him.

At the center of this story is Jackie Robinson, thrust into becoming a political spokesperson simply because he was great at baseball. Branch Rickey used Robinson to publicly denounce Robeson, a testimony Robinson would later regret. By the end of his life, Robinson said he could no longer stand for the flag.

In this episode:

• Who was Paul Robeson and why was he erased from history?
• The 1949 HUAC testimony that pitted Jackie Robinson against Paul Robeson
• How the FBI, Second Red Scare, and Cold War destroyed Robeson's career
• Why the NAACP, Thurgood Marshall, and Black leadership abandoned Robeson
• Branch Rickey's role in manipulating Jackie Robinson
• W.E.B. Du Bois's unwavering support of Paul Robeson
• The Peekskill riots and passport revocation
• Parallels between 1949 and 2026
• Jackie Robinson's political evolution and regrets
• Howard Bryant's research and writing process

Get the book: "Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America" by Howard Bryant https://www.harpercollins.com/products/kings-and-pawns-howard-bryant

Follow Howard Bryant: Website: https://howardbryantbooks.com/ Instagram: @howardbryantbooks Facebook: Howard Bryant Official

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