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Robeson's Life Story
He was the only black student in his class at Rutgers when he started in 1915. White football players physically attacked him during tryouts. Robeson stood up against this and other abuse, not only for his own sake, but for that of others. He went on to Columbia University, where he earned a law degree in 1923. But he found that because of his race, he did not have a lot of opportunities as a lawyer. So he focused on becoming an entertainer appearing on stage in New York and London,. In 1925, he also launched a career as a singer with a repertoire that came to focus on spirituals, working songs, and songs associated with the labor movement.