Eslanda Robeson

Eslanda Goode Robeson
Eslanda Robeson (centre) attending court proceedings against Hans Globke, East Germany, 1963
Born	Eslanda Cardozo Goode December 15, 1895 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	December 13, 1965(1965-12-13) (aged 69) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Illinois Columbia University (B.S.) London School of Economics Hartford Seminary
Spouse(s)	Paul Robeson (m. 1921; her death 1965)
Children	Paul Robeson Jr
Scientific career
Fields	Anthropology
Institutions	New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Eslanda ("Essie") Cardozo Goode Robeson (December 15, 1895 – December 13, 1965) was an American anthropologist, author, actor and civil rights activist. She was the wife and business manager of singer and actor Paul Robeson.

Eslanda Cardozo Goode was born in Washington, DC, on December 15, 1895, mostly descended from Black slaves. Her paternal great-grandfather was a Sephardic Jew whose family was expelled from Spain in the 17th century. Her maternal grandfather was Francis Lewis Cardozo, the first Black treasurer of South Carolina. Her father, John Goode, was a law clerk in the War Department who later finished his law degree at Howard University. Eslanda had two older brothers, John Jr. and Francis.

Eslanda attended the University of Illinois and later graduated from Columbia University in New York with a B. S. degree in chemistry. She first became politically active during her years at Columbia, when her own interest in racial equality was reinforced by young intellectuals in New York. When then she started to work at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, she soon became the head histological chemist of Surgical Pathology, the first Black to hold such a position.

In 1920, Paul Robeson and Eslanda attended summer school at Columbia. They married one year later in August 1921. Eslanda gave up her intentions to study medicine and supported her husband as his business manager. Indeed, Paul credited her as the catalyst for his acting career, saying "Even then, I never meant to [become an actor]. I just said yes to get her to quit pestering me." Eslanda worked at the hospital until 1925, when the career of her husband took more and more of her time. She spent time between Harlem, London and France in the following years.

The only child of the Robesons, Paul Jr, "Pauli" was born on November 2, 1927; Robeson was on a tour in Europe at that time. The marriage was strained and Eslanda suffered under the affairs of her husband that reportedly started with a relationship with Freda Diamond in 1925. Other affairs affecting their relationship were those with actresses Fredi Washington and Peggy Ashcroft Robeson’s long-term liaison with Yolanda Jackson almost broke up the marriage, and Eslanda even agreed to a divorce at a time. Yet despite all the setbacks and separations, the marriage endured, as each of the two had needs that only the other could fill. Eslanda chose to "rise above Paul's affairs", but to stay married to him and pursue her own career.