(“Here I Stand:) in the Spirit of Paul Robeson
- tourdeforcedc
- Feb 4
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 16
Public artwork by African American DC artist Allen Uzikee Nelson, located at the intersection of, located at the intersection of Kansas Ave NW, Georgia Ave NW and Varnum St NW in the Petworth neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Located in a small triangular public park.
Sign partially damaged.
Visual Description:
Ten foot high metal column. The base three openings within it, a hollow square, triangle, and a rectangle with a diagonal cross affixed with it.
At the top of the work a facial figure is visible within an octagon shape, in a West African inspired style (perhaps based on Hongwe or Kota aesthetics from Gabon),. About thirty seven panes of stained glass are arrayed around the periphery. On the front or south facing side, the facial features–eyes, nose and mouth,0are rounded and project smoothly outwards. On the back or north facing side, the facial features are somewhat more stylized, with straight line designs that may evoke scarification marks. (Note: The rear side of the face is somewhat more difficult to discern than the face on the front side).
The sign in front (now damaged) previously read:
Here I stand,
Black Balled, Red Baited & WHited Out
2000
The Spirit of Paul Robeson
April 9, 1898-January 23, 1976
Orator-Valedictorian-All American Athlete-Lawyer-Actor-Singer-Linguist-Union, Civil & Human RIghts Activist-Freedom of Speech & Cultural Warrior-Pan Africanist Visionary
“In my music, my plays, my films, I want to carry always this central idea: to be African”
By Allen Uzikee Nelson
—--
Context: Public Art by Allen Uzikee Nelson.
General note The noted African American artist Allen Uzikee Nelson has created and erected numerous works of public art, primarily made of metal and stained glass, throughout the Columbia Heights/Petworth neighborhoods of Washington DC. Most of these works remain the property of the artist and are placed on DC park land with permission of the city. The art is African-inspired, in many instances shaped by Uzikee’s visit to West Africa and his familiarity with the collections of the nearby Smithsonian National Museum of African Art on the National Mall. Some of the works are most likely inspired by the Janus faced Hongwe or Kota reliquary guardian figures in the Museum, such as: https://www.si.edu/object/nmafa_78-14-12
Prominent public works honoring African Americans by Allen Uzikee Nelson include;
Real Justice (Thurgood Marshall), at the Anacostia Community Museum.
Saint Denard: The Edifying Spirit (for Dr Cleveland Leon Dennard) at 16th st and Arkansas Ave, NW
Marcus Garvey/Malcolm X possibly at 1440 Belmont St NW
Here I Stand: In the Spirit of Paul Robeson , Kansas Ave NW, Georgia Ave NW and Varnum St NW
Artist biographical note: On his mother’s side, Nelson is a descendant of Frank Walzer who in 1855, as documented in William Still’s Underground Railroad history, escaped from slavery in Loudon County, Virginia and made his way to Canada. Allen Uzikee Nelson grew up in Topelo, Mississippi,the son of a dentist and entrepreneur, who moved the family north to Peoria, Illinois, for Allen’s high school years,and after College at Southern Illinois, worked for years at Caterpillar in Peoria, amassing considerable technical skills in practical engineering, which has served him in good stead in his artistic career working in large metal works. Nelson was then recruited to teach at Washington Technical Institute in Washington DC, and taught there, and its successor University of the District of Columbia for over two decades. During the period he was teaching a range of technical fields, including HVAC, he continued to developed his metai working artistic skills, including his signature style integrating large standing metal pieces with stained glass. He has been influenced, he notes, though his extensive travels in West Africa and frequent visits to the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art on the National Mall.
Historical Background:
Paul Leroy Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an accomplished bass baritone concert artist, theater and film actor, athlete, orator and human rights activist. His leftist politics and outspoken stances on decolonization at home and internationally led to him being targeted by the FBI and placed on the Attorney General’s list and to the suspension of his US passport until this was ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. Robeson’s artistic output was prodigious, His autobiography Here I Stand” (also the title of a documentary film about him) inspired Uzikee’s choice of title for this art work.
Uzikee Nelson justifiably refers to Paul Robeson as a true Renaissance Man.
Interpretive Notes:
The sculpture does not resemble Paul Robeson in a direct physical sense , but rather honors his spirit and legacy in a manner consistent with West and Central African ancestral veneration practices. The stained glass elements around the head, when illuminated by the sun, provide the face with a kind of shimmering aura, emphasizing the animated, life-giving features of Robeson’s legacy.
In a blog post, Anthropologist Mark Auslander suggests that the “Here I Stand” statue may be understood as a kind of ancestral shrine, replanting in effect Robeson as a life enhancing ancestral presence in a neighborhood of DC with a long history of political and cultural vitality. He further suggests that title Uzikee has chosen, “Here I Stand” may be considered as what linguistic anthropologists term a “performative utterance: a statement that doesn’t simply describes the world but calls certain conditions into being, Performative utterances are often used in ritual language, which help bring about mystical or spiritual transformations in consciousness, lived relations, and material conditions. ( example, “I baptize thee” is a performative utterance in that it doesn’t simply describe the act of baptizing but brings about the state of being baptized. Similarly, “Here I stand’ does not only allude to Robeson’s autobiography or describe the fact that the sculpture now stands over the Petworth neighborhood; it helps bring about the state of this ancestral figure once more “standing up” for the values he was committed to in life, including justice, radical inclusiveness, and African heritage. In this sense, “Here I Stand” can be seen as a form of ritual language that helps to re-energize and re-consecrate the land on which the statue stands, and thus nurtures the African derived lineage of the District of Columba.
The artist refers to the work as Janus-faced, consistent with the design of Kota reliquary guardian figures, which are placed above the physical remains of honored ancestors. It may be that the double faced features of Kota/Hongwe guardian sculptures suggest they are oriented both towards the visible world and the world of the invisible powers, serving as portal between spiritual domains and between past, present, and future.
Prompts for Closer Looking
How are the two faces different, and what effects do these differences convey?
When the sun shines through the stained glass elements, what effects are created?
Chat with individuals in the neighborhood? What do they think of the sculpture? Do they particularly notice it? Does anyone seem to know about Paul Robeson?
How might WEB DuBois’ concept of twoness or double consciousness illuminate your interpretation of this sculpture?
Learning Resources
90 minute documentary film: Uzikee: Washington DC’s Ancestral Sculptor (Doug Harris, 2021)
Wikipedia on Paul Robeston’s autobiography: Here I Stand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_I_Stand_(book)
Wikipedia entry on Uzikee’s sculpture here I Stand;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Here_I_Stand)_In_the_Spirit_of_Paul_Robeson
Mark Auslander commentary on Here I Stand
My student Oscar writes: "Uzikee’s work being African style sculptures made using modern machines are not only uniquely African American, but Uzikee’s resistance to the conforming forces of mainstream art are in and of themselves what make his art interesting given that he has often had to buy the property himself his art has stood and that his rejection of mainstream American art. In particular, outside of African art being a reflection of his culture, part of the reason he is drawn to the African influence in his art style is in its cultural value: “most of art in America is made for consumption, whereas this [African art] is used to transmit culture” (27:00). Thus, it is clear that Uzikee’s…
My student Brody observes: "African Americans are like the 7th son; they have the gift of vision but are cursed with living with this stained glass. The vision is important here, as much of Uzikee's work involves eyes, and often the eyes look different depending on the side you look at, which reminds me of twoness, as well as the veil, where African Americans are cursed with this second sight that white folks don't possess. Something that I was thinking about after watching was if beautiful artwork like this will, in the long run, contribute and help African Americans in getting out of this infernal circle, or what other effects it may have. I just wonder if the little things…
My student Hannah writes:: "When watching the documentary on Uzikee Nelson, DuBois' idea of a "veil" first popped into my head when I saw the masks Uzikee had on his wall in the style of African art. As DuBois writes, black people in this country are, "born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world" (DuBois). Thus, when seeing the masks on Uzikee's walls, after hearing the purpose of his work and how he has spent his whole life with awareness of himself through the eyes of white people, I immediately thought that the masks were signs of reclamation of the veil. Instead of being a way to face the world and almost hide his true identity,…
My student Chanel: “Just as Fanon and Dubois’s texts interplay to capture double-consciousness and twoness in the experience of Black individuals, Uzikee’s work visually manifests this concept with two-sided art integrating African heritage and artistic tradition in American urban spaces. While one side of his art may reflect a resilient and stoic face, the back of it often depicts deep pain and violence. This duality within a single piece of art represents the experience of being Black in America. His integration of stained glass in his artwork reflects Dubois concept of “the veil,” a mask that functions to both obscure and provide deeper wisdom to those wearing it. The staine glass can be interpreted as a representation of the varied…
My student Ariel observes in reference to WEB DuBois concept of double consciousness or twoness: "“Through Uzikee's art, this concept of Twoness is visually represented. His sculptures merge African-inspired aesthetics with industrial materials, reflecting the dual identity that DuBois describes. On one hand, his works are a testament to Black resilience, history, and creativity rooted in African heritage. On the other, his sculptures exist in public spaces within an American landscape that has historically marginalized Black voices. This mirrors the internal struggle of being both African and American, constantly navigating a world that acknowledges one identity while it suppresses the other. The Uzikee film highlights how his sculptures are acts of resistance, forcing American society to confront the presence an…