Eslanda "Essie" Cardozo Goode Robeson (December 15, 1895 – December 13, 1965) was an American anthropologist, author, actress, and civil rights activist. She was the wife and business manager of performer Paul Robeson. Biography Early years and marriage Eslanda Cardozo Goode was born in Washington, D.C., on December 15, 1895, descended from enslaved Africans. Her maternal 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 secretary of state 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. While there, she began to work at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, she soon became the head histological chemist of Surgical Pathology, the first black person to hold such a position. In 1920, Eslanda and Paul Robeson 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 in 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. 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