African-American Equality

Black History Month Special

Part of a series on African American communists in US history.

W.E.B. Du Bois was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He encountered socialist ideas while he was studying in Germany, where he occasionally attended rallies of the German Social Democratic Party. A pioneer of U.S. sociology and prolific author, Du Bois was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was the first editor of its journal the Crisis.

In 1961, after a lifetime of scholarship and activism, he joined the Communist Party USA, saying "Capitalism cannot reform itself. Communism—the effort to give all...what they need and to ask of each the best they can contribute—this is the only way of human life."

He died in Ghana, West Africa, where he had moved to work on the Encyclopedia Africana. His death was announced from the podium at the March on Washington where Dr. King made his historic "I have a dream" speech.

For more information: 100th anniversary of The Souls of Black Folk

For more information: Application for membership in the CPUSA by W.E.B.DuBois

(Compiled by Kevin Lindemann)

Black History Month Special

Part of a series on African American communists in US history.

Gus Hall
Communist Party of the USA
New York, New York

On this first day of October 1961, I am applying for admission to membership in the Communist Party of the United States. I have been long and slow in coming to this conclusion, but at last my mind is settled.

In college I heard the name of Karl Marx, but read none of his works, nor heard them explained. At the University of Berlin, I heard much of those thinkers who had definitely answered the theories of Marx, but again we did not study what Marx himself had said. Nevertheless, I attended meetings of the Socialist Party and considered myself a Socialist.

(continued)

Below are a series of recent articles and resources on African American History by the Communist Party and its publications, the People's Weekly World newspaper and Political Affairs magazine.



An extraordinary Black History Month—PWW Editorial

Application to join the CPUSA by W.E.B. Du Bois, 1961

The Making of African American History—from Political Affairs

An Invitation to African Americans from the Communist Party

Marvel Cooke: Journalist, labor and peace activist—from PWW
  
Eddie Carthan and the struggle for Black empowerment in the Deep South—from PWW

Ongoing series of biographies of African American Communists

---

From the Archives:

The Struggle for African American Freedom Continues

Video of Jarvis Tyner of Black History

Video of panel on role of CPUSA in the Civil Rights struggle in the US

Black History Month: Henry Winston and the African American Freedom Struggle

Black History Month Special

Part of a series on African American communists in US history.

Before working for the Communist Party, James Ford had been active in the labor movement, including working in the Chicago Federation of Labor. In 1929, he and William L. Patterson attended the Second Congress of the League Against Imperialism in Frankfurt, Germany. The following year, when the First International Congress of Negro Workers was convened in Hamburg, Germany, Ford became its secretary and opened an office in Hamburg, where he established relationships with African and Asian workers and helped them to organize.

When he returned to the US, he became the first African American to run for vice-president of the United States (he ran in 1932, 1936, and 1940).

Black History Month Special

Part of a series on African American communists in US history.

Jonnie Lumpkin Ellis, who was known by her adopted name "Pat", was born in Washington, GA. Her family moved to Orlando, Florida, where they worked picking oranges.

In 1939, Her brother-in-law, Taft Earl Rollins, returned to Fort Bragg, NC, unaware that a racist riot was raging. The Army sent his body back to Orlando with no explanation. The sergeant who accompanied the body had strict orders to keep the casket closed.

Jonnie defied the orders, opened the casket and saw that Rollins’ head had been
smashed in. It was a lynching, not an accident. Jonnie did not let the Army cover up the crime. She insisted on an open casket funeral.

Jonnie moved to Buffalo, NY with her family in December 1941, where she worked as a housekeeper for a communist couple. She soaked up their message of class struggle and socialism and joined the Communist Party.

(continued)

Black History Month Special

Reprinted from the People's Weekly World

At the intersection of African American History and Women's History months is a long list of Black women who have made history as civil rights, labor and peace activists, educators, scientists, elected officials, physicians, astronauts, artists and much more.

Prominent among them, and combining several of those roles, is the journalist and activist Marvel Cooke. In her long life (1903-2000), Cooke participated in such crucial and often interrelated developments as the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, the intense upsurge of labor organizing in the 1930s and decades of work for world peace, civil rights and civil liberties.

Along the way she, too, achieved "firsts" first woman journalist at the Amsterdam News, participant in organizing New York City's first Newspaper Guild chapter, first African American or woman reporter at the white-owned daily Compass.

(continued...)

Black History Month Special

Part of a series on African American communists in US history.

Hosea Hudson was born in Wilkes County, Georgia. He worked as a sharecropper in what was then known as the "Black Belt" of Georgia before moving to Birmingham and working as a skilled iron molder. He became active in the movement to save the Scottsboro youth and joined the Communist Party in 1931.

"I was early convinced that socialism was an excellent way of life, but I thought it might be reached by various methods …Today I have reached a firm conclusion: Capitalism can not reform itself; it is doomed to self-destruction.  No universal selfishness can bring social good to all. In the end communism will triumph.  I want to help bring that day."

W. E. B. Du Bois requesting membership in the Communist Party USA, 1961.

Join the Party of change, struggle and commitment to freedom and equality, the CPUSA

Our country is facing its greatest crisis since the 1930s. At the same time, the moment is filled with great hope and possibility. The crisis was caused by capitalism and Wall Street greed. The solution to it is being born in today's unprecedented mass movement for change.

Capitalism breeds racism, unemployment and war, but it also creates the possibility for solving these problems, but not without struggle involving millions of working-class people. The Communist Party understands this and has a program that calls for fundamentally transforming our society and using its great wealth to meet human needs.

Today we believe that all people – Black, Latino, Native American, Asian and white – must unite and fight for an economic recovery that puts peoples needs before corporate greed.  This recovery must be one that places affirmative action and good paying union jobs at its center.

Today, the CPUSA is involved at the grass roots in the fight to bail out Main Street, not Wall Street. We are also involved in the fight to end the war in Iraq, and in the movement for national health care, ending immigrant bashing, police violence and anti-LGBT hatred.

• If you want to work for an end to racial and class injustice: JOIN THE PARTY!

• If you are tired of our government's imperialist policies of war and aggression and want peace: JOIN US!

• If you are for an end to poverty, unemployment, homelessness and hunger: JOIN!

Reprinted from politicalaffairs.net

This February, as we celebrate African American history month, the first African American president will be sitting in the White House, something that few Americans saw as a possibility at the turn of the 21st century. Because of this momentous event, it is worth saying a few words about the origins of African American history month.

(Continued)

The Communist Party of the United States of America as part of African American History Month honors the life of Paul Robeson. He was an actor, singer, football player, lawyer, and a civil rights activist.

Strategy for a Black Agenda first came out in 1973. The book was and remains a fundamental contribution to the struggle. The issues that Henry Winston raised centered on the unity of the class and national questions.

Reprinted from Political Affairs Magazine, the magazine of the Communist Party USA.

As part of a series of Black History Month conversations, Libero Della Piana, Chair of the New York State Communist Party, speaks about the radical legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Della Piana references King's famous "Beyond Vietnam" Speech made at The Riverside Church in Manhattan on April 4, 1967 where he called for "revolution of values" and an end to the U.S. war in Vietnam. He also refers to King's final book "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" which called for a guaranteed national income.

February is Black History Month. Communists have always emphasized the importance of the African American people to the struggles for basic social change in this country from Slavery to Civil Rights to today. This series of video interviews and commentaries by leaders of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) reflect on the legacy and power of the Black Freedom Struggle.

First in the series is a brief commentary by CPUSA Executive Vice-Chair Jarvis Tyner on the importance of Black History Month today.

INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION

The economic costs of discrimination against African Americans are many-sided, and are interconnected with the effects of social discrimination and racism. Overt racist discrimination is still significant, but institutional forms of discrimination, which can operate without any conscious racist intent, are equally important.

The Urban League’s State of Black America 2007 measures a number of “indexes” of Black equality. It shows an overall black equality index of 0.73, but the economic index is the lowest at 0.57. [REF15] In other words, of all the areas the Urban League measures (health, education, home ownership, etc.), African Americans face the worst inequality in economic matters. This can be seen most dramatically in the figures on poverty.

Special District Meeting on African American Equality and
Building the Communist Party and Young Communist League
Chicago, IL September 30, 2007

Opening Remarks By John Bachtell, IL District Organizer

First, I want to acknowledge the collective nature of this report and preparation for the meeting. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
Secondly, these remarks will not begin to touch on every question, only a few of the key problems and issues before the district. The rest is up to you.

Comrades, Sisters and Brothers,

Welcome!

Let me start by thanking comrade Sam Webb for proposing this meeting and the National Board for endorsing the idea of this conference which started out as an expanded meeting of the commission but because of the overwhelming response grew into much more.

The last time we held a similar meeting was in the early 90’s before our 25th convention. We must do this more often.

Statement of National Board of the Communist Party USA
Prepared by Jarvis Tyner, Executive Vice Chair

The crude racist/sexist remarks of radio talk show host Don Imus have ignited a firestorm of anti-racist protest from people of all races and nationalities all over the country. This protest has resulted in the show losing several sponsors and MSNBC dropping Imus’s show. CBS radio, after much hesitation, finally decided to drop Imus’s show—which generated $50 million in advertising revenues annually.

February presents us once again with an opportunity to strengthen our basic understanding of the fight for democracy and social progress in our country. One decisive question is the relationship of the struggle of the working class to the struggle of the African American people. The core forces of the forward motion for social progress in our country consist of the working class and its organized form, the labor movement, in association with the movements of the nationally and racially oppressed, the movements of women, and the movements of youth. Decisive is the relationship of the working class and organized labor to the African American people...

The movement of the African American people for full social economic, and political equality has always played a decisive role in the over all struggle for democracy and socialism.

The Republican Party and the right wing are waging a well-financed campaign to weaken and destroy the impact of the African American vote. This campaign is in direct violation of the Voting Rights Act (1965) and the principle of one person, one vote. It is one of the clearest examples of the racist nature of the Bush administration.