Self-Protective Disinformation: Claudia Jones

 

Claudia Jones is a name you don't hear in terms of black history. Born in Trinidad and ended up in America when she was only 9 years old. Losing her mother at a young age, she decided to drop out of school. Politics, well activism caught her eye when she was 18. Claudia decided to become a member of the Young Communist League (YCL). This became the turning point for her activism. She began to speak up and fight against racial inequality and equal rights for women. Claudia was a part of the communist party until the day she passed away. Could this be a possible reason why she is left out of the conversation? However, her actions spoke louder. Claudia heavily supported the Scottsboro Boys. These 9 boys were accused of sexually assaulting two white women. They were incarcerated for a while, and have not mentally recovered from the incident.

The US government was watching her and others apart of the YCL. Her actions as a member of the Communist Party USA were the final strike. She was not a citizen of the US, which landed her in huge trouble. She was arrested twice in America, and eventually exiled to the UK. The University of Bristol states, "In 1958, Jones founded the West Indian Gazette (WIG), an anti-racist newspaper campaigning for social equality. This was Britain’s first commercial Black newspaper. WIG sought to unite West Indians in diaspora and to foster dialogue with Black internationalist freedom movements. The paper also highlighted patterns of anti-Black violence, racial harassment and prejudice in the UK." (Paragraph 2) Claudia proves that the fight was not over by any means even after being exiled. After all, she accomplished many achievements. She sadly passed away on Christmas Eve in 1964. The same the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. Her fearless leadership should not be forgotten.

Citation:

University of Bristol. “The 'Mother' of Notting Hill Carnival: Claudia Jones.” Claudia Jones | Department of History | University of Bristol, University of Bristol, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.bristol.ac.uk/history/public-engagement/blackhistory/snapshots/claudiajones/.