Claudia Jones became a symbol of resistance and the standard by which others would measure their own integrity of commitment. Left of Karl Marx is the biography of an era of the most intense ideological combat. Here is the story of a singular triumph whose legacy has nourished the lives of another generation.
An enemy of imperialism is a friend of the people.
— Claudia Jones1915–1964
Claudia Jones was born in Trinidad in 1915 and emigrated to the United States as a child, where she became a leading figure in the Communist Party USA, a tireless advocate for Black women's rights, and a fierce opponent of colonialism and racial capitalism.
Deported from the US in 1955 under McCarthyism, she settled in London and founded the West Indian Gazette — Britain's first major Black newspaper — and organised the indoor Caribbean carnival that would eventually become the Notting Hill Carnival. She died in 1964, aged 49, and was buried near Karl Marx in Highgate Cemetery.
from the archive
- An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman!Claudia JonesEssayCJ-0011949
- The Caribbean Community in BritainClaudia JonesEssayCJ-0021964
- Ben Davis: Fighter for FreedomClaudia JonesEditorialCJ-0031954
- International Women's Day and the Struggle for PeaceClaudia JonesSpeechCJ-0041950
- For the Unity and Peace of the Caribbean PeoplesClaudia JonesEssayCJ-0051958
- A People's Art is the Genesis of Their FreedomClaudia JonesEditorialCJ-0061961
- American Imperialism and the British West IndiesClaudia JonesEssayCJ-0071952
- Half the World's People: Women in the StruggleClaudia JonesSpeechCJ-0081953
books on claudia jones
Left of Karl Marx
The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones
Carole Boyce Davies assesses the activism, writing, and legacy of Claudia Jones (1915–1964) — a pioneering Afro-Caribbean radical intellectual, dedicated communist, and feminist. Jones is buried in London's Highgate Cemetery, to the left of Karl Marx, a location that Boyce Davies finds fitting given how Jones expanded Marxism-Leninism to incorporate gender and race.
- Publisher
- Duke University Press
- Year
- 2008
- Pages
- 311 pages
- ISBN
- 978-0822341161
Claudia Jones: Beyond Containment
Autobiographical Writings, Essays and Poems
This book brings together for the first time the essays, poetry, and autobiographical and other writings of cultural activist Claudia Jones (1915–1964). What is revealed is the voice of a woman who was both politically savvy and brilliant — a feminist with radical ideas that resonate with today's readers interested in community empowerment and Black nationalism.
"Davies not only underscores why Jones stands among the world's most important radical theorists and organizers of the 20th century, but she reveals the Trinidadian-born, transnational intellectual as artist and visionary."
Robin D.G. Kelley — University of Southern California
"Lifts veils of ignorance and erasure that obscure a brilliant, 20th century human rights advocate."
Joy James — Williams College
"Davies provides a glimpse of the totality of Jones as a radical black activist, intellectual, feminist, poet, organizer, and journalist."
Ama Biney — University of London
- Publisher
- Ayebia Clarke Publishing
- Year
- 2011
- Pages
- 241 pages
- ISBN
- 978-0956240163
what scholars say
This book removes Claudia Jones from the shadow of the great bust of Marx to the front row of the black activists and thinkers of the twentieth century, and that is where she belongs.
This is a long-awaited treasure for which many will be eternally grateful. Carole Boyce Davies has given us a well-researched, detailed analysis of this communist, feminist, intellectual, activist, and artistic woman of Caribbean origin.
Left of Karl Marx is essential reading for students of the broader Caribbean community. Carole Boyce makes an important contribution to the history of Caribbean, communist, feminist women who have tended to figure only at the margins of their male counterparts' political profiles.
Her story belongs to everyone.
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About this archive
An independent digital archive dedicated to the life, writings, and legacy of Claudia Jones (1915–1964).
Location
London, United Kingdom