Claudia Jones was a Trinidadian journalist, activist, Black feminist, Black nationalist and communist. Jones dedicated her life to social activism and spoke out against class exploitation and oppression. In 1936, Jones joined the Young Communist League (YCL) after observing their work on the Scottsboro Nine case where nine African-American men were subjected to be lynched on accusation of raping two white women.
Her progressive literary works include “We Seek Full Equality for Women” which demanded emancipation for women. By 1945, she was the Negro Affairs Editor of The Daily Worker. In 1949, her article “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of Negro Women” introduced and argued for recognition of intersectionality in work for justice. Her infamous quote, “To win the Negro woman for full participation in the anti-fascist, anti-imperialist coalition, to bring her militancy and participation to even greater heights in the current and future struggles against Wall Street imperialism, progressives must acquire political consciousness as regards her special oppressed status," speaks volumes on her measure to understand the struggles Black women face against racism and sexism. She led several major movements including the U.S. African American liberation, pro-communism, women's rights, world peace, and the Caribbean revolutionary battles for independence and unity.
As victim to the anti-communism agenda active in the McCarthy era, Jones was arrested multiple times and was exiled to Great Britain due to her communist affiliation. After coming to terms with the hostility and discrimination cast towards West Indian communities, she founded Britain's first black newspaper, the “West Indian Gazette.”, that highlights Pan-African news and vocalizes against discrimination on marginalized groups. The WIG was also intended to bind together the West Indian community formally separated due to racism and island nationalism.
After Jones passed in 1964, she was buried in Highgate Cemetery next to the grave of Karl Marx, who is known as the "Father of the Communist Party".
