Red International and Black Caribbean : Communists in New York City, Mexico and the West Indies, 1919-1939

Too often grouped together, the black radicalism movement has a history wholly separate from the international communist movement of the early twentieth century. In __Red International and Black Caribbean__ Margaret Stevens sets out to correct this enduring misconception. Focusing on the period 1919-39, Stevens explores the political roots of a dozen Communist organizations and parties that were headquartered in New York City, Mexico, and the Caribbean. She describes the inner workings of the Red International—the revolutionary global political network established under the Communist International—in relation to struggles against racial and colonial oppression. In doing so, she also highlights how the significant victories and setbacks of black people fighting against racial oppression developed within the context of the global Communist movement. Challenging dominant accounts, __Red International and Black Caribbean__ debunks the “great men” narrative, emphasizes the role of women in their capacity as laborers, and paints the true struggles of black peasants and workers in Communist parties. *Selected as one of openDemocracy's Best Political Books of 2017* This is the history of the black radicals who organised as Communists between the two imperialist wars of the twentieth century. It explores the political roots of a dozen organisations and parties in New York City, Mexico and the Black Caribbean, including the Anti-Imperialist League, and the American Negro Labour Congress and the Haiti Patriotic League, and reveals a history of myriad connections and shared struggle across the continent. This book reclaims the centrality of class consciousness and political solidarity amongst these black radicals, who are too often represented as separate from the international Communist movement which emerged after the Russian Revolution in 1917. Instead, it describes the inner workings of the 'Red International' in relation to struggles against racial and colonial oppression. It introduces a cast of radical characters including Richard Moore, Otto Huiswoud, Navares Sager, Grace Campbell, Rose Pastor Stokes and Wilfred Domingo. Challenging the 'great men' narrative, Margaret Stevens emphasises the role of women in their capacity as laborers; the struggles of peasants of colour; and of black workers in and around Communist parties. Cover 1 Contents 8 Figures 9 Abbreviations 10 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction 14 Part I: Bolshevism in Caribbean Context 22 1. The Dark World of 1919 24 2. Hands Off Haiti! 62 3. El Dorado Sees Red 82 Part II: Two Steps Forward 118 4. Every Country Has a Scottsboro 120 5. The "Black Belt" Turned South and Eastward 156 Part III: Race, Nation and the Uneven Development of the Popular Front 190 6. The Temperament of the Age 192 7. Good Neighbors and Popular Fronts 224 8. Of "Dogs, Hogs and Haitians" 266 Notes 288 Index 307 A groundbreaking history of Communist organisations and struggle in the Caribbean, focusing on women, peasants of colour and black workers. Margaret Stevens. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.