Claudia Jones

Claudia Jones

Claudia Vera Cumberbatch was born in, Trinidad, on 21 February 1915. As a child, she migrated with her family to the US, where she became a Communist political activist, feminist and black nationalist. She was deported in 1955 and subsequently lived in the United Kingdom. She founded Britain’s first major black newspaper, West Indian Gazette, in 1958.

About Claudia Jones in brief

Summary Claudia JonesClaudia Vera Cumberbatch was born in, Trinidad, on 21 February 1915. As a child, she migrated with her family to the US, where she became a Communist political activist, feminist and black nationalist. She was deported in 1955 and subsequently lived in the United Kingdom. She founded Britain’s first major black newspaper, West Indian Gazette, in 1958. Jones’ best known piece of writing, \”An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman!\”, appeared in 1949 in the magazine Political Affairs. In it, she wrote: The bourgeoisie is fearful of the militancy of theNegro woman, and for good reason. The capitalists know, far better than many progressives seem to know, that once Negro women begin to take action, the militancies of the whole Negro people, is greatly enhanced. Nothing so exposes the drive to fascization in the nation as the callous attitude which the bourgeoisie displays and cultivates toward Negro women. Jones was elected member of the National Committee of the Communist Party USA in 1948. In 1950, aged 36, she was ordered to be deported by the Immigration and Natural Service. She suffered her first deportation on 21 December 1950 aged 36 and was sentenced to prison.

She died in London, aged 83, on 17 July 1961. She is buried in Kensington, London. She wrote: “I am Claudia Jones, and I am proud to be one of the few black women who have made a difference in the history of the United States. I am also proud to have been born in Trinidad and Tobago, and to have lived in New York City for most of my life. I want to be remembered as a person who fought for the rights of all people, black and white, to a better life and a better future for all of our children and grandchildren. I would like to thank all of you for your support and support over the years. I will always remember you as a great woman and a great activist.” She died on 17 December 1961, aged 80, and was buried in West Indian Cemetery, Kensington. Her last words were: “Thank you, my friends, for your love and support. I love you all.” She was the first black woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to the cause of women’s rights. She also received the Order of Merit for her services to the Democratic Party of the USA in 1966. Jones is survived by her husband and two children, who are still living in the U.S. and have a son and a daughter.