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Celebrating International Women’s Day is nothing new for Leftists- the Socialist Party were among the first, but the Communist Party found a way to make it poignant for their ideological struggle. On March 8, 1917, thousands of Russian women marched on Petrograd to demand “Bread and Peace”, an end to the czarist rule, and endContinue reading “The Communist Party and International Women’s Day”

Last spring, I was working on a presentation for the African American Intellectual Society annual conference on the Universal Negro Improvement Association in St. Louis, MO. The research took me quite deeply into the UNIA’s official organ, The Negro World. I am so grateful Schomburg Center, part of the New York Public Library system, hasContinue reading “The Negro World”

In light of yesterday’s attempted insurrection and display of white terror, this poster (from Communist Collection of A.E. Forbes‘ collection at University of Pittsburgh) sparked my attention. The International Labor Defense published this pamphlet on how to recognize white terror, ca. 1930s. Notice, white terror is classified as working class abused and exploitation, particularly againstContinue reading ““White Terror” & the International Labor Defense”

Thyra Edwards Born December 25, 1897 Happy Birthday, Thyra! Edwards would be 123 today(!), so I am happy to take this opportunity to share a bit more about her. I am currently writing an article about her time in Chicago in the 1930s, and how, through labor organizing and alliances with American Communists, she developedContinue reading “Thyra Edwards”

Woman Today (formerly The Working Woman) celebrates Christmas in many languages in their December 1936 cover (PDF). The CPUSA Publication underwent many transformations in its tenure, ultimately folding in 1938. At the time, though, it was a great publication for working class women of all ages to publish letters to the editor, articles, fiction, andContinue reading “December 20, 2020”