Claudia Jones

Claudia Jones (born Claudia Cumberbatch, 1915–1964) was a journalist, community leader, feminist, Black nationalist, and prominent member of the American Communist Party. Her family emigrated from Trinidad to New York City when she was eight years old. She became well-known for her involvement with both the civil-rights and women’s-rights movements. In 1955, she was arrested for giving a speech promoting peace and women’s rights, and was deported to England. In England, she founded the nation’s first Black newspaper, The West Indian Gazette, continued her work fighting racism and sexism, and founded the famous Notting Hill Carnival “to promote understanding between white Londoners and their Caribbean immigrant neighbors.” Her essay, “An End to the Neglect of the Problems of the Negro Woman” has become a cornerstone Black feminist text.