The Black Belt Communists
During the Great Depression, black sharecroppers and the Communist Party waged war against tenant farming in the South.
5 Articles by: Robin D. G. Kelley
Robin D. G. Kelley is the the Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at UCLA, and the author of Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists during the Great Depression.
How Alabama Communists Organized in the Jim Crow South
In 1930s Alabama, Communist Party members fought brutal repression to organize black and white workers in the Jim Crow South. Their efforts remain a source of inspiration for those fighting racism and exploitation today.
The Black Radical Tradition Can Guide Our Struggles Against Oppression
Historian Robin D. G. Kelley has uncovered a tradition of African American radicalism that was — and is — a crucial part of the American left’s history. He talks to Jacobin about the need to connect struggles against racism and class oppression.
Academic Freedom Must Extend to All
The Pitzer College community voted to suspend a study abroad program with the University of Haifa because of its ongoing policies discriminating against Palestinians. But their president decided to overturn a democratic referendum supporting human rights.
The Black Belt Communists
During the Great Depression, black sharecroppers and the Communist Party waged war against tenant farming in the South.