Black History Month: Claudia Jones

To celebrate Black History Month, FWN are publishing a series of articles on inspiring black women from History. Susan Fajana-Thomas OBE writes about Claudia Jones.

As a resident of Stoke Newington in Hackney, every time I walk past this building on Stoke Newington Road and see the faded sign with the name 'Claudia Jones Organisation', it reminds me of the great woman, Claudia Jones. I read about her over two decades ago, and her story helped shape my dedication to challenging racial and gender inequalities.

Claudia Jones was a feminist, political activist, visionary, and pioneering journalist. She was born in Trinidad in 1915 and later moved to the United States. After living and working there, where she was an active member of the American Communist Party, she was exiled to the UK in 1955.

In the UK, Jones continued her lifelong fight against racial inequality and intolerance. She collaborated with activist groups to campaign against housing injustices, discrimination at work, and racist immigration policies. Jones was a passionate advocate for women’s rights. She emphasised that no peace can be achieved if any women, especially those who are oppressed and impoverished, are excluded from the conversation.

In 1958, Jones established the West Indian Gazette (WIG), an anti-racist newspaper that advocated for social equality. This was Britain’s first commercial Black newspaper. WIG aimed to unite West Indians in the diaspora and to promote dialogue with Black internationalist freedom movements. The paper also highlighted patterns of anti-Black violence, racial harassment, and prejudice in the UK.

Often described as "the mother of the Notting Hill Carnival", she organised the first "Caribbean Carnival" held on 30 January 1959 at St Pancras Town Hall as a response to the troubled state of race relations at the time.

Claudia Jones not only played a crucial role in fighting for racial equality in the UK, but she also helped bring Caribbean culture to the forefront of British life.