Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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Claudia Jones led the way
ROGER McKENZIE salutes the life and work of the famous journalist and communist, arguing that the West Indian Gazette, Britain's first black newspaper, should be remembered alongside her founding of the Notting Hill Carnival
Claudia Jones
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
THERE are a number of writers and journalists I really admire. Sometimes it’s for the quality of their writing. Sometimes it’s for what they have to say. Sometimes, though much more rarely, it’s both.
Two writers immediately come to mind who fit the double category. James Baldwin is one of them. I think both his non-fiction and fictional works are rarely surpassed by anyone, with the possible exception of Toni Morrison.
The other one is Claudia Jones. As I write this, on February 21 2022, I celebrate her birthday. She shares her birthday with the publication of the Communist Manifesto and the day the legendary Malcolm X was gunned down in New York City in 1965.
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