Silencing the Radical Black Feminist: A Book Review of Left of Karl Marx by Carol Boyce Davies

In their work Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones, Carol Boyce Davies works to rescue Claudia Jones from obscurity and bring the brilliant intellectual back into dominant historical discourse. The Radical Black Feminist was erased from the history books because her intellectual thought posed a threat to the capitalist order. Claudia Jones spent her life working as a journalist allowing her intellectual thought to be brought to the masses in an attempt to build the consciousness of the people. She was key theoretician in the CPUSA and as a Black Radical Feminist Jones stood at the vanguard of revolutionary political thought working to push Marxism further left to account for the intersections of race, gender, and class. Therefore, leftist and Marxist political thought needed to be pushed further left to recognize the triple oppression that Black Women faced. Claudia Jones possessed a unique ability to speak across difference bringing different groups of people together. Her anti-capitalist political thought and this ability to bring people together was seen as a threat to the wealthy elite and the status quo, leading to her eventual deportation to Britain. This piece will work to highlight the life and contributions of Claudia Jones that has been given new life by Carol Boyce Davies