Howard "Stretch" Johnson, a charismatic Harlemite who graduated from Cotton Club dancer to Communist Party youth leader, once claimed that in late 1930s New York "75% of black cultural figures had Party membership or maintained regular meaningful contact with the Party." He stretched the truth, but barely. The magnetic appeal of communism for African American writers … [Read more...] about Friday Morning Thread: Black and Red – The History of African-Americans and Communism
FBI
Thursday Open Thread: African-American Undercover Agents
Good Morning POU! Today we feature a trailblazer whose biography has been portrayed on the small screen. Her work has been so important and dangerous, photographs of her are not online even though she has been retired for almost 2 decades. Johnnie Mae Gipson Johnnie Mae Gipson was one of the first female FBI special agents, and the first African-American female … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: African-American Undercover Agents