Black American Women and the Global Fight to End Colonialism

In 1958, African American journalist and sociologist Marguerite Cartwright attended the All-African People’s Conference in Accra, Ghana. Hosted by President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and planned by several leading figures including Trinidadian journalist George Padmore and Kenyan labor leader Tom Mboya, the conference represented a bold challenge to colonialism and global white supremacy, and it brought together some of the most influential intellectuals and leaders from across the Black diaspora. By one account, only eight women out of the hundreds of delegates formally participated. However, these women did not allow this disparity to push them to the margins. They found diverse ways to make their ideas widely known. While the literature on anticolonial movements emphasizes the historical contributions of well-known male leaders in formal positions of power, Cartwright was among a cadre of Black American women during the 1950s and 1960s who utilized a range of strategies and tactics, including journalism and transnational organizing, to assert their political power in male-dominated spaces. Drawing on a range of sources, including archival material, historical newspapers, and organizational records, this essay highlights the significant—albeit often invisible—roles these women played in shaping transnational anticolonial movements during the 20^th century.