The imperial ‘we’: Racial justice, nationhood, and global war in Claudia Jones’ Weekly Review editorials, 1938–1943

Abstract

During World War II, Black journalists sought to shape United States’ domestic and international policies to fight Jim Crowism and fascism. This article demonstrates how Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian-born journalist, placed ‘superexploited’ voices at the center of a conversation about nationhood, race, and war politics. Employing a historical and thematic analysis of Jones’ editorials in the Young Communist League’s Weekly Review from 1938 to 1943, the author highlights three themes. This analysis demonstrates how Jones promoted US intervention in World War II by linking Jim Crowism to fascism and promoting military service and transnational solidarity. In centering ‘superexploited’ voices, Jones employed an imperial ‘we’ discourse that intersected racial justice with the Communist Party of the USA’s Popular Front platform. Her journalism complicates historical narratives about alternative journalism, illustrating how voices like Jones at times contributed to the growth of US global power, even while they critiqued its policies.