In celebration of Black History Month in Britain, Google’s UK homepage featured a portrait of black nationalist and former Communist Party member Claudia Jones on Wednesday.
Jones, a Trinidad and Tobago-born left-wing activist and journalist, migrated to the United States as a child in the 1920s. She became involved in far-left circles, advocating for black nationalism and eventually becoming an elected member of the National Committee of the Communist Party USA. She served four stints in prison during her time as a far-left activist in America.
Jones was an early proponent of what was later termed ‘intersectionality’, writing in 1949: “The bourgeoisie is fearful of the militancy of the Negro woman, and for good reason. The capitalists know, far better than many progressives seem to know, that once Negro women begin to take action, the militancy of the whole Negro people, and thus of the anti-imperialist coalition, is greatly enhanced.”
Google said in a statement: “Throughout her life, Jones tirelessly championed issues like civil rights, gender equality, and decolonisation through journalism, community organisation, and public speaking. She focused much of her work on the liberation of Black women everywhere from the discrimination they faced due to a combination of classism, racism, and sexism.”
The Silicon Valley tech company thanked Ms Jones for her “lifelong commitment to a more equitable world”.
In 1955, Jones was deported to the UK for being a foreign-born member of the Communist Party. Upon reaching the UK, she founded the country’s first black-owned newspaper, the West Indian Gazette, which folded after eight months after her death due to lack of funding.
Following the Notting Hill Race Riots, she held a ‘mardi gras’ in London in 1959, with the proceeds going to pay for the fines and legal costs of the rioters. The street party she put on is seen as a precursor to the Notting Hill Carnival.
Claudia Jones died in 1964 at the age of 49. She is buried to the left of her hero, Communist Manifesto author Karl Marx in Highgate Cemetary in London.
In response to the decision by Google to celebrate Claudia Jones, mixed-race political commentator Calvin Robinson told Breitbart London: “I think it’s interesting that Google chose to celebrate the life of a black nationalist communist while having the motto ‘don’t be evil’.”
“We all know the evils of communism, and the millions of lives lost to this ideology,” Robinson said.
He said that Google and other left-leaning companies have “jumped on the Black Lives Matter bandwagon, seemingly without looking into their core values. Either that or Google also subscribe to a neo-Marxist ideology, which I hope is not the case.”
“BLM is dangerous, and it’s unwise for Google to be taking this approach. I don’t want my search engine lecturing me on any political stance — but if they must, I’d rather they maintain some semblance of balance,” Mr Robinson said.
“It was Margaret Thatcher’s birthday the day before. The first female Prime Minister. I didn’t see Google celebrating her!” he pointed out.
Mr Robinson also criticised the concept of Black History Month — which is celebrated in the UK in October — saying: “It’s not necessary and it’s divisive. We teach history based on events that shaped our nation, not based on the colour of our skin.”
Robinson also rejected the notion of the “black community”, pronouncing: “I’m a member of the British community, the Christian community, my local community, but the colour of my skin doesn’t determine much about me, nor should it.”
Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here: @KurtZindulka