C.L.R. James

Cyril Lionel Robert James was a writer, historian, and Marxist theorist whose 1938 book The Black Jacobins told the story of the Haitian Revolution as a model of anti-colonial and anti-slavery struggle. He moved between Trinidad, Britain, and the United States, shaping Pan-African and revolutionary thought and mentoring a generation of activists. He wrote across politics, literature, and cricket, and remained an influential figure until his death. His work linked the histories of slavery, empire, and Black liberation.