The Claudia Jones School for Political Education is a radical-left political group that hosts panels, trainings, and lectures regarding socialism, Marxism, and communism and is supported by groups including the Communist Party USA, Black Women Radicals, and People’s World. The group is named for Claudia Jones, a black female leader in the Communist Party during the mid-twentieth century. ¹

The group promotes a variety of left-of-center and far-left ideologies and praises radical leaders in political thought and activism with an emphasis on highlighting Black female radicals. The group does not appear to be a registered nonprofit or formally structured organization, but does have a steering committee and hosts events in conjunction with similar pro-labor and communist-aligned groups. ^{2 3}

Background

The Claudia Jones School for Political Education was founded in 2020. The school says it “follows the lineage of other workers and popular education schools such as the Jefferson School of Social Science (based in Harlem, NY) and the Abraham Lincoln School for Social Science (based in Chicago, IL) by bringing a wide-strata of social, economic, and political issues to working and oppressed people of this country.” ⁴

The school has several ties to the Communist Party USA and other far-left groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America, hosting events in conjunction with such groups. The group’s website contains references to building labor power in the United States, pro-labor and communist imagery, and a “Black Lives Matter” banner. ⁵  

The group was named for Claudia Jones, a Trinidad and Tobago born-activist who immigrated to the United States as a child and became a leader in the Communist Party USA, pushing the party to further embrace African-American female members and feminism. Jones was arrested several times over her communist activism, and was eventually deported from the U.S. Follow her deportation, she was denied entry into Trinidad and Tobago, eventually settling in the United Kingdom where she joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. ⁶

Organization

It is unclear whether the Claudia Jones School for Political Education is a formal organization, an informal coalition, or a project of a different organization. The group lists a board of directors on its website that indicates the group was founded by Washington, D.C. activists Debra Johnson, Gato Bentley, Arturo Griffiths, and Jaime Cruz, Jr. ⁷

Associated Organizations

Partners and other organizations connected to the Claudia Jones School of Political Education include Black Women Radicals, Alliance for Cuba Engagement and Respect, Trabajadores Unidos De Washington, Vita Marcantonio Forum, One DC, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Poor People’s Campaign, and the Paul Robeson House. ⁸

Activity

In 2023, the Claudia Jones School for Political Education hosted its monthly program entitled “Saturday School: The Socialist Movement” at a public library in Washington, D.C. According to the Washington Informer, the program featured “community activists such as the program’s leader and Communist Party USA (CPU) co-chair Joe Sims.” The Informer further reported, “The event allowed attendees to discuss the increased interest in socialism among the youth, continued struggles of the working class faces, the MAGA movement, and more.” ⁹

In 2020 when the group was first founded, the school hosted an online Unemployment and Tenant Organizing Town Hall for residents in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Panelists represented the Brookland Manor and Brentwood Village Tenants Association (D.C.’s largest remaining affordable housing complexes), ONE DC, DC Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, New Virginia Majority, and the CPUSA Labor Commission. ¹⁰

1. “Home.” Claudia Jones School for Political Education. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://claudiajonesschool.org/
2. “Home.” Claudia Jones School for Political Education. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://claudiajonesschool.org/
3. Saddler, Milaka. “Claudia Jones School for Political Education Hosts Saturday School: The Socialist Movement.” Washington Informer. November 1, 2023. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://www.washingtoninformer.com/socialist-movement-claudia-jones-school-political-education/
4. “Home.” Claudia Jones School for Political Education. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://claudiajonesschool.org/
5. “Home.” Claudia Jones School for Political Education. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://claudiajonesschool.org/
6. Roach-McFarlane, Ashley. “The Forgotten Legacy of Claudia Jones: a Black Communist Radical Feminist.” Verso. March 21, 2021. Accessed May 20, 2024.  https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/5030-the-forgotten-legacy-of-claudia-jones-a-black-communist-radical-feminist
7. “Board of Directors.” Claudia Jones School for Political Education. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://claudiajonesschool.org/board-of-directors
8. “Partners.” Claudia Jones School for Political Education. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://claudiajonesschool.org/groups/
9. Saddler, Milaka. “Claudia Jones School for Political Education Hosts Saturday School: The Socialist Movement.” Washington Informer. November 1, 2023. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://www.washingtoninformer.com/socialist-movement-claudia-jones-school-political-education/
10. “D.C. tenants and unemployed organize and mobilize.” Communist Party USA. July 22. 2020. Accessed May 20, 2024.  https://cpusa.org/party_voices/d-c-tenants-and-unemployed-organize-and-mobilize/