Claudia Jones Patriarchy

Claudia Jones is relatively unknown in the United States today, but was once a well-known activist that made headlines when she was deported. Although she was fully dedicated to the communist cause her idea of how communism would spread and be successful involved the integration of feminist theories. She believed that the participation of women is what would end up causing the success of the communist party. This mixture of communism and feminist theories involving gender inequality, discrimination, and patriarchy influenced Claudia Jones views and activities for most of her adult life. This idea of communism and feminist theories leading Jones’s life comes form the explanation of her life in Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black
Communist Claudia Jones by Carole Boyce Davies, which follows the life and political movements of Claudia Jones from her start in America to her death in Great Britain. As Jones began her life in the communist party she brought her experiences as young black women in America as a way to influence how she decided to really proceed in this party. She realized early on that in order to accomplished anything political she had to gather the support of women of all different classes and races. Although others hadn’t realized the potential of united women Jones had and tried her best to bring them together. Davies expresses this belief by stating Jones believed that “no attempt to move society forward is possible if half the population remains unaccounted for.” , Which also expressed Jones frustration with how underrepresented women were when they made up most of the population. This call for unity is something that is expressed many times by Jones, but that doesn’t mean that she forgot what the reality of the world she lived in really was. Although women were fighting for their rights, it seems like there was “this representation of white women for all women” that missed the needs of all the other women of different classes and races. Although it is true that women as a whole were marginalized there were different factors that went into how different women were treated. The main factor was, of course, race. While women everywhere in America were being discriminated against the black woman was considered the lowest of the low on the totem pole. Jones believed that black women were super-exploited, something way beyond the experience of white women in America. Jones stated them being women already made them lower than men in society, they were also poor and black. Angela Davis creates the term “triple jeopardy” (women, race and class) and eventually simplifies this idea . These three factors cause black women to become marginalized even by the marginalized, or the equally repressed white women of America.
Black women were being hired as maids and given jobs that included “uncountable hours without recompense” by the same white women who claimed they wanted equality for the sexes. White feminist seemed to completely forget the idea of equality when their interest was being met. This was especially unproductive to the cause of equality because it was important to realize that all women need to fight oppression in order “in the vital interest of the fight to realize equality for all women” . This of course meant that Jones realized one thing; the real fight wasn’t between white women and black women, but against the idea of patriarchy. Patriarchy is something so ingrained into society that it was even present in Jones’s political party. Although she was considered someone high up she realized the idea of patriarchy was still very present there. When Walter Lowenfels Jones wrote a piece about female inferiority recognized something very important. “These ideas also circulated un-criticized among party members [because it was] consistent with her own Marxist-Leninist ideology” . She recognized that her own party and beliefs had patriarchal aspects to it, but also realized the critiquing and challenging Lowenfels beliefs and statements could help expel these types ideas in her England based paper (as well leaving in a community where everyone contributed) could combat these types of beliefs in her
community In conclusion, these three feminist theories along with communism helped shape how Jones chose to lead her life. Without the need to defend the rights of women and the black community who really knows if she would have become an activist. Although not considered very significant by the general population here in Great Britain she had quite in influence. She helped people fight for their rights as human beings and as part of the black community. She lived her life with a purpose and never even considered changing paths. She brought new ideas when her political party needed a little push towards the right direction and never back down from speaking her truth even while in court. Her acts of activism should never be forgotten and her mixture of views should always be appreciated.