1898 – Birth of C.L.R. James, Pan-African Revolutionary Thinker

Cyril Lionel Robert James was born on June 4, 1898, in Trinidad and Tobago. A literary critic, historian, and Marxist intellectual, James was one of the 20th century’s most influential voices on anti-colonialism and Black liberation. His most famous work, The Black Jacobins, recounts the Haitian Revolution through the life of Toussaint Louverture. James championed Pan-Africanism and self-determination for colonized people while also criticizing racism in Western socialism. He became an intellectual beacon across Africa and the Caribbean during decolonization, inspiring independence movements and radical thought. James’ global reach and insistence on the agency of Black people in shaping their destinies left a permanent mark on revolutionary thought. His birth marked the arrival of a man who would influence politics, history, and literature across continents.