Bonita Williams

Bonita Williams was a British West-Indian Communist Party leader, poet, and civil rights activist in Harlem, New York during the Great Depression in the 1930s.[1] During this time, she wrote several poems and gave speeches focusing on black suffrage and workers' rights in the context of racial discrimination and class inequity. In addition, Williams served as the leader of several Harlem-based organizations, namely the Harlem Unemployment Council, Harlem Tenants' League, Harlem Action Committee against the High Cost of Living, and League of Struggle for Negro Rights (LSNR).[1]

Williams was also a prominent communist in Harlem, serving as the Secretary of Organizing for the Harlem Communist Party and Executive Director of the United Tenants and Consumer’s Organization in the late 1940s.[2] In her capacity, she served as a primary recruiter of Black men and women for the party, working to grow the number of African Americans identifying with the communist agenda during a time of increasing racial segregation.

  1. ^ a b Harris, Lashawn (2009). "Running with the Reds: African American Women and the Communist Party during the Great Depression". The Journal of African American History. 94 (1): 21–43. doi:10.1086/JAAHv94n1p21. ISSN 1548-1867. JSTOR 25610047. S2CID 141504216.
  2. ^ Activities, United States Congress House Un-American (1947). Testimony of Walter S. Steele Regarding Communist Activities in the United States: Hearings Before the Committee...80-1, on H.R. 1884 and 2122, P.L. 601, July 21, 1947.