“Tell Negroes To Join With Other Peoples Of The World”
Annotation
An article in the Alabama Tribune reported on the visit of two West African women leaders, Mabel Dove from Ghana and Carmela Renner from Sierra Leone. The women leaders were hosted by the Norfolk chapter of the National Council of Negro Women. Here, they made connections between the struggle for national independence in Africa and civil rights in the States as part of a broader fight for freedom and equality for Black people everywhere. It is important to note that their 1956 visit preceded the celebrated wave of national independence that would sweep the continent in the coming years; therefore, highlighting Black women leaders’ contributions to shared movement building that flourished in the late 1950s and 1960s.
This source is part of the race, gender, and transnational histories of solidarity teaching module.
Text
“Tell Negroes to Join With Other Peoples of the Word” NORFOLK, Va. - (ANP) - Two outstanding African Women leaders stressed the need for American Negroes to join with other peoples of the world who are fighting for freedom in addresses here Sunday afternoon. The speakers were Mrs. Carmelia Renner of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and the Hon. Mabel Dove, member of the Parliament of the Gold Coast, West Africa. Mrs. Renner said Africa is in the news today, but that the people who go to Africa “are concerned about the wealth in African soil” they are not interested in the natives. She added “they are not interested in sharing the wealth.” She said the people of Africa “are a friendly people” and that they have “never stirred up trouble.” The people are not aggressive in trying to dominate others, she added: “Neither do we want to be trampled on.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “No one of the Negro race should go to sleep again” on the struggle for full equality, she said. She made a plea that all the black people would stand up together in the struggle for freedom and equality.
Credits
Annotation by Yatta Kiazolu, University of California-Sandiego