by W.A. Domingo
Edited by Peter Hulme and Leslie James
7/20/2025, paperback
SKU: 9780745348575
The first biography and collected writings of one of the leading West Indian anti-colonialists of the twentieth century
Red and Black in Harlem and Jamaica offers the first complete account of the life and work of Wilfred Adolphus Domingo (1889-1968), one of the most significant West Indian anti-colonialists of the twentieth century, who was active in New York in the radical politics of the New Negro movement before committing himself to the struggle for Jamaican independence.
When W. A. Domingo died, the Jamaican ex-premier Norman Manley wrote that "no one in the world made greater sacrifices or suffered more for the cause he believed in--the cause of freedom for Jamaica and our escape from the bonds and fetters of British Imperialism." Despite this claim, Domingo has remained a shadowy figure. This book brings him, at last, into the foreground of anti-colonial struggle in the Caribbean.
Through a generous selection of Domingo's writings from various stages of his life, the book illuminates his ideological tenets and political commitments, while the introductory material contains new biographical information that sheds light on Domingo's early years as well as on his relationships with Marcus Garvey and the Communist movement.
Reviews:
"This astonishing compendium is a valuable corrective to parochial conceptions of the 'black radical tradition'. It places the prolific work of Willis A. Domingo back in the centre of the history of anticolonial politics." --Paul Gilroy, Emeritus Professor of Humanities, University College London
"An outstanding contribution. Hulme and James have rendered invaluable service by providing the most authoritative and detailed biographical portrait capturing the brilliance of W.A. Domingo. One of Harlem's leading 'New Negro' radicals of the 1920s, Domingo was also a combative antiracist and anti-colonial intellectual and a relentless and distinguished fighter for Jamaica's independence." --Winston James, Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine
"A magnificent interpretation of Caribbean decolonization, seen through the lens of the Jamaican, W.A. Domingo, whose stunning writings make up half the book. It's a Harlem story as much as it is Caribbean: a glorious narrative, bringing the displacements of the Caribbean back to life." --Bill Schwarz, Professor at Queen Mary University of London
About the Contributors:
W. A. Domingo (1889-1968) was one of the leading West Indian anti-colonialists of the twentieth century. Born and raised in Jamaica, he moved to the USA in 1910. A Jamaican nationalist, socialist, and committed internationalist, he was part of an influential community of West Indian radicals active in Harlem's New Negro movement in the early 20th century. In 1936 he co-founded the Jamaica Progressive League, which called for Jamaican self-government. He then helped shape the People's National Party in Jamaica before being imprisoned by the colonial authorities on the island during World War II. He was present at Jamaica's independence ceremonies in August 1962.
Peter Hulme is Emeritus Professor in Literature, University of Essex, and the author or editor of numerous books, most recently The Dinner at Gonfarone's: Salomón de la Selva's Pan-American Project in Nueva York, 1915-1919. He lives in Sedbergh, Cumbria.
Leslie James is Senior Lecturer in Global History at Queen Mary University London. She is the author of George Padmore and Decolonization from Below and editor of C.L.R. James's Nkrumah and the Ghana Revolution. She lives in London.