Haiti's continuing troubles always bring me back to C. L. R. James' and his excellent "The Black Jacobins," a terrific analysis of the successful revolts led by the slave Toussaint L'Ouverture on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the 1790's. Like the Florida Seminoles' successful resistance against the U.S. army in the 19th century, the Haitian slave rebellion is a great historical case in which we won one.
Which brings me to some sad news. On July 21, 2003 Jim Murray, the Director of the C.L.R. James Institute, which he founded in New York, died.
See the James' Institute excellent website at:
http://www.clrjamesinstitute.org/
and read an obituary (and memorials) of Jim at:
http://www.clrjamesinstitute.org/jimlife.html
In 1983 I invited Jim to a special CLR James Day that I organized at Temple University. He was terrific. He helped turn on a hundred or so students to James. Jim brought along a provocative film, "Talking History," a documentary in which James and E.P. Thompson analyzed (in abridged form!) peoples' struggles of the 20th century. Afterwards Jim discussed James' life and times. He had a close personal relationship with CLR and is responsible for gathering most of his work into a collection, publishing much work that had not seen print. Jim also edited the excellent "Cultural Correspondence" magazine. He was a fine poet and educator.
Jim first introduced me to James' work, from The Black Jacobins to Beyond a Boundary. James was one of the most important Marxist revolutionaries of the 20th century. . .and to think he got his start as a sportswriter!
Please consider making a contribution to the Jim Murray Memorial Fund to continue his important work. Mail to:
Jim Murray Memorial Fund, c/o Ralph Dumain, P.O. Box 65972, Washington, DC 20035
In Solidarity,
Brian McKenna
