Clifton DeBerry (September 18, 1923 – March 24, 2006) was an American

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and two-time candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

of the Socialist Workers Party. He was the first black American in the 20th century to be chosen by a political party as its nominee for president.

Biography

Early years

Clifton DeBerry was born in September 1923 in

Holly Springs, Mississippi Holly Springs is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Mississippi, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the border with Tennessee to the north. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 6,96 ...

. He worked as a house painter and was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

ist.''Socialist Workers Party Election Platform.'' New York: Socialist Workers Party, April 1964. Page 1. In the 1940s, DeBerry left his native South and moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he worked in a factory owned by

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated IH or International) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household equipment, and more. It wa ...

.Joel Britton, "Meeting Set to Celebrate Life of SWP leader Clifton DeBerry," ''The Militant,'' vol. 70, no. 14 (April 10, 2006). Online at http://www.themilitant.com/2006/7014/701405.html. He became active in the Farm Equipment Workers Union and joined the Communist Party. DeBerry grew critical of the official Communist movement, and in 1953 he joined the Socialist Workers Party, a

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

organization. During his Chicago years in the late 1950s, DeBerry found it hard to keep a job. "I would get a job and it would last only 3 days. I would go from one job to another. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

would visit my boss and I would be fired." DeBerry gave up on the city and moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 1960. DeBerry married Carol Dobbs, daughter of SWP national secretary

Farrell Dobbs Farrell Dobbs (July 25, 1907 – October 31, 1983) was an American Trotskyist, trade unionist, politician, and historian. Early years Dobbs was born in Queen City, Missouri, where his father was a worker in a coal company garage. The family ...

Political career

DeBerry's career as a political activist began in earnest in the 1950s. In 1955 he helped organize a mass protest in Chicago to protest the

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

Emmett Till Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941 – August 28, 1955) was an African American youth, who was 14 years old when he was abducted and Lynching in the United States, lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman, ...

back home in his native Mississippi. DeBerry spoke out in defense of the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

, in support of African liberation struggles, and demanded withdrawal of U.S. troops from

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. DeBerry marched for

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

and

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

and was a supporter of

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

in the 1960s. He was a delegate to the founding conventions of the Negro Labor Congress and the Negro American Labor Council. In November 1963, DeBerry ran for councilman in the

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

borough of New York City. He received 3,514 votes in the race.Federal Bureau of Investigation, COINTELPRO material, http://www.icdc.com/~paulwolf/cointelpro/swp.htm#deberry."Apathy Marks At-Large Campaign in Brooklyn", ''New York Times'', October 26, 1963 DeBerry was the Socialist Workers Party's candidate in the 1964 election. He was the party's first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

candidate as well as the first African American candidate for president of any existing party (he was preceded in 1960 by marginal candidate Clennon King). DeBerry's running mate was Ed Shaw, a printer from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. In the 1965 city election, DeBerry was the SWP's candidate for

Mayor of New York In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

. In

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

, he ran for

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

and polled 5,766 votes. DeBerry ran again in the

1980 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 1980. In a landslide victory, the Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of former California governor Ronald Reagan and form ...

as one of three candidates the party had that year, the others being Andrew Pulley and Richard Congress. Matilde Zimmermann was the vice presidential candidate on all three tickets.

Death and legacy

Clifton DeBerry died of heart failure on March 24, 2006 in a hospital near his home of

Union City, California Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population in the 2020 census was 70,143, up from 69,628 in the 2010 census. It is located approximately south of Oakland, from San Franci ...

. He was 82 years old. A memorial meeting was held in his honor by the Socialist Workers Party in New York City on April 29, 2006.

Footnotes

Works by Clifton DeBerry

* ''Marxism and the Negro Struggle.'' With Harold Cruse and

George Breitman George Breitman (February 28, 1916 – April 19, 1986) was an American political activist, author, and publisher affiliated with the Trotskyist movement. He was a founding member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and a long-time editor of it ...

. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1965. * ''The Case for an Independent Black Political Party

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...

American Politics and the 1968 Presidential Campaign,'' by Jack Barnes. New York: Socialist Workers Party, 1967. * ''Murder in Memphis. Martin Luther King and the future of the Black Liberation Struggle.'' With Paul Boutelle, George Novack, and Joseph Hansen. New York: Merit Publishers, 1968. * "Report on Black Struggle," in ''May 1968 Plenum Material.'' New York: Socialist Workers Party, 1968.

External links

Summary of materials on Clifton DeBerry
at

COINTELPRO COINTELPRO (a syllabic abbreviation derived from Counter Intelligence Program) was a series of covert and illegal projects conducted between 1956 and 1971 by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at surveilling, infiltr ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deberry, Clifton 1923 births 2006 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights African-American candidates for President of the United States American Marxists American Trotskyists Candidates in the 1964 United States presidential election Candidates in the 1980 United States presidential election Members of the Communist Party USA People from Holly Springs, Mississippi Socialist Workers Party (United States) politicians from New York (state) Socialist Workers Party (United States) presidential nominees African-American people in Mississippi politics