James E. Jackson Jr.
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James Edward Jackson Jr. (November 29, 1914 – September 1, 2007) was an American
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 ...
activist and
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...
official. He was also a defendant in '' Dennis v. United States''.


Early life and education

Jackson was born on November 29, 1914, in the
Jackson Ward Jackson Ward, previously known as Central Wards, is a historically African-American district in Richmond, Virginia, with a long tradition of African-American businesses. It is located less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol, sitting ...
of
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, to pharmacist James Jackson and Clara Kersey Jackson. He was the first African American in Richmond to become an
Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...
. In 1931, at age 16, he studied at
Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Richmond, Virginia. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...
, graduating with a degree in chemistry. He also studied pharmacology at
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
, where he helped organize the
Southern Negro Youth Congress The Southern Negro Youth Congress was an American organization established in 1937 at a conference in Richmond, Virginia. It was established as a left-wing civil rights organization, arising from the National Negro Congress (NNC) and the leftist s ...
. In 1938, he led group strikes which involved as many as 5,000 tobacco workers—primarily women—who were paid only $5 per week.


Career

left, James E. Jackson (right) with Morris Childs (left) in Moscow for the 21st Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union">Morris Childs (left) in Moscow for the Gunnar Myrdal's ''An American Dilemma">21st Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1959 Jackson was a contributor to Gunnar Myrdal">Gunnar Myrdal's ''An American Dilemma''. He also worked closely with W. E. B. Du Bois, with Jackson later being interviewed for David Levering Lewis, David Levering Lewis' W. E. B. Du Bois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919–1963, biography of Du Bois. He went on to work at
Fisk University Fisk University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus i ...
, where he met his future wife,
Esther Cooper Jackson Esther Victoria Cooper Jackson (August 21, 1917 – August 23, 2022) was an American civil rights activist, social worker, and communist activist. She worked with Shirley Graham Du Bois, W. E. B. Du Bois, Edward Strong, and Louis E. Burnham, an ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he served in an all-black engineer unit, helping restore the
Burma Road The Burma Road () was a road linking Burma (now known as Myanmar) with southwest China. Its terminals were Lashio, Burma, in the south and Kunming, China, the capital of Yunnan province in the north. It was built in 1937–1938 while Burm ...
. He served for eighteen months, and was a
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
by the time of his retirement. In 1947, he joined the Communist Party USA and chaired the Communist Party of Louisiana later that year. After attempting to unionize maritime workers, he fled the state to avoid a possible assassination. Later in 1947, Jackson led the union of the
Ford River Rouge complex The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex, River Rouge, or The Rouge) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan, along the River Rouge (Michigan), River Rouge, upstream from its c ...
. He and Esther—leader of the Michigan branch of the
Civil Rights Congress The Civil Rights Congress (CRC) was a United States civil rights organization, formed in 1946 at a national conference for radicals and disbanded in 1956. It succeeded the International Labor Defense, the National Federation for Constitutional L ...
at the time—lived in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
with
Coleman Young Coleman Alexander Young (May 24, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit and has been described as the "single mo ...
, who went on to serve as the city's first African American mayor. In 1951, Jackson was a defendant in ''Dennis v. United States''. A black liberationist, he was one of 21 indicted by the Smith Act for advocating for the overthrow of the United States Government. He and five other indictees hid from the government until they surrendered in 1956. During their trials, Esther established the James E. Jackson Defense Committee, and following ''
Yates v. United States ''Yates v. United States'', 354 U.S. 298 (1957), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that the First Amendment protected radical and reactionary speech, unless it posed a "clear and present danger". Background ...
'' in 1957, all indictments were unanimously reversed in the court of appeals in 1958. In 1952, Jackson was appointed Southern secretary of the Communist Party. He edited its newspaper in the early 1960s and was later appointed International Affairs Secretary, followed by National Educational Director.


Later life and death

Jackson retired following the Communist Party's 1991 split. After retiring, he moved to
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 ...
. He died on September 1, 2007, aged 92, in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.


Bibliography

* ''Revolutionary Tracings'' (1974,
International Publishers International Publishers is a book publishing company based in New York City, specializing in Marxism, Marxist works of economics, political science, and history. Company history Establishment International Publishers Company, Inc., was founde ...
)


See also

*
Communist Party USA and African Americans The Communist Party USA, ideologically committed to foster a socialist revolution in the United States, played a significant role in defending the civil rights of African Americans during its most influential years of the 1930s and 1940s. In that ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, James E. 1914 births 2007 deaths Activists from Richmond, Virginia Military personnel from Richmond, Virginia Members of the Communist Party USA African Americans in World War II