Cyril Lionel Robert James was one of the pioneering post-colonial writers from Trinidad and Tobago. Known for books such as The Black Jacobins and Beyond a Boundary, James was born on this day in 1901 in Tunapuna in Trinidad, then a British colony.
James started writing fiction in high school on the island, where he was also a formidable cricketer. In 1932, he left Trinidad for the UK, where he advocated for the independence of his home country and participated in many socialist and Pan Africanism activities; he also worked as a cricket writer. His debut work, The Case for West Indian Self-Government, was published in 1933.
James would be remembered for many things including his anti-colonial analysis, his belief that women are an integral part of the revolution to achieve integrated humanism in the world. He would also be remembered for being part of the black diaspora that visited Ghana on its independence day in 1957.
James passed away on May 31, 1989 in England and was buried on June 12 in Tunapuna, Trinidad.
Scroll through for some of the formidable writer’s quotes.
For Mother's Day, NFL rookie 'Kool-Aid' McKinstry decided to fill her mom’s world with joy…
The National Small Business Week awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., selected Iam C. Tucker of…
Chrishalea Farley, a 39-year-old Instacart driver from McDonough, Georgia, has become an internet sensation after…
When Jennifer Flewellen woke up from a five-year coma in August 2022, her son Daeton,…
A Kentucky high school senior, Emeka “Emmanuel” Mwakadi, who was ordered to return to class…
Meet Thomson Mpinganjira; he is a Malawian entrepreneur who has built a multimillion-dollar empire. The…
Metro Boomin has made history as the first producer to perform at the Great Pyramids,…
Marie Fowler is convinced that God called her to spend the last three years learning…
A 26-year-old Florida man could spend the rest of his life in prison after he…
The oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Viola Ford Fletcher, was surrounded by…
A 41-year-old Mississippi man was sentenced to death for torturing and murdering his 2-year-old stepson…
Ace Liam, a one-year-old Ghanaian, has clinched the Guinness World Record for the Youngest Male…
Latonya Johnson and her 21-year-old daughter Laila Birchett are celebrating their graduation from Rutgers School…
Tributes have been pouring in from boxing greats for Sherif Lawal who passed away after…
Jordan Benston is the founder, owner, and operator of The Oracle Media, a black female-owned…