Echoes of Resistance: Black Voices Confront Fascism
By: Raymi Brown
Black Soldiers, Blue Uniforms
Photo from: Warfare History Network
Throughout the 20th century, African Americans confronted the rise of fascism not just overseas, but also in the guise of racial oppression at home. The HistoryMakers Digital Archive holds powerful recollections from leaders, artists, scholars, and activists whose lives and work were shaped by the global and domestic struggle against authoritarianism. Their voices offer timeless lessons on vigilance, justice, and the power of knowledge.
Harry Belafonte, acclaimed entertainer and activist, recalls how World War II became a crucible for political awakening during his time in the segregated U.S. Navy:
“I gravitated towards [my fellow Black servicemen], and they articulated for me a point of view about Black commitment to the Second World War and the defeat of fascism which was very enlightening… They were busy talking in lofty terms, quoting Socrates and Plato and quoting Dr. DuBois. And I’m just sitting there with my mouth open, wondering where does all this stuff come from... They threw me a book written by DuBois… So much to my fascination, as I went through the book... the name that appeared with the greatest consistency and most often was the name ‘ibid.’... At the end of their laughter, they explained to me what ‘ibid’ meant... I instantly felt an enormous sense of guilt for what I’d done to that little white lady [librarian].”
62c Harry Belafonte, U.S. Navy
Photo from: TogetherWe Serve Blog
Dr. Linda Rae Murray, a physician and public health leader, shares how her working-class parents—though not formally political—carried lessons from the war into their quiet resistance to Cold War narratives:
“The war made a big impression on them... the thought that, you know five years later all of a sudden these people that were your allies in this glorious fight against fascism, all of a sudden become devils. They just couldn’t accept it. They didn’t accept it. And their position was that the things Russia said—everyone that worked should have access to... food, clothing and shelter... They were well-read, self-educated folks... who remembered that history of the war.”
Detroit during the early 1940s
Photo From: Rare Historical Photos
Reverend Dr. Gregory Smith, great-nephew of Paul Robeson, recalls the climate of suspicion during the McCarthy era and the government’s efforts to silence dissenting Black voices:
“I remember the times of working on the passport fighting for that and so forth... He [Paul Robeson] was the first one that fought against fascism and Franco... And he worked hard really trying to... They always talked about the things that they don’t know enough about him... Martin [Luther King Jr.] never said that he was a member of the Communist Party and they tried to say he was. He never was.”
In Defence of Communism: Paul Robeson vs House Committee
Photo from: In Defense of Communism
Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and presidential candidate, also speaks to the red-baiting faced by movement organizers and the strategic labeling used to undermine civil rights work:
“To us that was a joke, that we were somehow inspired by communism... The fact that Rosa Parks and Dr. King... went to Highlander Folk School to study social justice—just that made them Communists. Billboards all over the South, Dr. King... studying to be a Communist, a Christian theologian... That was just a label... There were some people who were socialistic, communistic in their orientation... but that was not a prevailing force in our movement... Their inspiration was basically dignity.”
Signs carried by many marchers during the March on Washington
Photo from: Library of Congress
Ramona Edelin, educator and activist, describes attending the Stockbridge School, an institution founded by a German émigré dedicated to teaching students how to resist fascist ideologies:
“We flew the U.N. flag. The director... hated Hitler and all that he represented, and had left to come to the United States to set up an educational setting in which young people would... learn how to prevent the kind of thinking that had led to Nazism and the Fascism... We had people there from the House Un-American Activities Committee from time to time. And I’m sure I was on an FBI list before I ever got out of high school just because I went there.”
A 1960s Era Classroom
Photo from: Digital Commons
William Greaves, pioneering filmmaker, returned to the United States in the 1960s after a decade in Canada, inspired by the civil rights momentum and the possibilities of transforming media to serve Black liberation:
“What I’m doing is making sure that we are progressively and positively represented in the media... rather than mental slavery. So many of the Hollywood films... are destroying the Black image... I came back because I was very inspired by the... racial climate of America. I was very taken by... Martin Luther King... James Baldwin and Harry Belafonte... getting on the tube and talking about the race problem... As Malcolm X says, ‘Democracy in a racist society is fascism.’”
Aaron Dixon, founding member of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, recounts how fascist infiltration and internal purges forced the movement to protect itself from both external and internal threats:
“Huey [Newton] had given the order from prison that we needed to have a purge... We shrunk from, you know, maybe a hundred members... down to about twenty-five dedicated members... And because we were being infiltrated by the FBI... even new members that might be sincere might be kept at arm’s length... and they would just be members of the National Committee to Combat Fascism.”
How The Black Panther Shaped U.S. School
Photo: KQED
Sidney Rushing, educator and historian, remembers the legacy of John C. Robinson—an African American pilot who, during Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia, joined the resistance and led the Ethiopian Air Force:
“He became the commander-in-chief for the Ethiopian Air Force, and he was probably the first American during World War II to fight against the fascism... The call led him to Ethiopia. And of course he... came back to the United States.”
Flashback: Black Chicagoan John C. Robinson fought Italy’s fascist
Photo from: Chicago Tribune
These stories reveal a consistent thread: the resistance to fascism has long been a part of Black history, both as a global ideology and as a domestic reality. Whether through art, activism, education, or direct military engagement, Black Americans have challenged the forces that promote dehumanization, censorship, and injustice. Their testimonies call us not only to remember, but to remain vigilant—and to educate others so that such ideologies never rise unopposed again.
Citations:
Harry Belafonte (The HistoryMakers A2000.077), interviewed by Danny Glover, November 2, 2000, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 6, Harry Belafonte discusses his Navy experiences during World War II
Dr. Linda Rae Murray (The HistoryMakers A2004.151), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 30, 2004, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 1, story 10, Dr. Linda Rae Murray remembers the impact of World War II on her family, pt. 2
Reverend Dr. Gregory Smith (The HistoryMakers A2007.029), interviewed by Shawn Wilson, January 24, 2007, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 2, story 2, Reverend Dr. Gregory Smith recalls when his great uncle, Paul Robeson's passport was denied
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson (The HistoryMakers A2006.031), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, March 1, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 8, story 1, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson talks about the communist accusations against CORE
Ramona Edelin (The HistoryMakers A2003.153), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, July 14, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 7, Ramona Edelin talks about her experiences in high school in Massachusetts
William Greaves (The HistoryMakers A2003.082), interviewed by Larry Crowe, April 17, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 1, William Greaves discusses his return to the United States from Canada and his filmmaking career
Aaron Dixon (The HistoryMakers A2007.301), interviewed by Larry Crowe, June 6, 2008, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 8, story 4, Aaron Dixon remembers the purge of the Black Panther Party membership
Sidney L. Rushing (The HistoryMakers A2002.203), interviewed by Larry Crowe, November 12, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 4, story 7, Sidney Rushing recounts the career of John C. Robinson
Keywords Used:
Fascism (25)
“fascism”+”World War II” (4)
“Fascism” + “Black Panther Party”(3)