Vicki Garvin

Victoria "Vicki" Garvin (December 18, 1915 – June 11, 2007) was an American political activist, Pan-Africanist, and self-described "working class internationalist." While growing up in a working-class family during the height of the Great Depression, Garvin was exposed early on to the realities of both proletariat and racial exploitation. Garvin became a prominent organizer in the Black Left during the height of McCarthyism, before traveling to Nigeria, Ghana, and China. In Ghana, Garvin was a member of a committee who received Malcolm X and created his itinerary, since Garvin had previously met him in Harlem. As a lifelong activist and radical intellectual, Garvin created direct links between Black Power politics, Pan-Africanism, and Third World liberation.

Victoria Holmes Garvin was born in Richmond, Virginia on December 18, 1915. Her father worked as a plasterer and her mother was a domestic worker. In 1926, Garvin and her family moved to Harlem in search of better job opportunities during the Great Depression. During this time, Garvin's father was unable to find work as a plasterer, and Garvin's mother battled increasingly unfair wages and working conditions. Garvin's family often moved from apartment to apartment in order to avoid eviction. In an effort to alleviate her family's financial hardships, Garvin spent many of her summers working in the garment industry.

Garvin attended Wadleigh High School, where she founded a black history club. After graduating at the age of 16, Garvin attended Hunter College, where she received a degree in political science. In 1940, 4 years after graduating college, Garvin decided to attend Smith College to receive her master's degree. She became the first African American woman to receive a graduate degree in economics from Smith College. During her time at Smith, Garvin was heavily influenced by her studies in Marxist economics and remained heavily involved in student activism.

Vicki Garvin was first exposed to labor union activism when she joined the National War Labor Board in 1942. As World War II came to an end, Garvin became further engaged in union work through her position as the National Research Director for a Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) union, the United Office and Professional Workers of America (UOPWA). She joined the Harlem chapter of the Communist Party USA in 1947. During her time in the Communist Party, she often became embroiled in conflict with the racism of white Communist Party members. It was during this time that Garvin first met Malcolm X, who was a bartender at the time, and she tried unsuccessfully to convince him to join the Communist Party. In the 1950s she worked as vice president of the National Negro Labor Council (NNLC) and as an executive secretary in the council's New York chapter. Garvin advocated for black women, black labor rights, and criticized the CIO's decision to disown the UOPWA for its communist politics. Due to Garvin's advocacy and outspokenness against the government's Cold War policies, anti-communist repression continued to burden Garvin's political and personal life. In 1953, she was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1955, the NNLC disbanded due to political pressure. Garvin left the Communist Party in 1957.

...
Wikipedia