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The African Blood Brotherhood was an Afro-Marxist organization active during the Harlem Renaissance. Organized by Cyril V Briggs, the ABB was a revolutionary secret organization whose purpose and program was the liberation of African people and the redemption of the African race. The program of the ABB espoused racial pride, Black Nationalism, Pan-Africanism, and an economic analysis of the African American struggle which it linked to colonialism and imperialism. Although by 1925 the ABB leadership had established close ties with the Communist Party and was no longer an independent organization, the ABB stands out among other organizations during that time because of its synthesis of Black Nationalism with Marxism-communisim. The ABB also stands as a precursor of later revolutionary Black Nationalist groups.
Very little is known about the African Blood Brotherhood, and what limited information is known is discussed with adumbration. Yet, the African Blood Brotherhood was an unusual Afro-Marxist organization operative in New York City's Harlem during the period commonly referred to as the "Harlem Renaissance." The African Blood Brotherhood, or ABB as it is sometimes called, is certainly an extension of an antecedent socio-political heritage dating back to the early nineteenth century. In fact, there is a relatively long history of persons of African descent in America being affiliated with socialist organizations and ideals (Foner, 1977; Pease & Pease, 1963). And, the ABB is a continuation of this association. However, the ABB is the first independent socialist/communist organization composed exclusively of persons of African descent in the United States. Therefore, its historical significance lies in the fact that not only is the ABB a consequence of a preceding socio-political tradition, but it was the first of its kind and so a forerunner of later radical African American political organizations. Consequently, this makes the study of the ABB appurtenant to African American social and political history.
The African Blood Brotherhood emerged within a socio-political climate influenced by World I, dissention within the white socialist movement, a rift among Harlem's African American and West Indian socialists, a renaissance among Harlem's African American creative intellectuals, and the beginning of a popular and invigorating Marcus Garvey movement. During World War I an impressive group of young African American and West Indian radicals emerged in...