Red Seas

Gerald Horne is Moores Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston, and has published three dozen books including, The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the USA and Race War! White Supremacy and the Japanese Attack on the British Empire.

• Preface Introduction: Sailing from Jamaica 1 Sailing the Red Seas 2 Perilous Waters 3 The Black Ocean 4 Few Safe Harbors 5 Wind in Their Sails 6 Storm Signals7 Storm, at Sea 8 Walking the Plank 9 Black Labor at Sea 10 Dropping Anchor in Jamaica11 On the Beach12 The Final Voyage of Ferdinand Smith Epilogue Notes Index About the Author

In our own age of global commerce and U.S. hyperpower, what could be more instructive than the story of Ferdinand Smith, the Caribbean Communist who led a genuinely international, multicultural union in the years that birthed the American century? Gerald Horne's remarkable biography should be required reading for those who want to glimpse the potential power of that seafaring proletariat, in the last century as well as ours. - Nelson Lichtenstein,author of State of the Union: A Century of American Labor The political connections of Harlem and the British West Indies have been crucial for at least a century, but until recent times almost invisible except to those intimately involved…. We are now, at long last, beginning to get a better grasp, and Gerald Horne's Red Seas is a huge contribution to our understanding. - Paul Buhle (Monthly Review) Red Seas is biographical history at its best. It provides a glimpse into the life of one of the most powerful Black labor leaders in U.S. history, describes the trials and tribulations, the successes and failures, of building an independent, Communist-led union, and gives the reader a general feeling for the times. Horne has done all trade-unionist and working-class people a service with Red Seas. It is highly recommended. (Political Affairs) Horne's latest work is a forceful tract that all scholars writing about radical maritime politics, unionism, and race must take into account. Horne thus sets the standard for future scholars in this area. (Working USA) This book opens a window on Popular Front activities that might otherwise be forgotten... The book is an important study of the labor movement in the 20th century, and the National Maritime Union in particular, a mighty voice for the seamen during its years of greatest strength. (The Journal of African American History)