One of my current research projects examines the years that C.L.R. James -- one of the most important black Marxists of the 20th century, author of Black Jacobins, among many other works -- spent teaching first at Federal City College (founded in 1968 as the public college for Washington, D.C.), and later at the University of the District of Columbia (created in 1976 as the successor to FCC). James taught at these these two institutions from 1969 until 1980. He's pictured here in a Washington Post article from 1981, "Cyril James: Marxist with a Mission.

Listen to a panel I organized with poet and activist E. Ethelbert Miller in October 2019 on C.L.R. James’ impact on D.C. activists. You can also watch the panel here.