PAULETTE NARDAL: A VOICE FOR LIBERATION AND JUSTICE
- Vivian Phillips
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
At 24, Paulette Nardal left the vibrant, tropical landscape of her home in Le François, Martinique, to sail across the Atlantic, landing on the cobblestone streets and limestone facades of Paris, France. There, she became the first Black person to study at the famed Sorbonne. Later, with the arrival of her sisters, Jeanne "Jane" and Andrée, they established an influential literary salon at their home, Le Salon de Clamart.
As a proficient English speaker, Paulette became a cultural intermediary between the Harlem Renaissance writers and the Francophone students from Africa and the Caribbean. Attended by many of the great Black minds of the time, including authors, activists, and artists like Aimé Césaire, Marcus Garvey, Claude McKay, and Langston Hughes, Le Salon de Clamart was a place for conversation and celebration of African culture, identity, and heritage, and ultimately laid the foundation for the Négritude movement. Though Aimé Césaire from Martinique, Léopold Sédar Senghor from Senegal, and Léon-Gontran Damas from French Guiana were credited as the "Founding Fathers" of Négritude, later in life, each of them ultimately credited Paulette and Jane as having been the catalysts for the movement's origins.
“Since we have been called upon to participate in the life of the City, let our first contribution to the common good be to imprint on the collective effort toward social justice the mark of peace.”
Also emerging from this salon was a first-of-its-kind publication, La Revue du monde noir. Though it ran for only six issues from November 1931 to April 1932, La Revue was founded by Nardal and her sister Jane, alongside Haitian dentist Léo Sajous and Guadeloupean attorney Henri Jean-Louis, on a platform of resistance, creativity, and solidarity. The review was published in both French and English and featured editorials, poetry, photography capturing the lives and struggles of Black people, short stories, book reviews, articles, letters to the editor, and more. The founders shared a clear mission: to defend the collective interests of Black people and celebrate their culture and achievements. Their motto, “For peace, work, and justice. By liberty, equality, and fraternity,” reflected their commitment to social justice and the global struggle for Black liberation and for global liberation of all people, regardless of race, nationality, gender, or class. At a time when European powers maintained colonial rule over millions of people of color, Nardal's writings took a firm stance against colonialism. Though the publication outwardly proclaimed an "apolitical" stance, the French government saw otherwise and cut its funding after only a brief run. Yet the seeds were already planted.
Nardal's life continued to be one of service in her fight for social justice and equality. At the onset of World War II, while she was sailing home to Martinique, her ship was hit in an attack by a German warship. The experience bolstered her resolve to fight fascism and to continue her demands for expanded rights for all, and even led her to establish another monthly journal, La Femme dans la Cité, centered on the concerns of Black women in the French-speaking Caribbean. She continued to write about feminism and the pressing issues of the day and partner with global women's organizations to advance political participation in France, working within the framework of what would now be called intersectionality, long before the term was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989.
In the second half of the 1940s, Nardal departed from Martinique once more, heading to New York, where she took on the role of area expert for the UN’s Department for Non-Autonomous Territories and the Commission on the Status of Women. Despite its many constraints, Nardal saw the UN as “the new hope that dawns over the world.” During her time there, she worked to build international alliances and worked with women leaders from across the globe, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.
Returning to Martinique in 1948, she continued her passionate advocacy, working to preserve the country's musical traditions. She wrote a history of traditional music styles for the centennial celebration of the abolition of slavery on the island and developed a choir to celebrate the African roots of Martinique's music. In the 1950s and 1960s, she supported Dr. Martin Luther King throughout his civil rights campaign back in the United States. Nardal, who never married, died in Fort-de-France, Martinique, on February 16, 1985. She was 88.
Paulette Nardal was a visionary who recognized the profound impact of storytelling through literature, art, and music in transforming lives and communities. Her extensive body of work shed light on the powerful connections between community engagement and artistic expression, revealing their potential to shape society and inspire meaningful change. By laying the foundation for many influential voices, Nardal played a crucial role in the ongoing fight for social justice and equality. At Black Canvas, we are committed to carrying forward her inspiring legacy by uplifting talented Black artists, celebrating diverse Black voices, and sharing rich, impactful Black stories.
Sources:
Negritude Women by T. Dean Sharpley-Whiting
Négritude Bertrade by Ngo-Ngijol Banoum –Lehman College
From Martinique to New York: On the Trailblazing Career of Paulette Nardal by Keisha N. Blain, Lit Hub