Stunning Chinese Poster Supporting American Civil Rights

[African Americana]: [Civil Rights]: [Mao Zedong]:

The Evil System of Colonialism and Imperialism Arose and Throve with the Enslavement of Negroes and the Trade in Negroes...[caption title].

Shanghai: Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House], China International Bookstore, [ca. 1968]. Offset color lithographic poster, 30.5 x 42 inches, expertly backed on linen, with ample linen margins. Minor surface wear, light creasing. Very good plus. Item #5399

A striking Chinese propaganda poster intended for an African American audience, illustrated with a group of Black Americans and one Anglo American protesting with torches and rifles, the Capitol building in Washington visible in the distance.. The text at top reads, in full: "The evil system of Colonialism and Imperialism arose and thrived with the enslavement of Negroes and the trade in Negroes, and it will surely come to its end with the complete emancipation of the Black people." One of the protesters carries a white sign with text printed on it that reads: "Statement by comrade Mao Tse-Tung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in support of the Afro-American Struggle against violent repression. (April 16, 1968)." African Americans, especially those with experience in labor unions, had a long history with the Communist Party in the United States; the two groups often found themselves on the same side of various issues related to discrimination, and often worked and protested together. We could locate just three copies in institutions, per OCLC and online searches, at Penn, UCSD, and the Library of Congress.

Price: $1,750