Charlotta Bass’s Coalition Politics: Trailblazing Journalist Championed Black and Indigenous Rights
Charlotta Bass’s activism alongside Indigenous communities began in the early 20th century, as she helped them amplify issues of land theft, forced relocation, poverty, and systemic racism in the California Eagle.
Charlotta Bass, an indefatigable civil rights leader and pioneering journalist, is best known for her work advocating for the rights of African Americans through her newspaper, The California Eagle. However, her fight for social justice was not limited to Black communities. Bass recognized that the struggles of marginalized groups were interconnected, and her work extended to supporting Indigenous communities in their battles for equality and justice, particularly on the West Coast.
“I have fought not only for my people. I have fought and will continue to fight unceasingly for the rights and privileges of all people who are oppressed and who are denied their just share of the world’s goods their labor produces. I have walked and will continue to walk in picket lines for the right of all men and women, of all races, to organize for their own protection and advancement.” — Charlotta Bass
Early Involvement with Indigenous Struggles
Charlotta Bass’s activism for Indigenous communities began in the early 20th century, in the midst of her burgeoning career as the editor and owner of The California Eagle. She was keenly aware of the many injustices Indigenous peoples faced, including land theft, forced relocation, poverty, and systemic racism. While many of her contemporaries focused exclusively on issues of racial justice for African Americans, Bass understood the intersectional nature of oppression and saw parallels between the struggles of Black and Indigenous people. This awareness propelled her to take up their cause in her newspaper and in her activism.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Charlotta Bass supported the fight for Indigenous land rights. Many Indigenous groups were displaced from their lands due to government policies and corporate interests. Native communities in California were particularly hard hit, as land that was promised to them through treaties was often sold to developers or taken by the government under dubious legal pretenses.
Bass recognized that land was not just a matter of property for Indigenous communities; it was central to their identity, culture, and survival. The loss of land meant the erosion of cultural practices and a severing of spiritual ties to ancestral lands. In this context, Bass saw the land struggles of Indigenous peoples as a fight for their very existence, and she became an ally in the cause.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Bass used The California Eagle to raise awareness about the legal battles Indigenous communities were waging to reclaim their lands. She reported on court cases, protests, and petitions led by Indigenous leaders, amplifying their voices in a media landscape that largely ignored or misrepresented their struggles. Bass understood that the fight for Indigenous sovereignty was not just a legal battle but a moral one, and she used her newspaper to galvanize public support for the cause.
Aiding the Mission Indian Federation
One of the Indigenous organizations Charlotta Bass worked closely with was the Mission Indian Federation (MIF). Formed in the early 20th century, the MIF was a grassroots movement dedicated to improving the lives of Native peoples in Southern California. The MIF fought against government paternalism, advocating for Indigenous self-governance, land rights, and the preservation of cultural traditions.
Bass frequently published articles in The California Eagle about the MIF’s activities, shedding light on their campaigns and exposing the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples by government officials and corporate interests. She understood that the fight for Black freedom could not be fully realized unless all marginalized communities, including Indigenous peoples, were granted justice and equality.
In 1928, Charlotta Bass and The California Eagle were instrumental in covering the fallout from the Merriam Report, a federal document that exposed the devastating conditions in which Native Americans were living. Bass’s coverage of the report and its findings emphasized the government’s role in perpetuating the systemic inequalities faced by Indigenous peoples, and she called for immediate reforms.
Fighting for Educational and Economic Equality
In addition to land rights, Charlotta Bass recognized the importance of education and economic equality for Indigenous communities. She was deeply concerned with the lack of educational opportunities for Native children, many of whom were forced into poorly funded schools or abusive boarding schools designed to strip them of their cultural identity. In her editorials, Bass condemned these schools, which were often part of a broader policy of forced assimilation.
Bass advocated for a more just and equitable education system that would honor Indigenous culture and history, rather than erase it. She also highlighted the economic struggles of Indigenous peoples, who were often relegated to the margins of society and denied access to the same opportunities available to white Americans. Through her journalism, she called for policies that would support economic development in Indigenous communities and provide them with the resources they needed to thrive.
Black and Indigenous Solidarity
Charlotta Bass was a visionary when it came to building coalitions across racial and ethnic lines. She believed that the struggles of African Americans and Indigenous peoples were intertwined and that their fates were linked in the broader fight for civil rights and justice in America. Throughout her career, she sought to unite marginalized communities in their shared struggles against white supremacy, colonialism, and systemic oppression.
Bass often drew connections between the treatment of Black Americans in the Jim Crow South and the treatment of Indigenous peoples in California and other parts of the country. In her speeches and writings, she emphasized that the fight for social justice had to be a collective one, involving all oppressed groups standing together in solidarity.
Later Years and Legacy
Even in her later years, when Charlotta Bass ran for vice president on the Progressive Party ticket in 1952, she continued to advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples. Her platform called for an end to all forms of racial discrimination, including the policies that had long oppressed Native Americans. Bass was ahead of her time in understanding the importance of intersectionality in the fight for social justice. She recognized that true equality could only be achieved when all marginalized communities were free from oppression.
Charlotta Bass’s work with Indigenous communities remains an important, though often overlooked, part of her legacy. As a pioneering Black journalist and civil rights activist, she understood that the fight for justice extended beyond the Black community to include all marginalized peoples. Her unwavering support for Indigenous land rights, sovereignty, and equality helped pave the way for future generations of activists and journalists who continue to fight for justice for Native communities.