How the aftermath of the Great Depression convinced several African American writers to adopt a leftist outlook The Black Cultural Front describes how the social and political movements that grew out of the Depression facilitated the left turn of several African American artists and writers. The Communist-led John Reed Clubs brought together black and white writers in writing collectives. The Congress of Industrial Organizations" effort to recruit black workers inspired growing interest in the labor movement. One of the most concerted efforts was made by the National Negro Congress, a coalition of civil rights and labor organizations, which held cultural panels at its national conferences, fought segregation in the arts, promoted cultural education, and involved writers and artists in staging mass rallies during World War II. This book examines the formation of a black cultural front by looking at the works of poet Langston Hughes, novelist Chester Himes, and cartoonist Ollie...