She was a well-known pioneer of “ multi-ethnic politics .” When the issues warranted it , she joined other marginalized groups in battling racism and discrimination .
Bass also was as comfortable working with the integrationistleaning NAACP as she was with Marcus Garvey ’ s separatist “ Back to Africa ” United Negro Improvement Association .
Born in 1874 , she was a “ Lincoln ” Republican . But , lured by the promise of a “ New Deal ,” she voted for Democrat Franklin D . Roosevelt in 1936 . Four years later , she was back in the Republican fold , stumping for Republican Wendell Wilkie ’ s losing presidential campaign .
But soon , disgusted by what see saw as the two major parties ’ lack of commitment to social justice and civil rights , Bass became an Independent and eventually joined the Progressive Party , which was formed by Theodore Roosevelt , who ran as a third-party candidate for president in 1912 .
In 1952 , the remnants of his party chose Bass as its vice presidential nominee .
Bass and her running mate , Vincent Hallinan , received less than 1 percent of the vote . Even so , she said in the runup to the election “ Win or lose , we win by raising the issues .” Among her big issues were civil rights and women ’ s rights .
Charlotta Bass didn ’ t suffer fools gladly during her time at the helm of The California Eagle . Her blistering commentaries and speeches condemning white supremacy , police brutality , housing and employment discrimination , and the scurrilous depictions of Black people in popular culture and the media brought Bass to the attention of the Ku Klux Klan – and the U . S . government .
There were threatening phone calls and once during a menacing confrontation with eight men wearing white robes , Bass drew a gun , causing them to retreat . And then there was the time when a Klan leader sued Bass for libel for publishing a letter that outlined the KKK ’ s plans to kill Black leaders . The lawsuit failed .
Bass ’ s activism caused the U . S . War Department , without evidence , to accuse her of harboring communist sympathies and with being a threat to national security . Bass was interrogated by the Department of Justice , which unsuccessfully pressed the postal service to revoke her newspaper ’ s mailing permit on the grounds that The Eagle published “ sensitive and illegal ’ information .
As a reminder of just how much of a “ badass ” Charlotta Bass was , it ’ s worth noting that these battles with the government occurred in the same era that Sen . Joseph McCarthy , R-Wisconsin , was waging his “ redbaiting ” campaign . Aided by his notorious chief counsel Roy Cohn , who was later a mentor to young Donald Trump , McCarthy falsely accused scores of people of being communists , ruining countless lives , families , and careers .
Throughout her life , Bass stood atop the shoulders of former slaves who risked their lives and their enslaver ’ s whip just to learn how to read and write . Over 95 years of life , she used her newspaper to push back against people like McCarthy and Cohn .
“ I stand before you with great pride . This is a historic moment in American political life … For the first time in the history of this nation a political party has chosen a Negro woman for the second highest office in the land ,” Bass said on March 30 , 1952 , as she accepted the Progressive Party ’ s vice-presidential nomination .
Sixty-eight years later another Californian has followed in Bass ’ footsteps .
“ That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me . Women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality , liberty , and justice for all ,” Kamala Harris said when she accepted the Democratic Party ’ s vicepresidential nomination in 2020 .
It ’ s likely Harris knows little of Bass . But it is indisputable that on her climb this year toward the Oval Office , Kamala Harris , who is now the Democratic Party ’ s presidential candidate , has ascended through the hole Charlotta Bass punched in the “ glass ceiling .” n
Betty Bayé is a journalist , author and a wonderful storyteller . A graduate of Columbia University ’ s Graduate School of Journalism , she is a retired newspaper columnist .
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