"Though Western Europe can be reported as being quite ignorant and apathetic of the Negro in world affairs, there is one great nation with an arm in Europe that is thinking intelligently on the Negro as it does about all international problems. When the Russian workers overturned their infamous government in 1917, one of the first acts of the new Premier, Lenin, was a proclamation greeting all the oppressed peoples throughout the world, exhorting them to organize and unite against the common international oppressor--Private Capitalism. Later on in Moscow, Lenin himself grappled with the question of the American Negroes and spoke on the subject before the Second Congress of the Third International. He consulted with John Reed, the American journalist, and dwelt on the urgent necessity of propaganda and organizational work among the Negroes of the South. The subject was not allowed to drop. When Sen Katayama of Japan, the veteran revolutionist, went from the United States to Russia in 1921 he placed the American Negro problem first upon his full agenda. And ever since he has been working unceasingly and unselfishly to promote the cause of the exploited American Negro among the Soviet councils of Russia."

Who would just love to help black Americans? According McKay, the Communist Party. In particular, Vladimir Lenin and this Japanese revolutionary called Sen Katayama. That's who.

How could the "American Negro" not be swayed into communism? If you buy McKay's reasoning, no one has ever cared so much about not just "the oppressed peoples throughout the world," but also the plight of the "American Negro" specifically than Lenin himself. And, later, Sen Katayama, "veteran revolutionist."

What McKay describes is a full-on, international, communist courtship of the African American.

But there's another reason why communism might understandably be appealing to black Americans. Lenin's "proclamation greeting all the oppressed peoples throughout the world, exhorting them to organize and unite against the common international oppressor" sounds very similar to the goals of Pan-Africanism.

Sure, the definition of "common international oppressor" is different for the two movements; for communism, it's "Private Capitalism." For pan-Africanism, it's (white) racism against dark-skinned people. The goal, however, of creating an international community and movement—and maybe even a governing body for that community—is the same.

Racism and classism are similar, but not exactly overlapping, social issues, we know. But in the just-post-slavery U.S., the same dark-skinned bodies most often suffered from both oppressions.

Who is the hero in this passage, do you think?

McKay begins the quote all excited about Lenin. He gives Lenin a ton of credit for putting the "American Negro" at the front and center of communist concerns. "Lenin himself grappled with the question of the American Negroes"…

You hear that? Lenin himself. "Wow," we're supposed to say. We think.

But then, McKay switches the object of his lovefest. Sen Katayama comes on the scene and all of a sudden, Lenin disappears. McKay is all about Katayama now, who "placed the American Negro problem first upon his full agenda. And ever since he has been working unceasingly and unselfishly to promote the cause of the exploited American Negro among the Soviet councils of Russia."

Is McKay on Team Lenin or Team Katayama? The simple answer: both. No one knows, of course, if McKay meant to split his hero worship between two different men.

His rhetorical split, however, does at least demonstrate how communism is supposed to be about sharing. In this case, McKay is allowing these two dudes to share credit for reaching out to African Americans. We are talking about a brotherhood here, after all.

(The whole sisterhood bit would come later…)