“A Certain Bond be Tween the Colored Peoples”

Black internationalism, a global racial consciousness and commitment to universal emancipation, has been a fundamental aspect of the Black intellectual tradition since the era of the American Revolution. For centuries, Black men and women have articulated Black internationalism through various mediums, including journalism and overseas travel. Drawing on various primary sources—archival material, historical newspapers, and government records—this chapter highlights Black men’s and women’s internationalist ideas, emphasizing their engagement with Japan during the early twentieth century. Amid the sociopolitical upheavals of the period, Black Americans from all walks of life participated in internationalist movements and deployed internationalist rhetoric to underscore the shared strategies of resistance and the political exchanges and historical connections between people of African descent in the United States and other non-Whites globally. Through an array of writings and speeches, Black men and women articulated global visions of freedom and sought to build transnational and transracial alliances with other people of color in order to secure civil and human rights.