A Black nationalist leader’s white appearance enabled strategic feats but scarred his identity

Evidence

Briggs, himself, represents an interesting instance of the individual significance of the social contradictions of the United States and the West Indies. Briggs was phenotypically European. Though once he and Garvey became political enemies Garvey would accuse Briggs of being a white men “passing” for a Black, this ironically was put to some good use by the UNIA. “Passing” as white, Briggs bought a ship for the UNIA in 1924. This was a part of an attempt by Briggs to reconcile the UNIA, the Brotherhood, and the CPUSA. … Briggs, reportedly, was quite sensitive about his complexion, which may account, in part, for his severe speech impediment and the difficulty he encountered earlier in locating a people with which to identify. — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 2245