: 1935 (Pt. 2) - Intl. Afro-Restaurant in London & Mary McLeod Bethune

[00:00:00]In 1935, Amy Ashwood Garvey opens the International Afro Restaurant in London, followed shortly by the Florence Mills Social Parlor beneath her residence.

[00:00:10]These spaces become important gathering points for black intellectuals and activists across the African diaspora.

[00:00:17]Figures such as C.L.R. James, George Padmore, and Jomo Kenyatta meet there, helping to foster political dialogue, anti-colonial organizing, and the growth of Pan-African thought. These spaces highlight the global dimensions of black political and cultural exchange during the 1930s. Educator and political leader Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women, NCNW, a major umbrella organization designed to unify black women's clubs and strengthen their collective political and social power. The council also became closely connected to federal policy advocacy through Bethune's role in the Roosevelt administration and the Black Cabinet, allowing it influence discussions on labor, education, and anti-discrimination policy at a national level. These important moments in Black American history took place in 1935.