ABSTRACT
Willard Gatewood has shed light on the nascent anti-imperialism of the Afro-American community as the Spanish-Cuban-American War and the Anglo-Boer War were launched. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, particularly during the time when WEB Du Bois was working in the national office, continually stressed international affairs. Angola marked the escalation of a trend that NCBL had long been concerned about: the use of mercenaries, especially Afro-Americans, on the same side as South Africa. NCBL sought to monitor “US State and Defense Department Policy as it Relates to Southern Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America” along with “conducting research and test-case litigation". NCBL delegations to Cuba, beginning in 1973 and continuing sporadically thereafter, had dramatic impact on the organization’s involvement in foreign affairs. With a national office in Central Harlem and a membership of Black lawyers with an activist bent, inevitably the waves created by Angola swept into NCBL.
