Humanitarian Reporting: Nancy Cunard
Content Warning
Historical resources referred to in this post reflect the racial prejudices of the era in which they were created, and some items include language which is offensive, oppressive and may cause upset. The use of this language is not condoned by The University of Manchester, but we are committed to providing access to this material as evidence of the inequalities and attitudes of the time period.
Since its foundation The Guardian has held a strong moral voice, unafraid to challenge the status quo and report the truth. For journalists at the Manchester Guardian (M.G.), as it was formerly known, this required certain character traits which former editor C.P. Scott describes in his centenary essay:
Character is a subtle affair, and has many shades and sides to it…Fundamentally it implies honesty, cleanness, courage, fairness, a sense of duty to the reader and the community¹
Meet Nancy Cunard, a female M.G. reporter who defied social custom and reported from the front-line of major world crises- from the Abyssinian crisis to the Spanish Civil War. Here is an introduction to a pioneering voice of the twentieth century who is featured in the new exhibition, Manchester’s Guardian: 200 Years of the Guardian Newspaper.
Nancy Cunard
Icon, activist and reporter Nancy Cunard began life in Leicestershire in 1896. Born into the wealth and privilege of her parent’s shipping empire and high-society connections, Cunard was well-educated and destined for a prosperous future as a European socialite.² However, it was not to be- as at a time when British society lived in black and white, Cunard saw in colour. She was a visionary and her curiosity and courage would take her across the world. This piece will focus on her literary accomplishments and her work for the M.G.
Cunard initially showcased her literary skills through poetry and writing; publishing anthologies in her twenties. Leaving Britain for Paris in 1920, she thrived as a publisher, rubbed-shoulders with Surrealists and other creatives; proceeding to break with the conservative social conventions of her mother’s generation.³
As the years passed by…it became clear that to be in the presence of Nancy was more like coming to grips with a force of nature…it was impossible for her to work quietly for the rights of man — Janet Flanner/ Solita Solano³
Parisienne and Publisher
Whilst embedded within the Parisian literati of the jazz-age, Cunard established her own printing press and developed a strong interest in African culture, which lead to her publishing the explosive pamphlet: ‘Black Man and White Ladyship’.³ The piece, published in 1931, is an attack on the racism and hypocrisy displayed by society at the time.³ In the text, Cunard references to her mother as ‘Her Ladyship’:
I am told that Her Ladyship was invited to a night-club, saw some coloured singers, turned faint and left…yet at least one paid coloured entertainer has been to her house.⁵
There is a strong sense of anger and disbelief at the prejudice and treatment of black people in Britain and America shown in this pamphlet- ‘I believe that no fallacy about the Negroes is too gross for the Anglo-Saxon to fall into’ ⁵- but Cunard was not finished. Her anthology entitled ‘Negro (1931–1933)’ is a compendium of various authors writing about black history, highlighting acts of terrorism and racism committed against black people, as well as celebrating those who had forged a successful career against all odds.⁶
The anthology signified the beginning of Cunard the Activist, using her influence, education and connections to support those under hardship. Her work documenting the Abyssinian crisis and supporting those marching in protest against a dire economic situation in Britain, lead up to Cunard’s next humanitarian endeavour: the Spanish Civil War.³
Reporting from the Front-Line
The Spanish Civil War was fought between the Nationalists and Republicans of Spain from 1936–1939. Cunard stayed in Spain over this period, offering to write for the M.G. in 1938:
In fact, Cunard was to be an invaluable source on the ground for the newspaper. Through her reporting, she not only provided a first hand account of the conflict, but was also successful in fundraising for food to be sent into Spain.⁷ Her main point of contact at the M.G. appears to be the editor, W.P. Crozier, and it is to him that she reports:
It will interest you — you will be glad — to know that owing most particularly to the Manchester Guardian appeal, and to the editorial, well over One Thousand Pounds has come into the Standard Food Parcels for Spain⁷
The following year in 1939, Cunard reported from France, where Spanish refugees were pouring in to escape an impending dictatorship in Spain.³ On seeing the situation, Cunard is compelled to ask Crozier for another fund to be opened- ‘DO they realise in England what it is like?’ she stresses.⁸ Below, she shares details around the refugees staying with her in France, and asks whether a copy of the M.G. could be sent to them:
The situation for journalists was also clearly dangerous at this point, but Cunard appears single-minded in her approach to this challenge, as she writes:
Frontier closed to all cars, vans etc. Which means that the few journalists who do get to Figueras, and back (another problem) do so by luck and chance. I’m going to make my try for it tomorrow. 30 kilometers I think I can walk, (I’ve done it before) if it has to be walking.⁹
The M.G. was welcoming of Cunard’s work:
The end of the Spanish Civil war marked the eve of the Second World War. While Cunard was prepared to continue reporting for the M.G., the newspaper’s resources and requirements for articles was changing. The letter by Crozier below, dated 29th August 1939, was written five days prior to Britain’s declaration of war on Germany. The editor gently informs Cunard that prospects for her reporting for the M.G. during this war are slim:
Throughout the conflict, Cunard kept in touch with the M.G., offering to report from various locations around the world: ‘I am waiting to receive your reply to my question concerning what it is thought about my working for the Manchester Guardian during war-time’.¹⁰ However, according to replies written by the M.G.’s new editor, Alfred Powell Wadsworth, the newspaper was running on limited resources: ‘we are still groaning under the paper restrictions and there seems to be little chance of bigger papers for some time.’¹¹
Cunard continued to offer her insights, dedicated to supporting those in need, although her physical and mental health suffered during her later years³. Friends continued to visit and support her during these times, and she continued to write despite her growing ailments³. In her book, Lois Gordon references a quote by prolific writer Langston Hughes upon Cunard’s death in 1965:
She did not like bigots or brilliant bores or academicians who wore their honors, or scholars who wore their doctorates, like dog tags. But she had an infinite capacity to love peasants and children and great but simple causes across the board and a grace in giving that was itself gratitude³
Cunard repeatedly approached heated moments of racial and political tension with a rare tenacity. She emerged from it fighting but wounded and loved by many, supporting causes which remain at the helm of our social consciousness today. Her legacy continues to inspire books, designers and curators around the world.
Discussion Points
How would you define both journalism and activism? Is there a relationship between the two or are they two distinct roles?
Cunard’s activism was centred around being physically present in the place where crises were unfolding. To what extent has today’s online, social media culture altered the face of activism?
Images reproduced with the permission of the Estate of Nancy Cunard and the Guardian News and Media.
References
- Scott, C.P. 1921. A Hundred Years. [Accessed online 29 April 2021].
- Marcus, J. 2010. Cunard, Nancy Clara (1896–1965), poet and political activist. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. [Accessed online 29 April 2021].
- Gordon, L. 2007. Nancy Cunard : Heiress, Muse, Political Idealist. Columbia University Press. [Accessed online 29 April 2021].
- Cunard, N. et al. 1923. Sublunary. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Accessed through: The John Rylands Research Institute and Library (JRRIL) Archives.
- Cunard, N. 1931. Black Man and White Ladyship. London: The Utopia Press Ltd. Accessed through: The JRRIL Archives.
- Cunard, N. 1931–1933. Negro: An Anthology. London: Wishart & Co. Accessed through: The JRRIL Archives.
- Cunard, N. 1938. Note from Nancy Cunard to W. P. Crozier. Accessed through: The JRRIL Archives. [GDN/B/C290a/17]. Courtesy of the Estate of Nancy Cunard.
- Cunard, N. 1939. Letter from Nancy Cunard to W. P. Crozier. Accessed through: The JRRIL Archives. [GDN/B/C290a/24]. Courtesy of the Estate of Nancy Cunard.
- Cunard, N. 1939. Letter from Nancy Cunard to W. P. Crozier. Accessed through: The JRRIL Archives. [GDN/B/C290a/27]. Courtesy of the Estate of Nancy Cunard.
- Cunard, N. 1939. Letter from Nancy Cunard to W. P. Crozier. Accessed through: JRRIL Archives. [GDN/B/C290a/74]. Courtesy of the Estate of Nancy Cunard.
- Wadsworth, A.P. 1945. Copy letter from A. P. Wadsworth to Nancy Cunard. Accessed through: JRRIL Archives. [GDN/B/C290a/107]. Courtesy of Guardian News and Media.
