The Struggle Against Racism and Imperialism

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM AND IMPERIALISM

Part Two

In 1988 we advanced as strategy against Racism and Imperialism. In order to progress our perspective needs to deepen and become more dynamic and comprehensive. The Jackson for President Campaign in 1988 received 7 million votes within the context of the Democratic Party. Four million African Americans voted for him, as well as three million whites and other minorities during the primary season. 1989 saw the election of Wilder, as Governor of Virginia, Dinkins, as Mayor of New York City and an array of local victories. There are now over 7,500 African American elected officials.

The task now before us is to develop a protracted strategy to be implemented, but one that could be revised as we go along. Such a strategy cannot limit itself to the immediate, though the immediate must continually be considered, but must also have the foresight or vision to be relevant far into the future. In this sense, we want to discuss a revolutionary dialectical process that will move the masses, the classes and affect the institutions.

Analyzing the trends, forces and power blocs from the data that we have available, it does not appear that a major break will occur with the Democratic Party. The combined left does not seem to be able to muster enough resources to initiate an effective move toward a third party. Projecting a “Worker’s Platform” should be supported critically, as it seems more realistic at this time than to call for a split from the Democratic Party by broad forces to form a third political party.

However, within this process is the motion toward an African American political parity. Many civil rights organizations have agreed to this. The call should be raised for “50,000 African American elected officials by the turn of the century.” The question of proportional representation, particularly in the Black Belt South, can become a burning issue in this period with the increase to 56% of African Americans residing in the South. Organize the South should be the rallying cry of the trade union movement.

Creating an Independent Political Socialization Process

Political socialization is as important to a movement as it is to a society. Few political movements leave the rearing of the next generation to chance. Building the “Politics of Independence Movement” among the youth is essential if we are going to have a viable movement. Within this context we must create an essential alternative, a program that is directly related to the oppressed nationalities. The concepts, Reparations and the Right of Self-Determination for African Americans and Oppressed Nationalities, must be addressed in conjunction with a broad effort within the community. Congressman, John Conyers of Detroit, has a bill before Congress, H.R. 3745, which raises the question of Reparations for African Americans. This movement is being led by the National Coalition for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) and should receive support from all freedom-loving peoples in the world.

As far as the National Network for Black Organizers (NNBO) is concerned, its relationship to the multinational left must be based on the social grounding among the African American mass struggle. NNBO must develop a four or five year plan of mass infrastructure building based on scientific mass struggle, revolutionary African American internationalist and socialist education, before deciding if it wants to build an African American Workers Congress. The dialectical process or procedure of exhausting the historical national democratic process for parity and self-determination would have to be settled as well as what form it should take. Within this context, the question on what form self-determination will take (cultural autonomy, independence, combination, etc.), should be debated.

We must begin to explore what a “New America” will look like because of the projected demographics of a third world majority in the United States in the 21st century. We must look at what structural and constitutional changes would be necessary to guarantee a people’s democracy where the majority rules. It is important to convene a conference of third world revolutionaries in the United States in the near future. Since they will represent a constituency of potentially 90 million, (Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Asians, Native Americans, Arabs and African Americans), people of color need to come together to work out what a “New America” is to be about.

What is protracted in this context is the importance of building a “Revolutionary Internationalist” tendency in all communities with mutual support for the various programs of the de-neocolonialist process. This process would be a rebuilding of the mass activist resistance movement, based on local and regional organization of the working class.

The Crisis in Socialism and the Multinational Left

The present regrouping of the left is good, and in the future we will try to address some of the origins of the present crisis of socialism. Much of the left’s regrouping will be based on white comrades building a firm, solid based among white workers, and organizing them. We will meet them at the pass, and expect them to be there, with the white working class.

Much time will be spent organizing around a rational democratic program. I think that the Rainbow work should continue. The inside/outside approach needs to be worked. We need patience, remembering the protracted struggle and build around the outside approach. There will be good educational campaigns that the entire left can unite around that will utilize the inside approach.