National Black Party needs new direction

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SOCIALIST ACTION JULY 1984 A7 through the late 1960s. They remain unfulfilled. Today, the "friends of labor" don't even give lip service to this anymore.

Solidarity with boss betrays workers Another harmful consequence of the policy of supporting capitalist candidates is that it becomes necessary, in order to convince the labor rank and file to vote for "labor's candidates," to actually support their outright reactionary policies!

When Democratic President Jimmy Carter invoked the Taft-Hartley to force United Mine Workers to mine coal during the 1978-79 strike, George Meany, head of the AFL-CIO, backed "labor's candidate" Jimmy Carter's strikebreaking injunction. The same was true of the Communist Party, which in order to assist its friend Roosevelt, backed the government's strikebreaking efforts during the 1943 miners' strike.

The rule that the labor officialdom must follow is to never raise a demand that would "embarrass our friends." That's why, in the face of permanent increases in the army of unemployed, as a result of plant shutdowns and the introduction of new technology, the labor bureaucracy refuses to advance the central demand for a reduction in the workweek without a reduction in pay.

That's why, instead, the labor statesmen join the bosses in protectionist demands. The labor bureaucracy's demands for restrictions on imports go farther than those of the capitalists themselves.

Working people must break from the strategy based on the false notion of a community of interests between workers and bosses. The capacity of the unions to constitute a mass political party from the get-go is unquestionable. The infrastructure already exists. Every local On Nov. 23, 1980, the National Black Independent Political Party (NBIPP) was founded in Philadelphia after a three-day convention that was attended by approximately 1500 Black activists.

The major purpose of NBIPP was to politically organize Black Americans in opposition to capitalism, imperialism, racism, and sexism-domestically and internationally.

NBIPP's charter states, "The Democratic and Republican parties serve the interests of the ruling class and not the masses of Blacks and other oppressed and exploited peoples. These parties protect and defend the interests of the bankers and industrialists. They have sold us out. The electoral strategy of NBIPP is independent of the Democratic, Republican, and other parties."

The charter also projected utilizing the electoral process to politically educate the Black masses, publicize, and advance the party's goals.

But the majority of NBIPP's leadership did not understand, nor agree, with the thrust of the charter.

These misleaders have continually put forth programs that lead away from Black liberation and toward Black accommodation to the Democratic Party, capitalism, and reformism.

Examples include their lack of leadership in presenting NBIPP's program in opposition to the dead-end electoral campaigns of Black Democrats such as Tom Bradley in his campaign for governor of California; Harold Washington in his campaign for mayor of Chicago; and the current campaign of Jesse Jackson, who is running for president.

In addition they have continually tried to erode and eliminate democratic decision making, and have purged NBIPP of dissident, politically progressive elements who were and still are loyal to the charter.

A significant step in that direction was the recent step taken by a meeting of the Administration and Policy Committee (APC) to expel all NBIPP members who were also members of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP).

This latest action has been defied by some chapters and organizing committees around the country such as the Bay Area (San Francisco) and Baltimore, Md., chapters.

In April, the Baltimore chapter sent out to NBIPP members a position paper titled, "State of the Party: A Perspective of Why We Have Not Moved Forward." In it the Baltimore members state that "NBIPP is in a crisis," and that we have reached the lowest level of our "development or undevelopment."

After four years, they state, the charter has not yet been implemented, and the major cause "is an elitist clique" that wants to consolidate all of the decision-making power in its hands.

They characterize the purge of all SWP members as another stage of NBIPP's underdevelopment, and accuse the APC with overstepping its authority once again "by making policy that was contradictory to our charter." The statement urges NBIPP members to repudiate the expulsions.

I concur wholeheartedly with this sentiment. Now is the time to work with the Baltimore chapter and other members throughout the country to rebuild NBIPP on a much more solid and democratic foundation.

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