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4 SOCIALIST ACTION SEPTEMBER 1990 than at any time in U.S. history, yet the standard of living for African Americans is lower than it was in 1955. Black teenage unemployment hovers around 50 percent, and the gap between average incomes of over the organization. He rejected his father's Blacks and whites is now greater than before Black nationalist ideas which diverged from the civil rights movement. traditional Islam and changed the name of the Young African Americans have responded group to the American Muslim Mission. to these attacks with demonstrations and picket lines on city streets and college cam- 1978 and formed his own organization with puses. the old name and the old ideology.

The vacuum of Black leadership, the failure of a reformist approach, and the default in 1984 by taking a new step for the NOIof the labor bureaucracy to lead a fight he gave its support to a presidential candiagainst racism have combined to make Black date, Jesse Jackson. Remarks that Farrakhan nationalism a pole of attraction for militant made during that campaign about Jews and African American youth. The colors and the state of Israel led to his being attacked by symbols of Africa can be seen on medallions everyone from Jerry Falwell to David and T-shirts worn across the country.

Black nationalism, as taught by Marcus marks and distanced himself from Farrakhan. Garvey and Malcolm X, rejects any reliance on the white-dominated government and politicians and stands for the independent orga- "There can never be peace structured on innization of Blacks for self-determination. justice, thievery, lying and deceit, and using NOI's recent transformation ligion under His holy and righteous name."

The NOI is the largest Black nationalist organization in the country today. This alone would give it an important place in the policies against the Palestinians, but he African American political spectrum, but the NOI itself has undergone some political developments which have helped it grow.

The Nation of Islam, founded by Elijah many potential supporters. Muhammad, first gained national attention in the late '50s and early '60s with Malcolm X as its national spokesperson. It gave a voice to African Americans in the Northern cities and stood as a radical alternative to the Semitism. civil rights leadership in the South.

When Malcolm X left the NOI in 1964 to form his own organization, the NOI went into decline. It was largely displaced by secular Black power organizations like the Black Panther Party in the late '60s. In 1975 Warith Deen Muhammad, Elijah's son, took tions with contingents from the NOI.

NOI members marched in the rallies to support Tawana Brawley, and in the "Days of Outrage" in New York City following the Bernard Goetz decision. The NOI was also Louis Farrakhan split from Muhammad in very visible in the recent rallies welcoming Nelson Mandela to the United States. Such moves have established the NOI as a real Farrakhan was thrust into public notoriety force in the day-to-day politics of the Black community and gained new followers.

Farrakhan has also tried to shed the image given to him as an anti-Semite and a "Black Hitler." In his 1990 speeches, Farrakhan opens by stating, "If you came to hear attacks on whites and Jews, you came to the Dinkins. Jackson himself denounced the re- wrong place. If you came to hear a Black man tell the truth, you came to the right Farrakhan stated that the creation of Israel place. was an "outlaw act" and went on to say, A contradictory orientation Farrakhan has taken a largely independent the holy name of God to shield your dirty re- stance in politics. He stated that Jesse Jackson, if elected, would only manage Farrakhan's remarks were directed against white affairs and could no longer expect the the colonial state of Israel and its genocidal NOI's support. made no distinction between the racist In an August 1990 interview with Emerge magazine Farrakhan said, "I'm not a Zionist movement and the Jewish people.

Democrat—I can't subscribe to the madness This opened him up to attack and alienated and hypocrisy of the Democratic Party-and I'm certainly not a Republican."

Of course, Falwell and other right-wing forces who attacked him were not concerned The NOT's steps toward independent politiwith the plight of the Jews. Their motive cal action reached a new stage with the camwas to discredit Black nationalism, not anti- paigns of Dr. Abdul Alim Muhammad, George X Cure, and Shawn X Brakeen, In the years that followed, Farrakhan ori- launched on May 4, 1990, for local and conented his organization toward other move- gressional seris in Maryland and ments in the Black community. Whereas the Washington, D.C. The three candidates are NOI had previously stood aside from mass running as members of the NOI against actions and activities called by others, Democratic and Republican party opponents. Farrakhan now began to participate in ac- At the press conference announcing the campaigns, Farrakhan said, "When we see When Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, the government tried to frame the NOI for the murder. The NOI and the men convicted for the murder have denied any guilt to this day. However, such remarks by Farrakhan and others gave the government the opportunity to portray the murder as "Black extremist in-fighting."

Farrakhan reevaluates Malcolm The tremendous influence which Malcolm still holds in the minds of young African Americans has forced the NOI to soften its stance toward him. Farrakhan told Emerge, "Malcolm's name is being heard again, and people are going back and studying Malcolm's words and waking up all over again. It speeds up the general rise in consciousness of our people."

But Farrakhan sees something behind this eneweo interest in Malcolm. He goes on t say, "The enemy sees Louis Farrakhan mounting up on wings today, rebuilding the Nation. There is no living person they can bring against Louis Farrakhan.

"So they say there is a resurgence of Malcolm ... the wickedly wise devils want to bring Malcolm back, to use the growing popularity of Malcolm against the rise of There is some truth in what Farrakhan says, insofar as the capitalist media is trying to use distortions of Malcolm X's ideas against all Black militants.

The New York Times, which called Malcolm "a victim of the hell he created" at the time of his death, ran an article around the time of his birthday this year hailing him as a man who rejected "extremism," became an integrationist, and supported registering Blacks to vote for capitalist politicians.

Malcolm, however, never abandoned the fight to organize Blacks independently (continued on next page)

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Michael Ochs Archives In 1987, a U.S. Labor Department investigation found Cleveland State University (CSU) guilty of discriminatory hiring and promotion of people of color. For a time federal funds were withheld.

The Greater Cleveland Roundtable, a group of business leaders, also investigated charges of racism at CSU in 1987. They concluded that CSU had "serious problems related to race relations" and recommended a 40-point plan of corrective measures. One of their recommendations was the creation of an office of minority affairs with a vice president to head it.

Following a two-year search, with over 200 candidates interviewed, Dr. Raymond A. Winbush, who held a similar position at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., was hired. He became the first Black vice president in CSU's 25-year history.

Winbush accepted this job as a mandate to improve the environment for Blacks and other people of color at CSU. When he was hired, only 26 of the 539 faculty members were Black, and 20 of these were concentrated in three of CSU's 43 departments.

Although over 52 percent of Cleveland the job, he actively intervened in the hiring process to bring more Black faculty members to CSU. He started the Cooperative Learning and Academic Success System, a 10-week pre-college program to prepare inner-city Cleveland youth for college.

Winbush also followed the Roundtable report's mandate to "outreach into the minority community and work in partnership with it" by providing university financial assistance and support to series of community programs.

Schuyler Cook, president of CWA Local 4509, which represents the CSU staff, wrote an open letter to Flower, "to express our outrage and disappointment at the way in which Dr. Raymond Winbush was not afforded the opportunity to negotiate a new contract."

Cook's open letter continues, "Dr. Raymond Winbush has been instrumental in making the transition smooth between his office and the establishment of the Communication Workers of America at Cleveland State University, despite efforts by the administration to undermine his work in this regard.

The officers and members of Communication Workers of America, Local 4509, are unalterably opposed to the noncontract renewal and WE DEMAND his immediate reinstatement with a reason-