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black liberation
Note – Because of the key role that racism has played in the development of capitalism in the United States, and the continued pitting of Black against white by the ruling class, it is the position of Socialist Action and Youth for Socialist Action that the coming socialist revolution will be a "combined revolution" - that is both a workers revolution and a Black revolution. That is why we support the right of Blacks and Chicanos to self-determination.
Below we are reproducing text from an 1960s resolution by the Socialist Workers Party on Black Liberation. We stand by the politics and proposals contained in the text below, and will hopefully be adding more materials on the subject in the weeks to come. The text is from the "Transitional Program for Black Liberation."
Suggested Program of Mass Struggle
The main goal for a program of revolutionary mass struggle for Blacks must be self-determination. Like all oppressed nationalities, Black people can achieve their freedom only by taking their destiny in their own hands: “Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow.”
This means that Black people must form and unify their own organizations of struggle, take control of the Black communities and all the institutions within them, and conduct a consistent fight to overcome every form of economic, political and cultural servitude and inequality generated and enforced by the decadent, racist capitalist society.
A. Black Control of the Black Community
It is a basic democratic right that a people should have the right to decide its own affairs. Therefore the central demand of the liberation forces is for Black control of the Black community. This is an indispensable step towards freeing the Black masses from domination by the white racists who benefit from their exploitation.
The demand for Black control of the Black community has a number of attributes which give it an extremely powerful potential for mobilizing the masses in a revolutionary direction.
The demand for Black control has been raised spontaneously in thousands of struggles across the country. It is obviously a demand which speaks directly to the needs and present understanding of Black people. At the same time, Black control of the Black community is a democratic demand. It is based on something which even the ruling class says it believes in – the right of people to have democratic control over their own lives and communities. Thus the resistance the power structure puts up against this struggle will help to expose the hypocrisy of the ruling class on one of the central issues which it uses to brainwash and enslave the masses – its proclaimed adherence to democracy.
At the same time, the struggle for Black control is profoundly revolutionary, because it poses the question of who will have decision-making power over Black people: themselves or the capitalist rulers. The realization of this aim can build Black fortresses which be centers of Black counter-power to the whit power structures in the principal cities of the United States.
As they develop within the Black communities, struggles targeted to win control over specific institutions and agencies can pave the way and prepare increasing numbers of people for the all-inclusive goal of total control of their community. These partial struggles, carried out around issues such as Black control of the schools, can be extremely important because through them encouraging victories can be won. These victories, even if limited to specific areas, can help to raise the confidence of the community in its own power and lay the basis for broader future struggles.
The following demands can help promote this process:
1. Replace police occupation of the Black community with a community-controlled police force drawn from the residents of the community.
2. Black control of all government funds allocated to the Black community and control over all plans for renovating and constructing housing and other communal facilities and improvements.
3. Community control over all institutions in the Black community, such as hospitals, welfare centers, libraries, etc.
4. Establish community councils to make policy decisions and administer the affairs of the Black community. These councils should be composed of representatives elected by workers in various community institutions – factories, hospitals, educational institutions – as well as delegates elected on a block basis.
The local councils or boards of control should be joined together on regional, state, and national levels, the aim being to create a National Council of Black Communities. This should be composed of elected, not appointed, delegates representing the local constituencies.
Such a National Council could work out common policies and speak with one voice on all matters affecting the communities as a whole and their relations with all other forces and agencies. It would thus exercise far more authority than any single community could. To prevent the National Council from bureaucratic usurpation of power, elections should be held regularly and delegates should be subject to recall at any time so that they remain under the control of the local committees they represent.
B. Formation of a Black political party
The indispensable instrument for organizing and carrying on effective struggle for such demands, achieving complete control over the Black community, and moving forward to Black liberation, is an independent Black political party. Its program would be designed to use the immense wealth created by working people, Black and white, not for imperialist war and enrichment of the few but for the needs of the majority.
The main purpose of a Black party is lead Afro-Americans in political and mass action. But is progressive proposals would attract support from other sections of the population which suffer from the evils of capitalist rule.
A Black party would expose and challenge the do-nothing policies of the Democrats and Republicans and present an alternative to them not only by participating in elections but by organizing effective community actions. It would take the initiative in promoting the self-mobilization of the Black people and forming alliances with students, poor white people, workers and all other forces interested in radical change. It could play a vanguard role n bringing revolutionary ideas to all sections of the country.
C. Key Planks in a party program
1. It is the duty of society to provide well-paid jobs for all. A shorter workweek with no loss in pay to spread the available work. Unemployment insurance at full wages for everyone eighteen or over whether or not they have held jobs before.
2. Transfer the funds from the military budget to launch a multi-billion dollar crash program of public works to build schools, hospitals, better public transport, parks and recreational facilities, nurseries, libraries and housing. Give Black workers priority on all jobs connected with the construction program.
3. A decent minimum wage with guaranteed protection of this minimum against increases in the cost of living.
4. Put an immediate end to hunger and malnutrition through a guaranteed annual income which can assure everyone, including the old, sick and disabled, adequate living standards.
5. Abolish all taxes on incomes of $7,500 and under (this figure is the from the 1960s, today we would abolish all taxes on incomes of at least $30,000 and under). Abolish all sales taxes, which discriminate against the poor.
6. Make free quality medical care available to all citizens. Expropriate the drug monopolies and medicine profiteers. Undertake a large scale program to train Black people as doctors and nurses.
7. Organize self-defense units to protect the Black community and its organizations. Oppose gun laws which leave Black people defenseless and unarmed while white cops and racists assault members of the Black community.
8. Investigate the financial records of all landlords and businesses operating in the Black community and tax their super-profits to help finance improvement projects for the community.
9. Extend credits to Black cooperatives and small businesses.
10. Enforce and tighten all existing housing codes. No tenant to pay rent exceeding ten percent of his or her total income.
11. Expropriate any firm which discriminates against Black people.
12. Elect price committees to inspect and police prices in the neighborhoods.
13. Review the cases of and release all Black prisoners because they have not received fair trials. All Black people to be tried by a jury of their peers as guaranteed by the Constitution, that is, by other Black people.
