Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line

Proposed Amendment to “Resolution on Racism at the 1st local center meeting of D.C. BA”


Issued: n.d. [June 1980].
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
Copyright: This work is in the Public Domain under the Creative Commons Common Deed. You can freely copy, distribute and display this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit the Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line as your source, include the url to this work, and note any of the transcribers, editors & proofreaders above.


Whereas 1. The OCIC has neither been able to recruit significant numbers of minority M-L cadre, nor has it been able to related to significant numbers of minority M-L’s who are outside the OCIC process. Neither has it in its first year of existence been able to make much headway in its theoretical work around the struggle against racism. The reasons for this state of affairs are many, but it adds up to objective racism in our movement. And

Whereas 2. While deepening our understanding of the nature of racism and white chauvinism and while developing a strategy for our role in the anti-racist struggle based on that theoretical assessment, we must constantly be using the process of cr1ticism-self-criticism to help each other to develop our abilities as anti-racist and anti-sexist fighters. And

Whereas 3. Criticism-self-criticism must consist of a process of unity-criticism-unity, a materialist approach to contradictions among the people, and constructive rectification plans to help comrades change their attitudes and behavior. There 1s a difference between attacking racism and attacking racists. The later is not in the spirit of unity-criticism-unity and should be reserved for our enemies. And

Whereas 4. We understand that the struggle against racism is central to all our work and that raising other issues must never be done so as to detract from the struggle against racism. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the contradictions of sexism and the overall class struggle become liquidated. On the contrary, we must come to understand the interrelatedness of these three. And

Whereas 5. There is a difference between a process of criticism-self-criticism and the present campaign to root out everyone’s white chauvinism. The former is concrete and specific. The later is moralist and idealist and is degenerating into an ultra “left” campaign.

Be It Resolved That

1. Points 1-8 of the original resolution submitted 6/19/80 shall be replaced by the whereases and resolveds of this amendment, and

2. Those comrades who developed and chaired the agenda of the first meeting, or who knew of the observer status of a minority comrade who was allowed, if not encouraged, to sidetrack the agenda, or who allowed their political criticisms of the minority comrade to be negated by liberal, patronizing, and racist attitudes are asked to reexamine these attitudes and to work with the local center to develop a plan for rectification toward this comrade, and

3. The leadership of this local center, which has used their own ambivalent approach to a minority comrade at the first local center meeting as a tool in a phony war against white chauvinism in our center and as a tool for undermining opposition and much needed debate around the questions of racism and sexism, 1s hereby severely criticized. This campaign must stop. The racism in our movement must be addressed through the convening of a national conference to assess the development of the struggle against racism and white chauvinism in our tendency.

Submitted August 17, 1980