First Published: Revolutionary Cause, Vol. 1, No. 1, November 1975.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The August 29th Movement is a multinational communist organization formed in May of 1974. It takes its name from the great anti-imperialist march and demonstration which took place August 29, 1970 in the largest Chicano Barrio in the U.S. – the east side of Los Angeles. The demonstration was multi-national and mostly of working class origin. However, the overwhelming number of participants were from the Chicano oppressed nationality, and the event had a decidedly nationalist character–i.e., protesting the use of Chicano youth as cannon fodder in the imperialist war in Viet Nam and the lack of democratic rights for the Chicano people. As such, this event stands out as a shining symbol of the willingness of people to struggle against their oppression and exploitation. Moreover, it confirmed in the heat of storm and fire that the struggle of the oppressed nationalities is a component part of the world revolution. Our organization bases itself on the principles of proletarian revolution as summed up by Marx, Engles, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung. We strive to achieve proletarian dictatorship, socialism and ultimately a classless communist society. This can only be achieved through forging the unity of the proletariat and the oppressed nationalities of this country and the armed overthrow of the existing bourgeois state. This overthrow can only occur as a result of a long protracted struggle led by the proletariat, under the banner of its vanguard Communist Party. The building of such a party is the central task of all communists and advanced workers of the U.S.
Emerging from the struggles against national oppression in the communities, campus, and on the job. militant chicanos and latinos were involved in building a mass, independent political party, La Raza Unida Party, (LRUP). Through that struggle and others, many comrades came to see the need to do work primarily among the working class of the oppressed nationality.
Labor committees within LRUP were formed and the work intensified. Comrades began to see the necessity for engaging in the study of Marxism-Leninism. Through that study, they saw the need for forming communist collectives in order to carry out their political work. Through their common experiences in LRUP these independent, Chicano collectives kept up contact and while following somewhat different paths arrived at the decision to form a communist organization. Its central task would be building a new communist party and guiding the work of these various communist collectives throughout the southwest. Initial discussions began between the collectives in Nov. of 1973. An organizing committee was formed in January of 1974, and after several meetings, a congress was called in May of ’74 and a Unity Statement was published.
Is the membership or leadership of A.T.M. restricted to only Chicanos? Of course not! From its very inception A.T.M. is multi-national at all levels of the organization. To restrict membership of leadership according to nationality would be a violation of proletarian principles. However, at this time the majority of our membership is Chicano. Does this mean that the political work of A.T.M. is restricted to work within the Chicano working class? No, it does not! We carry out our political work with workers of every nationality we come into contact with. The question can be raised – isn’t it possible for the A.T.M. to carry out its work through one of the other national communist organizations (RU, OL, CL)? At this time we must answer with a strong NO! Our differences with these organizations do not stem from differences over “form” but from principles, Marxist Leninist principles, and in the absence of a genuine Communist Party we insist on struggling from outside of these groups. Why didn’t the various groups and collectives which came to form ATM merely merge with the Communist League, October League, or the Revolutionary Union? There are several important reasons why we cannot merge with these organizations. First, because of our differences on theoretical questions, i.e., on party building, on the national question, and the role of Communists in the labor movement and in mass work. In other words, on the correct relationship between the objective and subjective factors in the revolution.” (ATM Unity Statement, p.12-13, May 74).
We stand together with all the world’s peoples in recognizing the leading role of the People’s Republic of China under the leadership of the CCP with Chairman Mao Tse-Tung as its head, and the People’s Republic of Albania under the leadership of the PLA and Chairman Enver Hoxha in the world-wide struggle for socialism, peace, and democracy. As part of this struggle we are duty-bound to uphold the right of nations to self-determination, and to give direct support to the national liberation struggles of the people against the superpowers. At the present time the storm center of this struggle is the Third World. We pledge ourselves to unite with all genuine Marxist-Leninists to carry out our tasks and to fulfill our proletarian internationalist duty.