Issued: June 19, 1980.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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1. Serious errors of racist paternalism and liberalism towards the 1 black comrade (observer) were made by all white OC members at the 1st local center meeting–though it was even more profound by the chair and couple members who knew he was an observer. This racist paternalism took the form of a totally non-struggle attitude about this comrade’s not respecting the agenda, dominating the meeting.
2. These errors had a racist impact in the 2 following ways: 1) they held back the development of this black comrade by not struggling with his individualism; and 2) they reinforced racist ideology and stereotypes of black people.
3. White chauvinist attitudes on the part of every white OC member underlay this racist paternalism. They were one or more of the following for every white OC member in failing to struggle with this black comrade or the chair:
a) underestimating this black comrade’s ability to be struggled with and change his behavior in the meeting;
b) not expecting him to act any different because that’s just the way black people are, e.g. individualistic, etc.;
c) fear of losing him if we struggled with him, so that we couldn’t keep using him as our “multinational”, anti-racist credential;
d) fear of being criticized for making a racist error if one struggled with this comrade or the chair, e.g. being “insensitive” to the concerns of a black comrade;
e) fear of this black comrade becoming emotional, overbearing, or even violent if struggled with because that’s the way black men are.
4. All OC local members, particularly the chair, were opportunist in abandoning the local center agenda, sacrificing the OC process to accommodate in a patronizing, racist manner this black comrade.
5. Serious errors or racist paternalism and liberalism were made by those OC comrades who proposed and defended, that this black comrade go as the local center’s delegate to the regional meeting after it was made clear that he was an observer. This racist paternalism took the form of lowering the standards for the requirements to be a delegate just because the person was black.
6. White chauvinist attitudes underlay this racist paternalism. They were one or more of the following: a) underestimating this black comrade’s ability to unite with the OC on the basis of political line; b) using this black comrade in order to look multinational or have an anti-racist credential; c) being unwilling to struggle with this black comrade, for any of the reasons in resolution #3;rather putting it on the regional center to do that, even if it meant disrupting the regional center meeting.
7. All OC white comrades who did not see the racism in proposing and defending this black comrade’s going as a delegate to the regional, exhibited a serious white blindspot with the same white chauvinist attitudes in #6 underlying it.
8. All white local center members who saw the racism in this proposal but remained silent exhibited serious liberalism. Liberalism is an unprincipled, opportunistic peace with white chauvinism. Such liberalism is racism.
Local Center Steering Com.–June 19, 1980