Issued: July 14, 1980.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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7/14/80
Dear Comrades,
Enclosed please find a number of materials and documents which grow out of the recent OCIC Western Regional Conference held July 4th-6th. As many of you receiving this packet already know, the July 4th conference resulted in (among other things) the expulsion and resignation of many OC members who were representing a “minority” perspective at the conference. Those who were expelled/resigned included the delegates from the Tucson Marxist-Leninist Collective, the delegates from Mayday (Eugene, Oregon), and the members of the BAWOC “Minority”. It is our understanding that approximately 6-18 OC individual members from the SF Bay Area also plan to resign and that comrades from Hawaii, who were observing the conference, have stated they will not join the OC. Our rough estimate shows that the expulsions/resignations from this conference amounted to approximately 40% of the Western Region.
Often, following organizational splits, purges, etc. it is difficult to get an “objective” understanding of what has transpired–what were the political differences, what were the main issues of the split, etc. This is due both to the often conflicting analysis of the different views and also to rumors, and subjective summations that circulate.
We, those of us who have left the OC, are anxious for the truth about this conference to become known broadly in our movement–for we believe that when presented with documents and an account of the conference, people will begin to be able to ascertain the basis for our summation– that the OC is no longer a viable center for our movement and that principled ideological struggle and theoretical work is no longer possible.
This mailing is just designed to quickly make available to people the most relevant materials of the conference itself. Enclosed you will find the following: 1) the “minority” speech on the key agenda item, federationism (the majority speech is not yet available); 2) the “majority” and “minority” outlines for speeches on the second agenda item at the conference, the process and content of the National Minority Marxist-Leninist Conference Resolution passed at the Labor Day Conference; 3) the “majority” and “minority” resolutions put forward on these topics; and 4) a self-criticism of white chauvinism written by an OC member being proposed for Regional leadership. This last document is particularly revealing and shows where the present campaign against white chauvinism leads to.
In the near future (approximately 1 month) we are planning to write a more in-depth analysis of the political basis for the departure of the various forces here on the West Coast from the OC. Additionally, we are also tentatively planning to draw up a brief statement from OC and ex-OC members, and other members of our tendency broadly, summarizing the recent practice of the OC.
As we will summarize in future documents, our general political differences over the direction and orientation of the OC were becoming increasingly pronounced–and most likely would have led to a political break in the future. However, the split that occurred at the Western Regional Conference was provoked by a particular campaign and struggle that is currently raging in the OC–the campaign against white chauvinism.
Recently, in major groups in the OC and in the Midwest OC Regional Conference, a major struggle against individual errors of white chauvinism has been launched by the OC leadership. Our analysis is that the campaign has addressed the very real and significant problem of racism in our movement in a manner that serves neither the struggle against racism nor the struggle to build solid ideological unity among communists.
It would take a lengthy letter to give a blow-by-blow report of the incidents leading up to our expulsion/resignation, but briefly this is what happened. Several of us who made up the “minority” perspective were criticized for making a racist error towards a minority comrade, and were called upon to make a self-criticism. We stated that we would not address particular individual racist errors in the absence of unity in the group concerning the correct method for struggling against white chauvinism. We proposed that the body first take up the general discussion on the campaign against white chauvinism to attempt to achieve the necessary basis of unity upon which to objectively evaluate particular racist errors. This proposal was rejected and instead a resolution was passed (11 yes, 7 no) insisting that individuals who were criticized respond to the criticisms and that if they refused they would be outside the bounds of the OC. After restating our view–that any self-criticisms needed to flow from unity on method and content of conducting the struggle in general–the individuals involved were told to leave the conference. At that point, those of us who united with them politically, and supported their stand, resigned in solidarity. This took place on Saturday July 5th. It is our understanding, from observers who remained at the conference until its completion, that the rest of the conference was essentially spent summarizing what happened and ensuring that there was complete and total unanimity in the body.
We see this mailing as the first step to try to nationally co-ordinate our efforts–among OC forces, ex-OC forces, and forces(who have never joined in the OC) in our tendency more broadly. In the near future we will be drawing up a mailing list to help co-ordinate our work–particularly in localities and regions were things aren't that well organized.
At this point, those of us who are former members of BAWOC and the OC, are putting ourselves forward to act as a co-ordinating center for this work. We encourage comrades to nationally co-ordinate this work as much as possible, e.g. sending out common mailings, exchanging drafts of statements, etc. Also, people should send us information for our mailing list so that the most comprehensive list can be developed.