Corresponder

Articles from the Corresponder Vol. 7 No. 1- click on title:

Call to the Black Radical Congress: Now is the Time for a Revival of the Militant Spirit of Resistance
Celebrating the Legacy of Paul Robeson
Cuban Conference Examines Socialism By Timothy V Johnson
Demands Escalate to End U.S. Embargo of Cuba
How to Make Your Voice Heard
Lessons of the Campaign that Freed Angela Davis By Sushawn Robb
Labor Organizing and the Black Poor by Manning Marable
NCC Statement on New Initiatives toward Left Unity
CofC National Coordinating Committee Meeting: Organizing Plans Head the Agenda
Movement Grows to Free the "School of the Americas 25"
Living Wage Campaign continues King's commitment: By Zach Robinson
5th Annual Southern Regional Meeting: Activists Explore Strategies in the Struggle for Economic Justice: By Pat Fry
The View from Columbus, Ohio: Protesters Roust 'National Security' Team
Trust Fund Established for Children of Stand & Squillacote

Black people face a deep crisis. Finding a way out of this mess requires new thinking, new vision, and a new spirit of resistance. We need a new movement of Black radicalism. We know that America's capitalist economy has completely failed us. Every day more of us are unemployed and imprisoned, homeless and hungry. Police brutality, violence and the international drug trade threaten our children with the greatest dangers since slavery. The politicians build more prisons but cut budgets for public schools, day care and health care. They slash welfare yet hire more cops. The government says working people must pay more taxes and receive fewer services, while the rich and the corporations grow fat. Black people and other oppressed people have the power to change the way things are today. But first we must unite against the real enemy. Now is the time for a revival of the militant spirit of resistance that our people have always possessed, from the Abolitionist Movement to outlaw slavery to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, from Black Power to the anti-apartheid campaign of the 1980s. Now is the time to rebuild a strong, uncompromising movement for human rights, full employment and self determination. Now is the time for a new Black radicalism. If you believe in the politics of Black liberation, join us in Chicago in 1998 at the Black Radical Congress. If you hate what capitalism has done to our community - widespread joblessness, drugs, violence and poverty - come to the Congress. If you are fed up with the corruption of the two party system and want to develop a plan for real political change, come to the Congress. If you want to struggle against class exploitation, racism, sexism and homophobia, come to the Congress. The Black Radical Congress is for everyone ready to fight back: trade unionists and workers, youth and students, women, welfare recipients, lesbians and gays, public housing tenants and the homeless, the elderly and people on fixed incomes, veterans, cultural workers and immigrants. You! Sisters and Brothers, we stand at the edge of a new century. The moment for a new militancy and a new commitment to the liberation of all Black people, at home and abroad, has arrived. Let us build a national campaign toward the Black Radical Congress, setting in motion a renewed struggle to reclaim our historic role as the real voice of democracy in this country. Spread the word: "Without struggle, there is no progress." Now's the time!

African American History Month launched a year-long centennial anniversary celebration of the birth of one of this country's most heroic figures, Paul Robeson. Robeson won national and international acclaim as an outstanding athlete, singer, actor, orator, linguist and advocate of world peace, civil rights and workers' struggles. He sang for peace and justice in 25 languages throughout the United States, Europe, the Soviet Union and Africa. As workers struggled to unionize, he sang at rallies on behalf of Ford Motor company autoworkers. In Spain he sang for the international brigades fighting Franco's fascism. During the cold war years, he advocated peace and friendship between the U.S. and Soviet Union. He headed an organization that challenged President Truman to support an anti-lynching law, and asked why African Americans should fight in a racist U.S. army. The House Un-American Activities Committee tried to silence him by accusing him of being a Communist. The attack nearly ended his career Ð but Robeson never backed down. Eighty of his concerts were canceled, and in 1949 white mobs attacked two interracial concerts in Peekskill, N.Y., while state police did nothing. In 1950 the U.S. revoked Robeson's passport. He battled for eight years, and ultimately regained it. But ill health forced him to retire from public life in 1963. Paul Robeson died on Jan. 23, 1976, at the age of 77. This centennial year is seeing a renaissance of interest in Robeson. The first of 25 scheduled events commemorating his life was held in Chicago on Feb. 7. Other events, which will continue through May, are taking place in 20 U.S. cities. Internationally 400-500 events are being organized Ð in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, England, Scotland and Ireland, to name a few. On Feb. 25, a Lifetime Achievement Award was given posthumously to Paul Robeson at the Grammy Award ceremonies. Educational materials on Robeson's life are mushrooming. Lesson plans for classroom teachers are being developed and five children's books have been published. Preparations for the centennial have been under way for four years, sparked by the Chicago-based Paul Robeson 100th Birthday Anniversary Committee: Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Timuel Black, Nancy Mikelsons and Mark Rogovin.

The campaign for a Robeson stamp One important tool for bringing Robeson to the attention of the public has been the campaign for issuance of a U.S. postal commemorative stamp of Paul Robeson. CofC members are among the many who collected 90,000 signatures and letters over the past couple of years. The petition was rejected in the first round of selections Dec. 9, but the campaign continues. "There is still time for a stamp to be issued," said Mark Rogovin. "If there is enough pressure, they can make a decision to issue the stamp at any time." He said the campaign is aiming for a quarter of a million signatures by the end of scheduled events in May. And he noted that there is still time to plan an event for city, school, union or community. A free packet of information will be sent upon request. Resources and information are available from the Robeson Anniversary web site: www.pobox.com/~robeson/ or Paul Robeson 100th Birthday Anniversary Committee, Columbia College, 600 S. Michigan, Chicago, IL 60605.

Belafonte recalls Robeson Last year, many CofC members attended the 60th anniversary celebration of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade's arrival in Spain. The special guest for the event, Harry Belafonte, described a conversation he had with Paul Robeson shortly before his death: "Shortly before he died, I visited him in Philadelphia. He was living at his sister's. And I looked at this giant of a man who was quite frail in body but still strong in spirit. And through all that had engulfed him - McCarthyism, the difficult times that he faced in this country because of his beliefs, because of his resistance to oppression - I said, 'Paul, I must know. Was all that you have gone through really worth it? Considering the platform you had gained, and how easy life could have been for you, was it worth it?' And he said, 'Harry, make no mistake: there is no aspect of what I have done that wasn't worth it. Although we may not have achieved all the victories we set for ourselves - may not have achieved all the goals we set for ourselves - beyond the victory itself, infinitely more important, was the journey.'"

On October 21-23 more than 160 people, representing over 100 parties and movements, came to Havana to attend an international workshop on "Socialism Toward the 21st Century." Participants included representatives from the socialist countries of China, Vietnam, Korea and Laos. Also attending was the MPLA of Angola, and communist parties from France, Italy, Spain, the Russian Federation and India. The participants from the United States were mostly Trotskyites from the following organizations: Socialist Action, Socialist Workers Party, Workers World and Freedom Socialist Party. In addition to the Committees of Correspondence, the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party and the journal Nature, Society and Thought were present. Most countries from South and Central America were represented. The conference, sponsored by the Cuban Communist Party, was divided into three workshops: (1) the realities of contemporary socialism, (2) the validity of Marxism-Leninism, and (3) imperialism at the millenium. More than 113 papers were presented and over 140 people spoke at the workshops. Jose Ramon Balaguer, a CPC Political Bureau member, opened the workshop's plenary session. He discussed the CPC's recently concluded 5th Congress, noting that the discussions there had helped them sort through many of the difficulties confronting Cuba and the world movement. Balaguer noted that the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe did not signify the failure of socialism as a system or of Marxism-Leninism. He spoke at length of the Cuban Rectification Campaign, which began in 1986, and the CPC's efforts to build a socialism based on their own reality. He asserted that the "consumer societies" of the industrialized West are simply not sustainable for the rest of the world and offered instead a society based on "social justice" rather than consumer items as a vision for socialism. Social justice and democracy, which he defined as "government intimately linked to the people ... rather than election-day democracy," must be the core of a fresh image of socialism, Balaguer asserted. The CPC made it clear that they were not looking for agreement on all issues, but were interested in providing a forum where people could put forth their ideas. The discussions were open, respectful, constructive and frank. Some disagreements emerged around the causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the role that democracy, or the lack thereof, played. The socialist country representatives who spoke described the difficulty of trying to build socialism under what amounts to imperialist encirclement. China was a slight exception. Their representative spoke at length of the triumphs of building "market socialism." The representative of the Vietnamese Communist Party reaffirmed that they remain "loyal to the principles of Marxism-Leninism," but noted that their imposition of "old economic models" has caused problems in the economy. At the plenary report back of the contemporary socialism workshop it was agreed that socialism remains the only real and viable alternative to capitalism, but that there will be different models of socialism, based on each country's realities. At the report back on Marxism-Leninism it was noted that the defense of Marxism-Leninism predominated, that there is no alternative to Marxism-Leninism as a science of society, and that the left should not allow itself to become "ideologically disarmed" by the collapse of socialism. In general, the tenor of the conference was that socialism is still a viable system, imperialism is still the main enemy, and the science of Marxism-Leninism is still valid. There was a call for similar meetings in the future. r Corresponder Editor Timothy Johnson represented the CofC at the conference in Cuba.

With the Pope's condemnation of the U.S. embargo of Cuba, the door is opening wider for passage of HR-1951, the Cuban Humanitarian Trade Act. It would allow exemptions from the embargo for food, medicines, medical supplies, medical instruments and equipment. The bill currently has 92 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, but only six are Republicans. More Republican support will be needed for passage. The companion Senate bill, S-1391, has 18 co-sponsors and a more bipartisan base than in the House. Pastors for Peace reported on Feb. 5 that the Senate bill has substantial support and may move quickly to a hearing. However, Sen. Alphonse D'Amato chairs the Senate Banking Committee, and pressure is needed to persuade him to hold hearings on the bill. In New York City, three CofC members and a member of the religious community met in October with Rep. Carolyn Maloney to urge her support for the bill. During the meeting, Rep. Maloney called a staff member in Washington to instruct them to issue a press release announcing her co-sponsorship of HR 1951. With support growing for the bill and right wing forces in Miami and Washington apparently feeling the pressure for a change of U.S. policy, Sen. Jesse Helms introduced a bill designed to thwart HR-1951/S-1391. It proposes U.S. government "aid," but only through certain "approved" non- governmental organizations - to those whom the U.S. says are in most need - "political prisoners and their families," according to a press release issued by the right wing Cuban American National Foundation. Pastors For Peace asks all who oppose the embargo to do the following: * fax, call or write your representative in the House, especially Republicans. * fax, call or write both your Senators. * Urge them to co-sponsor HR-1951/S-1391 and to work for passage. New Yorkers are urged to fax, call or write Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, and let him know that New Yorkers support free trade with Cuba. Urge him to schedule a hearing for S-1391. In addition, CofC members around the country active in the following organizing projects need your support: * The U.S. Friendshipment Caravan of humanitarian aid to Cuba will again break the embargo in July. For information on how to participate call Pastors for Peace at (212) 926-5757. * The 29th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade is scheduled for July 20-Aug. 2. The first week, brigadistas will do construction and agricultural work in the province of Cienfuegos and will celebrate July 26 (anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Army Barracks during Cuba's revolutionary war) at the Che Memorial. The second week, brigadistas will attend a Cuba solidarity conference in Havana (see below). For more information, call the VB at (415) 267-0606. * An International Meeting of Women in Trade Unions will be held April 25-May 2, in Havana, hosted by the Confederation of Cuban Workers. To take part in a U.S. delegation organized by U.S.-Cuba Labor Exchange, call (313) 561-8330, or the CofC national office. * "Building a New Future: A Conference on Normalizing Relations between the U.S. and Cuba," will be held July 28-30 in Havana. For information, call the CofC national office. If you will be taking part in any of these events, please call the national office and let us know, so we can put you in touch with other participating CofC members.

Our recent close brush with renewed war with Iraq brings home the importance of letting our elected officials hear - early and often - how we feel on the issues. Here's how to contact them:

To contact the president: Address: The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington, DC 20500 Phone: 202-456-1414 Email: president@whitehouse.gov

Congressional representatives: Representative ___________ U.S. House of Representatives Washington DC 20515

Senator _________________ U.S. Senate Washington DC 20510

The phone number of the Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121; from there, you can reach the office of any Congressperson. If you don't know who your representatives are, try http://www. house. gov/writerep/ for representatives; http://www.senate.gov/senator/state.html for senators.

 

On Dec. 7, 180 people took part in a day-long symposium that looked at the lessons of the campaign to free Angela Davis in the early 1970s and examined the contemporary issues in challenging the prison industrial complex. While outside the rain poured, the sun shone and rainbows glistened, the audience inside the Laney College Forum listened in fascination to the words of Charlene Mitchell, Margaret Burnham and Angela Davis as they talked about the campaign. All three women were centrally involved in the campaign - Charlene as a leader in the political campaign (along with Kendra and Franklin Alexander), Margaret as a lawyer who convened and helped lead the legal team and Angela as the defendant. Their personal stories brought alive the broad political context of the late '60s and the details of a complicated legal and political strategy that ultimately triumphed. They portrayed both the seriousness of facing capital charges by a system stacked against Black people and communists as well as the lighter side of fighting side by side in common commitment. The key to acquittal was the strong national and international political movement built over two years of concentrated work. The movement was built on the clear understanding that this was a fight for democracy opposing an outright anti-communist maneuver by the state. Massive public pressure expressed through petitions, letters and calls was key to forcing the issue of bail. With Angela back on the streets, the defense was given a boost. Some innovative legal strategies - an all-Black legal team, a novelty 25 years ago, and investigation of potential juries that today is common practice for defendants with resources - helped to win the acquittal. But we know the U.S. legal system ultimately works to defend capitalism, so we can never rely on it to serve public interests of its own accord. In fact, Angela's acquittal was the exception, not the rule. The release of Geronimo ji jaga Pratt took 28 years, and there are still many political prisoners in the United States. One of the workshops that followed the opening panel looked more deeply into the lessons of the campaign. The other five focused on the contemporary issues that face prison rights activists. A central theme was the need to understand that prison issues are not simply policy questions, but integrally tied to the functioning of capitalism. The phrase "prison industrial complex" is a mouthful, but it reflects the reality that prisons and the industries around them are major components of our economy. There have always been economic components to prisons, but with the huge increase in scale over the past decades, it takes on increasing importance. Workshops looked at: women and prison, defining political prisoner, the role of police in the criminal justice system, the policies of criminalization and the political economy of prisons. After the symposium dinner was served at the Laney College cafeteria. It was a lively social time, the room in a constant hubbub of noise and continual musical chairs as people met up with friends not seen in recent years. Under the graceful guidance of host Alicia Matzger, an evening program was brought to a largely new audience of 150. We heard more from the morning panelists, and from lawyer Howard Moore, juror investigation coordinator Fred Hirsch, Horst Schafer, a German journalist who covered the trial, and Fania Davis, who traveled the globe to build support for her sister. Jazz poets Upsurge performed, as did the choir Vakani Muwethu and the Freedom Song Network. A commemorative three-color poster, first designed in 1971 and updated for this event by artist Rupert Garcia, is available for purchase for $5 to $10 each, plus $3.50 postage and packaging. The morning session and portions of the evening program were video taped, but details on making this available are still being worked out. Contact the Northern California CofC office at (415) 863-6637 or write to 522 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110 for more information.

 

The most important election to take place this fall was largely unreported in the press. There were no public debates, no campaign slogans or posters, not even a bumper sticker. There weren't even any candidates running for office. This election was not about personalities, but power. At stake was potentially the economic future of millions of poor people across the country. Since the passage of the draconian 1996 welfare bill, the survival of several million poor women and children, the majority of whom are Blacks and Latinos, became at risk. Hundreds of thousands of recipients of Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) have been forced into various "workfare" schemes. In New York City, for example, many AFDC recipients are required to work 20 or more hours each week in order to receive their modest payments. These women usually work in jobs normally associated with the lowest wages: cleaning public toilets and streets, mopping hospital floors, picking up litter in subway stations. Few receive proper equipment for their jobs. Health and safety safeguards are virtually nonexistent. Frequently women assigned to work outside are not even provided with toilet facilities. Several decades ago, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, began building a progressive, human rights movement among America's poorest and most oppressed people. Today ACORN has over 200,000 members. In its latest initiative, ACORN began a campaign in New York City to achieve union representation status for workfare workers. Some political "experts" thought that ACORN's effort to organize AFDC recipients was quixotic at best. Welfare mothers, for the most part, have no personal history or experience in unions. Besides, organized labor had traditionally viewed poor people's problems and concerns as being irrelevant to its own interests. This October, New York City's 35,000 workfare participants were given the choice to determine whether they desired to have union representation. Over a period of four days, about 17,300 people cast ballots at 250 polling sites across the city. The election results were clear: almost 17,000 workfare workers voted in favor of organizing a union, with barely 300 voting against. The vote made it clear that "welfare mothers" recognize the exploitation of labor inherent in the workfare program. Representatives of Republican Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani immediately dismissed this overwhelming mandate for union representation. Randy L. Levine, the city's Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, protested that because welfare is supposed to be "temporary," it makes no sense for "welfare recipients to become city employees." ACORN organizers immediately challenged the Giuliani administration to meet with them, with the goal of improving working conditions for workfare workers. The most important factor in rebuilding the Black freedom movement lies in the linkage of distinct yet overlapping constituencies within the African American community. Two critical groups here are low wage workers and welfare recipients. There is often tension and misplaced hostility between Black workers who earn barely more than the federal government's minimum wage, vs. poor people who have been unemployed for years, or those who barely manage to survive on public assistance. Both groups are manipulated against each other, to protect the interests of employers who want to keep labor costs low. The only longterm solution to this dilemma is to bring poor people into the organized labor movement. The NAACP, Urban League and other civil rights organizations need to follow ACORN's lead in reaching out to organize the most oppressed people within Black America. The vitality and vision of our movement must be judged not against the economic gains of the Black middle class, but within the material conditions and prospects for those Black folk who have the least. As we elevate and empower workfare workers, we advance the interests of our entire community.

Dr. Manning Marable, a CofC co-chair, is Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, New York City.

Following is the text of a statement adopted at the NCC's November 1997meeting: The Committees of Correspondence, an organization for democracy and socialism, believes the time is ripe for new efforts to strengthen the cooperation of all forces for peace and justice in our country. We welcome the call for such a unity dialogue from Democratic Socialists of America. We view building the unity of all the broad left as a strategic imperative at this moment in our country's history. At this time we are confronted with escalating neoliberal attacks on social welfare, new assaults on the living standards and security of working people and on their right to organize, a concerted effort to destroy affirmative action and to victimize and scapegoat immigrant workers, attacks on our civil liberties and Constitutional rights, an onslaught from the right on the movements for women's equality and lesbian and gay rights, and efforts to undermine the movement for environmental justice while the befoulment of the planet's ecology escalates. Recognizing its diversity, we believe the democratic left holds many principles and positions in common Ð based upon human welfare, equality, social security and peace. These commonalities should be reflected in new forms of closer cooperation and unified actions. The starting point for such explorations should be joint efforts to arrive - wherever possible - at common positions, analysis, campaign objectives and political actions. The Committees of Correspondence pledges to seek consultations to urgently explore these forms. The discussions, we are persuaded, should involve both organizations and individual activists, at all levels from the national to the local. We ask our National Executive Committee to develop a plan for our participation in this effort and guide our work in this area.

A wide range of organizing plans adopted by the National Coordinating Committee at their November 1997 meeting were moving ahead as this issue went to press. The NCC's Chicago meeting gave enthusiastic support to a youth organizing project in defense of affirmative action, a labor-community conference on globalization, a national fund drive/outreach project, living wage coalition efforts and protests of new cuts to welfare and food stamp programs. Twenty-nine NCC members and 21 guests attended the meeting. Building the CofC organizationally was given greater emphasis in the coming period. The launch of a CofC web page, plans for literature development, and meetings of national task forces and regions were projected. The three-day meeting began with an organizational report from national staff member and NEC member Pat Fry. After reviewing the CofC's work since the NCC's last meeting in April, she drew attention to the importance of the theoretical discussion on the relationship between reform and revolution and the role of socialists today. "Since the organization was founded in 1992, we have been posing this question: Are we building an organization involved in the day-to-day issues of working people? Do we see an organization that can reach out among the left of the mass movement? Can we build an organization that takes up the many-sided tasks of a socialist organization: theoretical and political development, education, development of strategy and tactics of the movement? Is this the kind of organization that we should be building? If not, what role do we see for ourselves?" Fry referred to the October regional meeting held in Cleveland, which discussed problems experienced by CofC members involved in various reform struggles. "Many of our members are busy with single issue movements and organizations - reform issues, Fry said. "We work with the Labor Party, we work with the New Party, we work in trade unions, housing struggles, electoral campaigns, the Cuba solidarity movement. But without a socialist organization and a strategy for building unity among all these movements Ð even reform struggles will be limited, let alone the fight for socialism."

The Role of a Socialist Organization In discussing the report, NCC members expressed a range of views on the role of a socialist organization. Discussing a proposal by CofC Youth Brigade members to focus their energies on building a national network and resources in defense of affirmative action, Arthur Kinoy said that the role of socialists is to explain "why the ruling class is waging an attack on affirmative action. We need to point out that defending affirmative action is part of a long range struggle against the ruling class and for socialism." Charlene Mitchell said that events planned for the 150th anniversary, in May, of the Communist Manifesto are providing the framework for the "most interesting discussions in the world today" on socialism. "It offers a chance for us to discuss what we think we stand for - from whence it cometh and where it goeth! If our vision is based on something so far into the future that it has no meaning for today, then I don't think we need a socialist organization." She argued that CofC must take up both theoretical and practical work that brings together issues of class, race and gender. Fernando Fernando said it is urgent to define and polish our politics. "People in Los Angeles ask me what the CofC is, and it is difficult to answer. It's not just a question of whether we are socialist, but what kind of socialist organization are we?" Discussion of the relationship between theory and practice of the CofC was a theme that emerged frequently during the weekend meeting. Particularly important were discussions of left unity and the NCC's response to a proposal from DSA leaders on forming a new democratic left organization. That discussion produced differing views on the CofC's role. (A forthcoming issue of Dialogue & Initiative will explore these issues.)

Living Wage Campaign A proposal from the Living Wage Committee sparked a discussion on tactics. Speaking for the Living Wage Committee, Zach Robinson proposed specifics of national legislation calling for a living wage for all who work. The proposal put the burden of health care and other aspects of the "social wage," such as transportation and child care, on the individual employer. The proposal generated heated debate and discussion, and in the end it was agreed that it should be revised to demand that the state bear the responsibility of non-wage necessities. The committee was also asked how its proposal differs from other legislative initiatives currently before Congress, such as the Dellums and Martinez bills. It was agreed that the committee will redraft a legislative proposal for the NCC, taking into account discussion at the meeting, and also draft a one-page leaflet outlining the content and objectives of the living wage campaign. It was also agreed that the committee should seek input from others in the broader movement before further discussion at the next NCC meeting. The NCC reaffirmed its commitment to building coalitions in support of a living wage at city, state and federal levels. The NCC voted to focus attention on the work of youth, labor, African Americans, peace and solidarity. The NEC was asked to ensure that each task force meets soon to develop a plan of work. Manae Ross of Northern California was named chair of the CofC Youth Brigade, formerly called the Youth Task Force. The next issue of Relevant will focus on the struggle for affirmative action, developing a national resource for organizing. The Youth Brigade will discuss follow-up on organizing for the International Youth Festival and Venceremos Brigade with the CofC Peace & Solidarity Task Force. After a report from three CofC members who attended an international conference on Neo-Liberalism in Cuba last August, it was proposed that the Labor Task Force lay plans for a conference on global capitalism and the working class, to be held in New York City. The NEC was given responsibility for ensuring that the national Labor Task Force of the CofC is re-energized, with concrete plans of work in the coming year. Literature development of the CofC has been particularly weak in the last two years. The NEC was asked to ensure that a new brochure describing the organization is issued by year end. Additionally, the NCC urged the NEC to ensure that the CofC web page project receives whatever human and financial resources are necessary to launch before the next NCC meeting. A proposal for the 1998 CofC fund drive was adopted. A fund appeal written by Angela Davis, Manning Marable, Elizabeth Martinez and Pete Seeger will be mailed to over 10,000 people in January. The NCC resolved to support the following organizing efforts: *The Black Radical Congress, to be held June 19 in Chicago; * The NOW-sponsored Women of Color and Allies Summit, "Linking Arms in Dangerous Times," set for Feb. 20-22 in Washington, D.C.; * The Fairness Agenda for America sponsored by the Progressive Challenge, an initiative of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; * Initiatives of the Independent Progressive Politics Network. * Efforts to facilitate an invitation extended by various organizations and individuals to the Japanese Communist Party, for a visit to the U.S. The NCC took note of four important anniversaries in 1998 and voted to help build educational campaigns in commemoration. They are the 150th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto; the 100th anniversary of the birth of Paul Robeson; the 100th anniversary of the Wilmington, N.C., Massacre, a violent racist attack by whites on the city's majority Black population, in which 150 were killed; and the 100th anniversary of the U.S. war against Spain, which marked the opening of the era of world imperialism. As the NCC meeting was taking place, alarm rose that the United States was preparing to launch a new war of aggression against Iraq. A statement was prepared and adopted for immediate release.

On Jan. 21, 25 people - mostly clergy, veterans and a retired college professor - were sentenced to stiff six-month prison terms and fined $3,000 for a civil disobedience action at Ft. Benning in Georgia. They were among 601 people arrested last Nov. 16 as they entered the military base carrying white crosses and coffins filled with nearly one million signatures on petitions calling for the closing of the death squad training base, School of the Americas. The 25 sentenced were "repeat offenders" who had previously been barred from the military base. The SOA has long been the focus of protest. Graduates of this "school" were responsible for the murder of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero on March 24, 1980. Hundreds of other SOA graduates have been implicated in many of the worst massacres, death squads, and human rights abuses throughout Latin America, including current atrocities in Mexico and Colombia. A bill is currently in Congress to cut funding to the SOA and a vote is expected later this year. Rep. Joseph Kennedy, a leading critic of the school, said, "Every time an SOA graduate is implicated in a human rights violation, America's image suffers another black eye. And as our image is further degraded, our credibility in Latin America erodes. Organizers of the campaign were stunned when Judge Robert Elliott handed down the maximum penalty, presiding in front of a packed courtroom. Elliott has a long history - dating back to the civil rights movement - of handing out harsh sentences on social justice issues. People are urged to ask Attorney General Janet Reno to investigate the harsh sentences imposed by Judge Robert Elliott and Magistrate William Slaughter and recommend a presidential pardon. Write Attorney General Janet Reno, U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Room 4400, WDC 20530; tel: (202) 514-2001/fax (202) 514-4371. For information on how to get messages of support to those in prison, call WESPAC (number below) or visit this internet site: www.soaw.org/ In New York City, Pete Seeger will perform in a "Remember Romero" benefit for the SOA 25 on March 24, 6:30 p.m., at Rutgers Presbyterian Church, 236 W. 73rd St., Manhattan. For information and tickets, call WESPAC at (914) 682-0488.

Bill Clinton gave the 1998 State of the Union address at the height of the media-driven sexgate scandal. The embattled president who had promised health care reform but delivered only welfare "reform" turned again, promises in hand, to the people for support. He vowed to increase the minimum wage, expand Medicare, preserve Social Security, repair public school buildings, reduce classroom overcrowding, make child care more affordable and bolster Equal Employment Opportunities Commission staff. The surge in Clinton's approval ratings after the State of the Union address confirmed both his political shrewdness and people's hunger for economic justice and a living wage. Over the last year, representatives of big business have openly expressed anxiety over the strong and broad-based movement for a living wage. In the coming year, that movement will grow from successful battles for local living wage ordinances to begin to tackle the problem on a nationwide scale. We must raise awareness that decent wages and hours must be joined with the availability of core public services in the struggle to defend living standards. Two strategic tasks emerge as central: organizing Southern workers, especially those in public service jobs, and supporting the poor people's movement. Those are the tasks Dr. Martin Luther King undertook near the end of his life. As we near the 30th anniversary of his assassination this April, we are reminded of how central to the struggle for a living wage are the tasks he left unfinished. The CofC will begin the second year of its focus on the Living Wage Campaign at our April NCC meeting. The Living Wage Committee will present for discussion action plans linking street heat with radical legislative initiatives. We will continue support for coalitions we initiated last year to protest cuts in food stamp benefits and we will discuss federal legislative initiatives, including a second round of talks on our own draft legislation. Those coalitions are planning the following actions: * In Cleveland, Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor (STOP) met earlier this month to plan to publicize its hotline for welfare recipients and workfare participants. They are organizing for a gathering in Columbus this May sponsored by the Cincinnati Empowerment Center to lobby state legislators. You can call STOP at (216) 241-1104. * In Oakland, People for Bread, Work and Justice (PBWJ) plans a mobilization on May 2 to support ad hoc Congressional hearings sponsored by Food First and the House Progressive Caucus. Under the theme, Economic human rights - their time has come, the hearings will investigate the human rights implications of hunger, poverty and unemployment in the U.S. PBWJ also plans a demonstration on Aug. 22, the anniversary of the passage of the welfare reform act. PBWJ recently succeeded in reversing a three-month time limit on general assistance in Alameda County. You can reach PBWJ at (510) 465-9914. * In North Carolina, plans are being laid for another March Against Hunger in Raleigh on June 30. In preparation, the N.C. Hunger Network is sending a group of low income women to lobby Congress on March 5. And on March 19, a delegation sponsored by the Hunger Network will testify at congressional hearings on the minimum wage. To reach the Hunger Network, call (919) 821-5300. A Feb. 12 headline in USA Today announced, "Charities see donations shifting away from urban poor." The article reported, "Philanthropy is rising, but large cultural institutions are getting more than community soup kitchens and shelters. Some charities say that donors are "more judgmental about helping the poor." A Feb. 15 letter to the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer from STOP cited a report that "from June 1996 to June 1997, Cuyahoga County created 11,760 jobs, while 16,639 people were cut from the food stamp program." Shirley McClain, director of the N.C. Hunger Network, charged, "The Governor, of course, is not doing anything to find out what is happening to those people leaving welfare and he doesn't want to know." When the end of welfare as we know it was first trumpeted, the public was assured that private-sector job creation and charitable giving would prevent welfare reform from being what it is: conscription into the reserve army of the unemployed. But a year after the first massive cuts, the damage reports are slowly coming in. The welfare rights hotlines, the upcoming marches and the Congressional hearings are an excellent chance for people to speak out. Meantime, local Living Wage coalitions are growing and expanding, responding to the plight of welfare recipients forced into competition for scarce living wage jobs. Living wage ordinances Ð requiring a minimum hourly wage of $7 to $9 for non-union city sub-contracted workers Ð have been won in Boston, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Milwaukee. As part of a multi-faceted effort to reinvigorate the labor movement, the AFL-CIO is working with community organizations such as ACORN and the New Party to launch campaigns in a dozen more cities. The Detroit Metro AFL-CIO has just announced a campaign that goes beyond city contract workers. It will force businesses that receive public assistance in the form of tax breaks to pay wages over and above the poverty level. Its aim is to make Michigan a Living Wage state. According to the most recent state survey, a family of four needs $17,363 to make ends meet. A worker would have to earn $8.35 an hour (compared to the current $5.15 minimum) just for basic necessities, not including health care. And in New York City, the largest AFSCME district council has proposed that City Council amend the living wage bill it enacted last year to include basic health care benefits. Clearly, the recent successes in the fight for living wages are raising new demands, new victories and more unity in the people's movement.

Zach Robinson chairs the CofC's Living Wage Committee.

Larry Farrar of Durham, N.C., worked as a Teamster until he was "downsized" out of his job several years ago. He got a job in an auto plant but was downsized again. He now works as a housekeeper at the University of North Carolina earning $8 an hour, half his wage as an autoworker. "This is not a living wage," Farrar told a meeting of nearly 50 people organized by the Southern Regional CofC in Charleston, S.C., in mid-December. A Vietnam veteran, Farrar was wounded twice in combat. "I was told to fight for freedom in Southeast Asia and to fight communism - but I don't have the freedom in the U.S. to make a living wage," he said. "I do know that I can't give up. The day may come when I give out, but I won't give up. It's time to go back to the streets - marches, sit-ins, sleep-ins. That's the only way we are going to get our rights." This was the tone that opened the meeting and continued through two days of a crowded agenda. Organized by CofC leaders from the Carolinas, the regional conference was the fifth held in the South since 1992. Two vans brought participants from several areas of North Carolina, and there was a substantial turnout from the Charleston area. Appropriately, the meeting was held in the renovated cigar factory made famous by the 1940s struggle for unionization by low-paid Black and white workers. The civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" originated in that struggle. Most of the attendees at the regional meeting were activists in union organizing drives, members of unions, including UE Local 150, the North Carolina Public Service Workers' Union, and of organizations including the North Carolina Hunger Network, Carolina Alliance for Fair Employment, Bread for the World, Women of Color, Black Workers for Justice, NAACP, and AFL-CIO central labor councils. CofC Co-chair Charlene Mitchell presented the organization's campaign for a national living wage. She described jobs legislation introduced in Congress by Reps. Ron Dellums and Matthew Martinez, and the many local campaigns around the country for city ordinances covering subcontracted workers that deserve support. Mitchell referred to Dellums recent announcement that he plans to resign from Congress next year, in which he expressed deep frustration over progressives' failure to bring pressure to bear on lawmakers and asked, 'Where is the movement in this country?' The CofC wants to help build the movement that is so badly needed," Mitchell said. Jackie Abram responded. "How can we organize a protest on Congress in support of these bills?" she asked. "How do we organize Black and white together - because the problems are affecting all workers?" "People are tired of not having food on their table," Abram said. "If there was a million man march and a million woman march, why not a million poor people march?" The meeting then focused discussion on "why are there 40 million poor people in the United States?" - the question posed in a memorable speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Shirley McClain, a member of the N.C. CofC steering committee, heads the North Carolina Hunger Network. She pointed to the global dimensions of poverty, and noted that an estimated 1 billion people are living in poverty today, three-fourths of them women and children. "Profit rates are higher than ever," McClain said, "but people are not making enough money to buy basic necessities. Who is doing this to you?" Several people responded, with moving descriptions of their own lives. Linda Meekins, a North Carolinian, said she has a college degree but has only been able to find a job as a substitute teacher. "Having a college degree doesn't mean a good job. I see children coming to school hungry every day. I want to know, who's got the money?" Sandra Colon, also from North Carolina, is her family's sole breadwinner. She is raising three children. In June, her benefits will run out. "It seems that it is the survival of the fittest," she said. "There is so much competition for low-wage jobs, and it seems that you get paid according to your race." As she sees it, the economy is good for the rich, but not for the poor. Grace Wright said she is only one paycheck away from poverty. She works for a community-based organization that serves poor people but the funds have been cut. "People feel ashamed because they don't have anything. The Wall Street Journal says the economy is great - people need to speak up and tell the truth." Sharon King left college to raise a family and is now the sole provider and nurturer for her children. She said she can't afford Air Jordan shoes and shops at thrift stores. She earned a license to work in nursing homes but cannot raise her family on the $6 an hour wage it offers. At her current job, her boss tells her that she is getting less than her white co-workers and if she doesn't like it, she can leave. With the date fast approaching for a second round of cuts to welfare and food stamps, the meeting discussed plans for another march. "We need to make some people feel uncomfortable," said McClain. "We need to march on the state legislative offices and governor' office. Thus far, there has not been much protest organized." "Speaking truth to power," said Charleston CofC member Jim Campbell. "That's what strategies have to do." Small group discussion on strategies followed in the afternoon session, with workshops on Southern labor struggles, welfare rights, and affirmative action. Reports were made by group leaders at the end of the day. The second day's agenda focused discussion on "Socialists in the struggle for democracy: the role of the Committees of Correspondence." Will Jones, a CofC member from North Carolina, described some of the Black-white coalitions in the South, dating from the 1890s in the fight against Jim Crow reaction, and how the former slaveholding class used racist violence to defeat Reconstruction and win back political power. Zach Robinson, also from North Carolina, described the CofC's role in bringing people together based on common problems, and in linking street heat with radical legislative and electoral initiatives. Together, CofC members help each other develop into better grass roots organizers. Robinson stressed the potential for success in a broad-based struggle for radical reforms like Living Wage legislation. But he also noted that the problems people face are deeply rooted in the system of capitalism, and can only be solved with socialism. Charlene Mitchell drew on the experience of South Africa and the fight against apartheid to further illustrate the point. She spoke about the role of the South African Communist Party in bringing together Black and white to fight against apartheid. But Mitchell pointed out that, as important as the victory over apartheid was, it did not solve the problems of South Africa. The unemployment rate among Black people is 50 percent. The same people who profited from apartheid continue to hold the power, she said. For most participants at the meeting, it was their first discussion of the idea of joining a socialist organization. There was an awkward silence. Then McClain told why she had joined the CofC, and her experience of the divisive impact of anti-communism. As head of the Anti-Hunger Network, McClain was invited to speak at last year's CofC southern regional meeting, where a March 1 protest against hunger was first planned. A coalition was formed, bringing together organizations that combat hunger and fight for children's needs. After the leaflet for the march was published, she said, the phone rang off the hook in her office, with calls from people who wanted their names taken off the list. "That showed me something," McClain said. ÒHow could these people remove their names from a list opposing hunger? "Who could I depend on? Not the Democratic Governor! The CofC people held the same ideas as me. They had the passion and energy to work hard to organize the march. At the same time I became more disgruntled with all the established parties and organizations." McClain said she is still being warned against associating with the CofC. "But I will stand with people who are standing against hunger and poverty. I see the CofC growing if the organization is in the hands of the people we are talking about. Right now it is not - that's the challenge." The meeting then reached an emotional peak as people described the importance the weekend's meeting held for them. Sandra Randolph talked about how she was unable to find a job for eight years after graduating from college. "There is injustice - there always has been," she said. "I don't fear not having a job; I fear the injustice that nobody is doing anything about." Steve Matthew from Charleston said he has been involved in the trade union movement for 34 years. "I have been very impressed by the meeting," he said. "I left church early to be here because of the warmth and integrity in this room." The meeting ended with the singing of "We Shall Overcome" and a commitment to convene the next southern regional meeting, at the same time next year, in Atlanta.

Carrie Scoville, a CofC member from Ohio, and her roommate, Kim Barker, attended the CNN town meeting and wrote this brief report for the Corresponder.

From the balconies, far away from the handpicked CNN lackeys, the true voice of Columbus residents was heard. Upon entering the arena, the crowd of 6,000 was already in an uproar over U.S. policy in Iraq and demonstrators were taking to task Defense Secretary William Cohen, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Advisor Sandy Berger. The staged event was meant to be a pep rally for planned attacks on Iraq over its refusal to conform to U.N. resolutions. The administration thought Columbus would be an ideal site, since it is considered consumer friendly (i.e., a test market city) and mostly apolitical. But obviously that was not the case on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The Columbus town meeting was a centerpiece of the administration's efforts to sell its planned attacks to the U.S. public, and the large hall's SRO attendance was meant to show a groundswell of support for the policy. However, both the Clinton administration and CNN were rudely awakened by heartland sentiments. Scattered through St. John's Arena were the constant voices of protesters in several languages. Ohio State University has one of the most international student and professorial populations in the nation. Among the many groups in attendance were the Islamic Students Association (often shouting in Arabic), WILPF, Food Not Bombs, and a local organization, ARA (Anti-Racist Action). But a majority of the shouting came from concerned individuals. Most of the heckling and booing was a response to the speakers' indirect responses to direct questions, even though a majority of those questions had been pre-selected by CNN. Some of the points questioners raised were: the moral justification for a U.S. bombing of Iraq; inconsistency and hypocrisy in U.S. foreign policy, with respect to similar human rights violations in Indochina, Turkey, Israel, etc.; and lack of international support for any bombing raids. Contrary to published reports, there were more than just a few dozen vocal protesters in the audience. Still, many who attended silently doubted the administration but were waiting for Albright et al. to provide straight answers to serious inquiries. These answers were not forthcoming. By the end of the 90-minute live international broadcast the Columbus crowd had succeeded in casting public doubt on U.S. policy against Iraq. Although some were initially embarrassed by the spectacle, the overall message the town meeting sent was that the American people will not quietly accept this policy.

A trust fund has been established to support the children of activists Terry Squillacote and Kurt Stand, who were arrested on Oct. 4 and charged with attempted espionage. Bail was denied and a long delay is likely before the government tries to prove its charges. Indictments were not handed down until Feb. 17, just days before this issue went to press. (A CofC statement on the case was in the last issue of the Corresponder.) Stand and Squillacote have a long history of involvement in community issues and on behalf of labor, civil rights, feminism, and the disenfranchised generally. Friends and fellow activists are trying to ease the burden on their children, aged 12 and 14, one of whom has special needs resulting from a childhood illness. One way to help is to contribute to a trust fund for the children that will maintain the household and keep them living in their own home, so that they can have the stability and comfort of attending familiar schools and being in contact with their friends and neighbors. The expenses this trust fund will meet include housing costs, health insurance, clothes, recreation and educational expenses, including special ed tutoring. It will be administered by a friend and neighbor with no connection to the case. The money cannot be used for anything other than the welfare of children and will be protected from any other creditors. It is not a defense fund, although plans for such a fund are being made. There are two ways to contribute Ð by making a donation to help pay bills accumulated since the beginning of October, or by pledging a monthly amount between now and the end of June (the end of the school year). Contributions (which are not tax-deductible) may be mailed to: Stand Children's Trust, c/o NLRB Credit Union, 1099 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20570. Contributions sent directly to the credit union will remain anonymous. A telephone number has been set up to receive inquiries on the case or the trust fund - (202) 829-6167. Letters may be sent to Kurt or Terry (but not both together) in care of: Alexandria City Detention Center, 2001 Mill Road, Alexandria, VA 22314.