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Towards an Independent Progressive Party
By Ron Daniels November 16-19, 1995 Campaign for a New Tomorrow will hold the Founding Convention for the Independent Progressive Party in Philadelphia, taking a decisive step to solidify the building of a independent party. Coming off the disappointment of the demobilization of the Rainbow Coalition after the 1988 Jackson campaign I pledged to work with progressive activists to build a mass based, democratic, Black and people of color led independent organization/party as an outgrowth of the 1992 Daniels for President Campaign.
The immediate outcome of that pledge was the creation of Campaign for a New Tomorrow, a Black and people of color led pre-party formation. Over the past three years this modest initiative has worked to establish chapters in New York city, Washington DC, and Pittsburgh. With meager resources, the organizational development process has been uneven but some impressive work has been done in all three cities. Pittsburgh has emerged as the strongest and most consistent chapter in terms of ongoing political work. In the last six months groups of people in Albany New York, Trenton and Camden New Jersey, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, Atlanta and Cleveland Ohio have shown an interest in developing local organizing committees.
The rise to hegemony of the radical right with the racist Gingrich-Dole Contract on America demands the creation of a visionary alternative to the Republicans and the Democrats. The look-alike proposals offered by the Democrats make it quite clear that the two establishment parties represent the far right and the center right. The liberal-left-progressive forces are largely irrelevant in this political equation. In reality no "major" political party currently represents the interests of people of color, women, lesbian and gays, and poor and working people.
In the midst of this crisis the challenge is to build political parties which can articulate the vision of a new tomorrow and mobilize constituencies to act on that vision. There a are range of independent political parties in various stages of formation -- the Green Party, New Party, Labor Party Advocates, and various state and local parties like the Peace and Freedom Party in California and the Umoja Party in Washington, DC. Why then another independent political party?
It is my contention that Africans in America and other people of color -- Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and other minorities of color -- must constitute the foundation of any new political party movement which aspires to successfully contend for power in the U.S. Given the history of racism, ethnic and cultural chauvinism, and paternalism in this country, there is an understandable reluctance by people of color to enter into coalitions or parties controlled by Whites. People of color often fear, with some justification, that their interests and issues may be downplayed or sacrificed in the quest to build broader "working class unity." It is probably for this reason that polling data indicate that more than 60 percent of African Americans prefer a "Black led" independent political party.
I also believe that there is an urgent need to build a broad based multi-racial coalition to advance the politics of social transformation and the fight for a new society. We really must struggle to "unite the many to defeat the few." It is not possible for people of color to carry the struggle for social transformation without the substantial participation of progressive Whites and White poor and working people. This is why the Rainbow Coalition, under the leadership of Rev. Jesse Jackson, was so significant. It is precisely because the Rainbow Coalition grew out of the Civil Rights Movement and reached out to other people of color, White progressives, and White poor and working people that it had such great promise.
In some respects the CNT/IPP initiative is an attempt to build a Rainbow-type formation with an explicit understanding of the principles that many people of color feel are required to guide the evolution and development of a multi-racial political party. A multi-racial party must be forged around principles and processes which ensure the centrality of the interests, issues and agendas of people of color within the party. One issue that is central to the fight for social transformation is the struggle against racism. Historically racism has been used to confuse, divide, and exploit poor and working people. Currently, racism is the critical subtext driving the Contract on America and the agenda of the radical right.
Finally, people of color must be substantially but not exclusively in the leadership of the party. The Gary Declaration from the historic 1972 National Black Political Convention put it this way: "Black politics...must accept major responsibility for creating both the atmosphere and program for fundamental, far ranging change in America. Such responsibility is ours because it is our people who are most deeply hurt and ravished by the present systems of society." The most oppressed sectors of the working class must take the lead. As a Black and people of color led multi-racial formation, the Independent Progressive Party will continue to seek operational unity with other independent political parties and independent political movements. Hence, IPP will be actively involved in continuations/follow-up to the highly successful National Independent Politics Summit which was recently held in Pittsburgh (the Green Party was present along with CNT, but the New Party and Labor Party Advocates were noticeable absent). Hopefully, in the near future the various independent, third party initiatives will be able to come together to form one formidable political party. A goal of IPP is to make certain that when that day arrives there will be a strong Black and people of color led multi-racial party at the table to negotiate the union from a position of strength.
The Founding Convention of IPP is being timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the Founding Convention of the National Black Independent Political Party (NBIPP) held in Philadelphia in 1980. The goals of the Founding Convention are as follows: Refine and adapt the Statement of Purpose and Principles of Unity of CNT to the mission of IPP; Ratify the declaration of the party, adopt a structure of governance and elect party officers; Assess the current political situation and adopt a minimum program for this period. From an organizational development perspective the goal of the Founding Convention is to consolidate the work begun by CNT in the northeast region of the country and to stimulate the formation of Local Organizing Committees throughout the country.
The Convention will begin on Thursday evening November 16 with a Town Hall Forum on The Rise of the Radical Right: Challenges Confronting the Progressive Movement. Friday’s schedule will include an open hearing on the proposed Statement of Purpose, Principles of Unity and Structure of IPP, a plenary session on The Lessons of the NBIPP Experience and a plenary session entitled, Along the Color Line: The Centrality of the Struggle Against Racism. Saturday’s schedule will include: organizational development workshops, issue workshops, a business session to ratify party documents and elect officers and an evening cultural-political event. The Founding Convention will conclude on Sunday. Manning Marable, Julienne Malveaux, Michael Albert, Delores Huerta, Winona LaDuke, Adjoa Aiyetoro, Sonia Sanchez, Joan Watson, Michael Ratner, Richie Perez, Marta Vega, Joann Watson, Ann Wilson, Kevin Alexander Gray, Gwen Patton and Michael Simmons are among those who are being invited to participate in the Founding Conference in addition to leaders of the NBIPP movement and leaders of CNT.
Ralph Featherstone, a militant organizer for SNCC once said, "to be revolutionary is to know what time it is in history and do something about that." It is clear that the time to build a Black and people of color led, multi-racial political party is here. With the declaration and organization of the Independent Progressive Party, we intend to "do something about that." All progressives of good will are invited and encouraged to join in this historic endeavor.
For further information about the convention call 410-521-9265.
http://www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/oct95daniel.htm
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