The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-06-08
By CYRIL BRIGGS
,ting Director, National Negro

department..
National Negro Week is over, but
the Party's Negro work has just be-
gun.
While full reports have not yet
been received from the districts as
to the measure of success achieved
in each district in the task of mob
liking the entire Party membership
for Negro work, the National Negro
department has sufficient data on
hand to permit of a careful analysis
of the results attained and of frank
oBlshevik self-criticism of the man.
ner in which our activities were car
ried out during National Negro
Week.
First, let us consider the Party's
purpose in having national Negro
week. The communications sent to
the District Negro Committees by
the National Negro Department be-
fore and during National Negro
Week stressed that "the period of
May 10 to May 20 shall be National
Negro Week, and shall be used for
the purpose of modifying the entire
membership behind the Negro work
of the Party, building the American
Negro Labor Congress the relief
committee, the Negro Champion, Or
ganizing tenants leagues, etc"
Dramatizing Struggle.
1t was also repeatedly pointed out
that National Negro Week must be
utilized for dramatizing the strug-
giles of the Negroes and for drama
tizing the support by the Commun-
ist Party of the struggle against
white ruling class terrorism, against
lynching, against Jim-Crowism,
against segregation, against disfran-
chisement, and for full political, So
cial and racial equality of the Ne
groes.
District Negro committees were
instructed to send mixed groups of
white and Negro workers to theatres,
restaurants and other public places
known to be practicing discrimina-
ton against the Negroes, and that
any refusal to sell tickets to, or serve
our Negro comrades, was to be uti-
lized for a mass demonstrate
against these places and against the
whole system of racial discrimina-
ton, with picketing of the offend
ling places by groups of white and
Negro workers.
In this way, it was pointed out,
the struggles of the Negro workers
would be dramatized and at the same
time we would also be dramatizine
the historic role of the Communist
Party in leading the struggles Of
the Negro masses against capitalist
oppression and exploitation, against
white ruling class terrorism, lynch
ing, disfranchisement, etc.
No Broad .Agitational Base.
From the data at present on hand
it would appear that the campaign
was practically barren of that broad
ogitational base sought by the Ma,
tional Office and for which direct
ives were sent to each district. Only
in Paterson District q did Ma
tional Negro Week achieve that agi
rational base. In other parts of Dis
trict 2, notably in Harlem (Sectior
A of District p several attempt!
were made to achieve this agita
tional base, but the first attempt.
proving unsuccessful in uncoverinf
racial discrimination (the place!
tested having evidently changed
their policies by reason of the grow
ing pressure of the Negro population
and the necessity of having to seel
the Negroes trade) the matter wal
dropped.
The Toussaint L'Ouverture Mem
rial Meetings, held in conjunction
nth the A. N. L. c., were generally
ably organized and poorly attended
these meetings offered a splendit
opportunity to bring Negro ant
white workers together and to &C.
quaint the Negro workers with theil
revolutionary background at thu