The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-09
HUISWOOD GIVES
PARTY REPORT
ION NEGRO WORK
Discussion on Reports;
Greetings Received

these Negro comraGas.
Our failure to build Party frac-
tions in the ANLC had as a re-
suit The general decentralization of
the locals and the action of some
Of the comrades in leading posi-
tons in the locals were undisci-
plined and uncontrolled because
of this. This also had as result
the fact that the organization be-
came merely propaganda sect
rather than a movement of action.
One other weakness which must
be pointed out as due to this con-
dition was the fact thst very few
members of the ANLC were drawn
into the Party.
First Program.
Last April (I92S) our Party
for the first time drew up pro-
gram on Negro work that came
nearest to fitting the situation.
Since then, with the aid and cri-
ticism of the Comintern, we have
orientated ourselves more and
more to work among the Negro
masses and have begun to take
this task seriously. The political
campaign of 1928 presented a very
favorable opportunity to carry
the program of the Party to the
Negro masses on a national scale.
A very intensive campaign was
carried on, particularly in the
larger cities, and for the first
time Negro workers, in many sec
tons of the country, appeared as
candidates on the Communist
platform, the platform of class
struggle.
The Importance of this CAM
paign can only be properly evalu-
ated when we take into consider
alton the fact that never before
did a working class party appear
openly and boldly as the cham
pion of the Negro masses in its
fight for full social equality and
against lynching, segregation and
all the various forms of abuse
and exploitation suffered by the
Negro masses. Never before did
a; working class party so effec-
lively challenge the ruling class
and its political parties and its
aggression, exploitation and de-
gradation of the Negro masses.
Not only in the North, but also
in the South-the hotbed of re-
action and race prejudice--was
our. propaganda reflective. in the
land of the lynching. bee, I'VE de-
nounced lynching. The many
frsngs We held, the-thousands of
leaflets distributed, the special
Election issue of The Champion,
and ithe very effective publicity
Eained. thru the Crusader News
Service, brought our propaganda
70 thousands of Negro workers
&ho are under the influence of
fhe bourgeoisie, white and black.
fAnd the response on the part of
the Negro workers and the in
dreasf of our membership during
fhis period, indicate the possible
gity of drawing in large numbers
snto the Party with systematic
work; (The establishment of one
or two units in the South with
white and Negro members in the
same unit, is in itself an achieve
lnent.)
Our main shortcoming in this
respect is organizational. We did
not retain all those who Joined,
nor did we follow up sufficiently
all the contacts made. Unless
definite organizational steps are
taken to keep those newcomers in
the Party and to bring back good
elements which have drifted out,
our work will have been of little
value.
trade Union Work.
The trade union work among the
Negro workers is the weakest
spot in our work. Not the slight
est attempt has been made to
launch a campaign for the organ
ization of the hundreds of thou
sands of unorganized black work.
ers. Not only do 1 take into con-
sideration here the question of
building new unions among the
Negro workers, but also the mat
ter of campaign against the
discrimination practiced in most
unions against the Negroes and
the absolute refusal Of many
unions to admit colored workers.
In this respect, the Trade Union
Educational League (TUEL) has
entirely neglected its duty. Not
even a plan for this most impor-
tant activity has been worked out.
The TUEL has reiterated before
the anti-Negro policy of the labor
bureaucracy of the A. F. of l..
In spite Of the pledges made by
the delegation at the Fourth Con-
gress of the RILU and the pro-
gram adopted, they have signally
failed to launch any campaign to
force these unions to let down
the. color bar and admit Negro
workers. Also no attempt was
made to include Negro trade
unionists in the trade union dele
cation to the Soviet Union.
A small beginning is being
made with the attempt to organ