The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-05-18
SMASH THE UGLY HEAD OF
WHITE CHAUJVINISM

signs calling for the freedom Of the Scottsboro
boys, but prohibited all signs calling for the
release Of Willie Brown
A more energetic fight for the freedom Of
Willie Brown would sharpen the class struggle
In Philadelphia, and those who refuse to carry
on this fight are not only helping the police to
send Brown to the electric chair, but are gener-
ally deserving the struggle of the working people
against frame-ups and race oppression.
When such comrades were criticized in this
light they strongly resented 1t and pointed to
their activities for Negro rights in connection
with Scottsboro, Orphan Jones, etc. However,
these comrades forget the fact that the strug-
gle for the freedom for Willie Brown Is under
mining and conflicting with the very founda-
ton Of the capitalist class rule here in this city
The fight for the freedom Of Willie Brown is
the real test for one to show his revolutionary
courage In face Of all these difficulties and to
expose this frame-up and convince these white
workers, Still influenced by capitalist theology,
of this
Therefore, when in some Of the Jewish work.
erS organizations in Philadelphia there are opin-
ions that Willie Brown Is murderer and we
should not fight for his release; when in the
italian branch of the LID, the Party fraction
fights against the Party policy Of defending
Willie Brown, this shows not only a betrayal
Of the class struggle by people who call them
selves revolutionaries and Communists, but It
also shows the existence Of white chauviniSm in
our ranks and how successful the capitalist class
is in corrupting the labor movement with its
capitalist theology.
White ChauyiniSm Is Deep Rooted
The case Of Willie Brown brorgnt out the
white chaNVinism existing in our movement in
It's ugliest form But II Is not only limited TO
this case. It exists in all spheres OF Party life
For example:
The Children's Schools Of the international
Workers Order These schools aim to give Jew
ish workers children working class ideo,,gy
ibis is done on the basis # acquainting these
WRITERS ctilce en- with all thu struggles CT the
workers. After a period of five years existence
Of the5e schools, after all the struggles we have
gone through the last few years. after the Scots
boro case the Orphan Jones case. and the viii
lie Brown case, in the yearly magazine of these
schools which evaluates the work of these
schools as well as the problems of the workers
and their children, there Is not word said
about race oppression and the word NEGRO is
not even mentioned WHY? Some try to eX-
plain this away as mere technical oversight
printers mistake. Others want to place the
blame upon individuals But NO! 1t arises
from the capitalist theology with which the rul-
ing class wants to corrupt the workers move
ment. When white chauvinism is thoroughly
exposed, it will expose with it, whole chain of
corrupt bourgeois practices that exists in our
ranks.
Other Concrete Case
Here is another case: Section 10 of the Com
murist Party in Philadelphia called a Willie
| Brown defense meeting in the headquarters of
the Russian Workers Club. AS the crowd began
to gather, two Negro workers came in. When
the police asked one of the house committee of
the Russian Club If they want the Negroes pre-
sent, he said, mo" and the Negroes were elected
without the Party member who was present and
the other workers who sympathize with the
Party, even coming to the defense of these Ne
! gro works..
third case: In one Party unit In Phila-
delphia, with number of Negro workers in it,
the attendance Of the Negro comrades began
to decline Some white comrades Immediately
developed the idea that Negro workers are not
sincere as Communists that they are lazy and
will not come to meetings In rainy weather"
This is a grave insult to our Party in which we
have excellent and most courageous Negro COM
rades fighting for the Party and its program
day in and day out. This in itself is the most
brazen act Of white chauvinism, because after
some investigation 1t was found that the reason
why some OF the Negro comrades do not attend
unit meetings is because the landlord of the
| Party headquarters insulted them and they did
not feel like coming. The white comrades fall
ing to see that and fight against it, actually
protected the white chauvinist landlord. And
the Negro comrades not seeing the white COM
rades to be much concerned with this, and to
| protest this race discrimination began to lose
| interest in the Party.
Many more examples can be brought to Illus
trate the existence of white chauvnsm But
what are we going to do about it? So far we
really did not fight white chauvinism. 1t is our
duty to begin to fight it now HOWP Not
through mere admission of sins and by lip
service, but through struggle for Negro rights
NOT ONLY IN SCOTTSBORO BUT ALSO IN
PHILADELPHIA. This struggle for Negro rights
In Philadelphia Is mainly the fight FOR THE
FREEDOM OF WILLIE BROWN.