Black Radical Congress and "the Left"

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

At 11:29 AM 6/21/98 -0700, Michael Eisenscher wrote:
>The U.S. Left has a decidedly less than sterling record when it comes to
>multi-racial organizations that fully recognize and accept leadership of
>African Americans and other oppressed national and racial groups by those of
>European descent.  Some have done better than others, but as a movement, we
>have far to go.  That the Black Radical Congress may be an initiative that
>moves the Left a giant step down the road toward greater unity of action, if
>not of theoretical agreement, is a monumental contribution. 

I reply (WS):  Saying "we are primarily targeting white radicals, but
non-whites may also join if they wish" may indeed be less than a steriling
record of radical organizing.  Saying "we are targeting black radicals,
non-blacks please keep out" is not even 'less than sterling" - it is the
testimony to the sorry state of what passes for 'radicalism' nowadays - the
reactionary defence of entrenched identities.

That, BTW, reminds me about the Rutgers President Lawrence making racist
comments a few years ago.  This sparked a massive protest action whose
momentum has been utterly lost as soon as Black activists told the whites
"it's a black issue, please stay out of it."  Not only did Lawrence survive

 (even though the NJ Governor Whitman intially refused to defend him), but
nothing was gained in terms of programs aimed at minorities at Rutgers.
Yet another example of id politics serving as a career spingboard for the
leaders while leaving everyone else behind.

Regards,

Wojtek