League of Revolutionaries for a New America
Encyclopedia
The League of Revolutionaries for a New America (LRNA) is an organization of revolutionaries in the United States
formed with the stated goal of "educating revolutionaries and winning them over to a cooperative communist resolution to the problems faced in the economy and society." (Program of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America) The League was founded in 1993. Its roots go back into the communist movements of the early 20th century. Nelson Peery
, who was instrumental in its founding, had been a member of the Communist Party USA
but left the Party in 1958. He was part of a Provisional Organizing Committee to Reconstitute a Marxist Leninist Party (POC), which felt the Communist Party USA was supporting revisionism in the Soviet Union
.
The activists around Nelson Peery formed the California Communist League in 1968 and shortly began publishing its newspaper "The Peoples Tribune." The organization attracted some activists involved in the Chicano Moritorium and expanded its press to include the "Tribuno del Pueblo." Max Elbaum's "Revolution In the Air" states the following on page 103: "The POC quickly went through a series of damaging splits and by the mid-1960s had lost most of its initial few hundred members. Peery, a charismatic African American who had stuck with the group through many twists and turns and had succeeded in building a small base in South Central Los Angeles, was expelled in 1967. A year later he led formation of the CCL."
With expansion to other cities, the CCL changed its name to the Communist League. According to the book "Detroit, I Do Mind Dying" by Dan Georgakas and Marvin Surkin, the split within the Detroit based League of Revolutionary Black Workers became public on June 12, 1971. "By the first of the year, those who remained in the League were making plans to affiliate what was left of the organization with a group called the Communist League. The League of Revolutionary Black Workers
had become history." (page 164).
With the merging of the Communist League and a section of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, the Communist League acquired a large grouping of black industrial workers familiar with the writings of Karl Marx
, Vladimir Lenin
and Mao Zedong
. Elbaum speculates that the Communist League may have had more blacks
, Chicano
s and women in its leadership than perhaps any communist group in American history. (page 103)
In Detroit the Communist League formed a working relationship with the Motor City Labor League (MCLL), which had also experienced a political split similar to the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, with one section combining with the Communist League in launching itself nationally as the Communist Labor Party in 1974. Interestingly, one section of the MCLL merged with the Communist League and another sector merged with the grouping split from the old League of Revolutionary Black Workers (LRBW). The former included activists like the anti-war veteran Frank Joyce, while the latter included Shelia Murphy who would later win numerous elections as Councilperson in Detroit and marry Kenneth Cockrel, a leader of the faction within the LRBW that did not join the Communist League.
The Communist League and then the Communist Labor Party viewed its distinguishing political and theoretical feature as its presentation of what it called "The Negro National Colonial Question," by Nelson Peery, first edition published by the Communist League, 1972. The organization has emphasized the study of history and philosophy as a guide to strategy throughout its history. In recent years, this study has led to the articulation of the process of formation of a new class of dispossessed in society created by the transition from industrial production to electronics.
The organization continued to focus on theoretical and ideological development of its cadre into the mid-1980s and urged its members to be active in the struggles of the poor and workers organizations. In 1976 and again in 1978 the Communist Labor Party conducted "Vote Communist" campaigns running General Baker Jr. for State Representative in the Michigan House and also a campaign for a candidate for City Council in San Francisco, California.
With the political and economic changes of the 1980s, the Communist Labor Party disbanded its party form, organized the National Organizing Committee (NOC), and refounded as the League of Revolutionaries for a New American (LRNA) in 1993.
Now based in Chicago
, their official press is "Rally, Comrades!." The People's Tribune and Tribuno del Pueblo, now in their fortieth year of publication, were separated from the League in 2005 and are now papers open to the mass movement.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
formed with the stated goal of "educating revolutionaries and winning them over to a cooperative communist resolution to the problems faced in the economy and society." (Program of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America) The League was founded in 1993. Its roots go back into the communist movements of the early 20th century. Nelson Peery
Nelson Peery
Nelson Peery is an American political activist and author. Peery spent over 60 years in the revolutionary movement, and has been active in the Communist Party USA , the Provisional Organizing Committee to Reconstitute the Marxist-Leninist Party , the Communist League , the Communist Labor Party ,...
, who was instrumental in its founding, had been a member of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
but left the Party in 1958. He was part of a Provisional Organizing Committee to Reconstitute a Marxist Leninist Party (POC), which felt the Communist Party USA was supporting revisionism in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
The activists around Nelson Peery formed the California Communist League in 1968 and shortly began publishing its newspaper "The Peoples Tribune." The organization attracted some activists involved in the Chicano Moritorium and expanded its press to include the "Tribuno del Pueblo." Max Elbaum's "Revolution In the Air" states the following on page 103: "The POC quickly went through a series of damaging splits and by the mid-1960s had lost most of its initial few hundred members. Peery, a charismatic African American who had stuck with the group through many twists and turns and had succeeded in building a small base in South Central Los Angeles, was expelled in 1967. A year later he led formation of the CCL."
With expansion to other cities, the CCL changed its name to the Communist League. According to the book "Detroit, I Do Mind Dying" by Dan Georgakas and Marvin Surkin, the split within the Detroit based League of Revolutionary Black Workers became public on June 12, 1971. "By the first of the year, those who remained in the League were making plans to affiliate what was left of the organization with a group called the Communist League. The League of Revolutionary Black Workers
League of Revolutionary Black Workers
The League of Revolutionary Black Workers formed in 1969 in Detroit, Michigan. The League united a number of different Revolutionary Union Movements that were growing rapidly across the auto industry and other industrial sectors—industries in which Black workers were concentrated in Detroit in...
had become history." (page 164).
With the merging of the Communist League and a section of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, the Communist League acquired a large grouping of black industrial workers familiar with the writings of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
and Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. Elbaum speculates that the Communist League may have had more blacks
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
s and women in its leadership than perhaps any communist group in American history. (page 103)
In Detroit the Communist League formed a working relationship with the Motor City Labor League (MCLL), which had also experienced a political split similar to the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, with one section combining with the Communist League in launching itself nationally as the Communist Labor Party in 1974. Interestingly, one section of the MCLL merged with the Communist League and another sector merged with the grouping split from the old League of Revolutionary Black Workers (LRBW). The former included activists like the anti-war veteran Frank Joyce, while the latter included Shelia Murphy who would later win numerous elections as Councilperson in Detroit and marry Kenneth Cockrel, a leader of the faction within the LRBW that did not join the Communist League.
The Communist League and then the Communist Labor Party viewed its distinguishing political and theoretical feature as its presentation of what it called "The Negro National Colonial Question," by Nelson Peery, first edition published by the Communist League, 1972. The organization has emphasized the study of history and philosophy as a guide to strategy throughout its history. In recent years, this study has led to the articulation of the process of formation of a new class of dispossessed in society created by the transition from industrial production to electronics.
The organization continued to focus on theoretical and ideological development of its cadre into the mid-1980s and urged its members to be active in the struggles of the poor and workers organizations. In 1976 and again in 1978 the Communist Labor Party conducted "Vote Communist" campaigns running General Baker Jr. for State Representative in the Michigan House and also a campaign for a candidate for City Council in San Francisco, California.
With the political and economic changes of the 1980s, the Communist Labor Party disbanded its party form, organized the National Organizing Committee (NOC), and refounded as the League of Revolutionaries for a New American (LRNA) in 1993.
Now based in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, their official press is "Rally, Comrades!." The People's Tribune and Tribuno del Pueblo, now in their fortieth year of publication, were separated from the League in 2005 and are now papers open to the mass movement.
Further reading
- Communist Labor Party. Documents, first (founding) congress of the Communist Labor Party of the United States of North America, September, 1974. Workers Press, Chicago. 1975.
- Communist Labor Party. Documents Second Party Congress of the Communist Labor Party of the United States of North America, November, 1975. Workers Press, Chicago. 1975.
- Communist Labor Party . The road to socialism: Documents, Third Party Congress, Communist Labor Party, November 1980. Workers Press, Chicago. 1980.
- Communist Labor Party of the United States of North America. Leaders Unite! a study guide for new members. Workers Press, Chicago. 1987
- Keller, Jim. A veteran Communist speaks. With a preface by the Political Bureau of the Communist Labor Party of the United States of North America. Workers Press, Chicago. 1975.
External links
- League of Revolutionaries for a New America
- Rally Comrades! The Voice of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America
- Communist Labor Party, 1975‑1980 portion of Detroit Revolutionary Movements Collection at the Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs at Wayne State UniversityWayne State UniversityWayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. - People's Tribune