CHICAGO, February 20—A Progressive Labor Party study group about sexism led to a mass anti-sexist action of supporting nursing home workers on strike. Both study and action affirmed the line that Black women leadership is key to communist revolution.
To create a fighting communist Party, theory needs to lead to practice, and that practice needs to influence future theory. Comrades and friends here have been holding a study group about the roots of sexism and the history of struggle against it. Our goal is to win more workers to the truth that capitalism has no solution for sexism and exploitation. Only mass international communist revolution can abolish the inequality that class society creates between women and men.
Anti-sexism study group
In the first study group, we focused on former Communist Party USA member Angela Davis. This proved to be a good decision; it gave some historical background on the struggle of the 1960s and 1970s. We analyzed how anti-capitalist messages and actions from radicals have over time been completely diluted as these same “militants” made more and more compromises with capitalism.
In the case of Angela Davis, study group participants noted how her speech at the last year’s Women’s March, Davis used the term “resistance” a dozen times, versus using the term “capitalism” only once. Angela Davis years ago accepted a position at University of California, Santa Cruz and Rutgers University and denounced herself from any commitment to communist politics and class consciousness. This one-time lefty demonstrated this when she endorsed Barack Obama for president. This was expected, as Davis had sold out to the liberal Democratic bosses long time ago.
We contrasted her methods of pandering to her liberal phony-left base with our own understanding that communists need to spread revolutionary ideas among the working class. Those ideas will clearly draw the connections between sexist ideology and inequality and the capitalist system’s need to divide workers everywhere for maximum profits.
Claudia Jones, Black women key
The bourgeoisie is fearful of the militancy of the [Black] woman, and for good reason. The capitalists know, far better than many progressives seem to know, that once Negro women begin to take action, the militancy of the whole [Black] people, and thus of the anti-imperialist coalition, is greatly enhanced. Viewed in this light, it is not accidental that the American bourgeoisie has intensified its oppression, not only of the [Black] people in general, but of [Black] women in particular.
—Claudia Jones
We also discussed Claudia Jones’ An End to the Neglect of the Problems of Negro Women (1949). This article detailed the super-exploitation of Black women, and called for more attention to be spent organizing them. Through the discussion we added Black and Latin immigrant women workers to the group of the most exploited in the U.S.
In this article Claudia Jones criticized the Communist Party USA for failing to understand and organize among Black women. She stated that in order for any revolution in the to occur, Black women must play a significant leadership role.
We discussed how our Party upholds this commitment and carries forward Jones’ analysis to this day in our emphasis in recruiting and taking leadership from Black and immigrant workers. Given their historical and current status as the most oppressed and exploited section of the international working class, their insights and hatred of capitalism is key to revolution. A movement without Black workers is a failed movement.
Theory leads to struggle
At the study group about Claudia Jones, comrades and friends were inspired to put the theory of organizing into practice. The very next day nursing home workers, 70 percent of whom were Black women, were going on a one-day strike against horrible work conditions (including stripping long-time workers of their seniority) and a fair contract. We chatted with workers and distributed CHALLENGE to strikers on the picket line. Our PLP contingent was made of almost entirely of people who had attended the anti-sexism study group. It was a freezing Chicago day, but we knew that staying home was not an option.
The workers may strike again soon if owner Israel Davis fails to cease his illegal labor practices and to bargain a fair contract.
Our second opportunity to put theory into practice came during this year’s Women’s March. This contingent too was primarily from the study group. We called out the Democratic Party for using sexism as a platform to build their ranks, and promoting the elections—not fightback—as a solution to sexist oppression. We were well received. Many workers, most of whom were women, took flyers and CHALLENGE. Our call to destroy capitalism with communist revolution was meet with applause.
Communists belong in the mass struggle
Sexism is a notorious tool used to divide and oppress working-class people. It is used by the bosses to exploit workers on all fronts—men, women, straight, gay, and transgender. And so, it must be fought on all fronts. Through practice we learn how to better fight it, and through theory we learn how to better understand it. Theory and practice are linked, and should never be separated. Understanding this helps us fight for the world workers deserve—a communist one. Join us in this fight.
