Rebuild the Movement for Black Power!

              Rehuud     ike,   Movement
■for   B/aclc Power
Now that 1980 has begun, the majority of Blacks and other poor and working
class people find themselves in an increasing struggle to keep their heads above
water in the face of the growing economic crisis. Because Blacks as a group are
forces to the bottom of the economic and political ladder by the highest unemployment rates, and the lowest wages, and general exclusion from the political
process, we have been the first to feel the effects of the developing crisis.
A larger and larger portion of our small incomes have to go into providing food,
clothes, and shelter for our families. More and more Blacks are being forced
into desperate situations, causing an even greater need for social services
programs.
But, many of those programs, fought for and won from the local, state, and
national government during the 60's will not be avilable in the 80's. As the
government is forced to increase the production of more bombs and bullets, and
bail out bankrupt giant corporations like Chrysler and cities like New York,
they will have to use money that once went to finance social services programs.
THE MAIN REASON THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RICH CAN FORCE THE BURDEN OF THEIR CRISIS
ON OUR BACK IS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ORGANIZED TO FIGHT BACK. They know that they"
are pushing us up against the wall, and that as the situation gets worse, we
will come out fighting because we will have no choice. This is why they are now
promoting groups like the Klan and Nazis, terrorist groups whose objective is to
scare us into not fighting and taking up the struggle for freedom, justice, and
equality.
Today, however, there is no big struggle in opposition to these attacks.
During the 70's our movement was essentially put on hold, as many of our leaders
were either bought off, killed off, or jailed and the communities were pacified
with numerous poverty programs. We have to rebuild that movement, and as we do,
new leaders will come forth out of those struggles. We will develop new leaders *•/>
who are concerned and capable of uniting with the anger, hate, and frustration
of the masses. Leaders who are willing to listen to and learn from the masses
of people, and together with them wage the struggle to address the burning
issues we all face.
Millions of people are angry and frustrated by the conditions we are faced
with. Thousands are now willing to take up the struggle, but for those thousands
the question is how do we build the kind of mass movement we had in the 60's where
millions of people in hundreds of cities, small towns and rural communities
were brought into motion to change society. The key to developing such a national
movement is to unite with and help to build the struggles the people are willing
to take up. Struggle around rats, roaches, rent, education, drugs, strikes,
sanitation, the real day to day problems that people face and are mad about,and
in the process we have to get organized. We need organizations whose main orientation is that the needs of the people must be fought for and that no problem is
too small to deal with.
It is only through taking up the struggle in this way that a movement of the
masses will be built. The movement of the 60's grew and developed precisely
because it was addressing the heartfelt aspiration of the majority of our people
for freedom, justice, and equality. It took up the issues of segregation, housing,
the right to vote, and it captured and unleashed the iniative of Black people.
From sit-ins, to marches, to burning of cities, the masses found ways to hit at
the enemy, and let their anger be shown and felt.