This past June, I was lucky enough to participate in what, I believe, will be looked upon in years to come as two historic events in the fight for jobs, education, equality and peace.
The first was, of course, the YCL's 6th National Convention in my home town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From there I had barely enough time to wash my socks before I was heading out to Chicago for the founding of the Black Radical Congress on June 19-21.
When I got to the Black Radical Congress it wasn't long before the first of my expectations was surpassed. One week prior to the event I had talked to one of the national coordinators of the Congress. He was projecting a crowd of 800 people for the weekend's activities. But when we convened for the opening plenary, people just kept coming in. And coming. And coming. And coming. By the close of registration more than 2,400 people had gathered to take part in the most significant event in the life of the African-American left in quite a while.
As the weekend began to unfold I couldn't help but feel like I was taking part in the making of history. I thought this is what it must have been like for W.E.B. DuBois at the founding of the Niagara Movement, or for William L. Patterson at the opening plenary of the National Negro Congress. I felt inspired to be surrounded by so many talented and passionate people.
Once we settled in we got to work. The weekend was full of workshops. Topics ranged from the battle to save public education, to youth and student organizing, to the fight against sexism and homophobia, to the need to build and support labor struggles, and much more. There was a strong sense of militancy, especially among the youth, who were more than 500 strong. Young people were very vocal about being heard and were respected as organizers in their own right, an attitude encouraged and welcomed by most of the more seasoned activists.
A cultural program united the generations featuring the poetry of Amiri Baraka, the jazz of Oscar Brown Jr. and Maggie Brown, the very distinctive performance art from musical duo Edgecomb, and all hosted by Chicago's own hip hop artist "Common."
While there were many unqualified successes that weekend, the formation of the BRC is fragile. A united front consisting of socialists, communists, revolutionary nationalists, radical feminists and others, the BRC will take care and nurturing to hold together. It will take a strong plan of action led by the working class forces within the BRC to make it the success that our people and the times so desperately need right now.
We moved in that direction in Chicago when we passed the Black Radical Congress Freedom Agenda, adopted the Principles of Unity and outlined a campaign to petition the U.N., charging human rights abuses against the descendants from Africa living in America.
Through discussion, disagreement and resolutions, the founding convention of the BRC laid the foundation for an organized core of resistance within the black community to the everyday devastation, racism and poverty that is endemic to life under capitalism.
Seth Oberman is a member of the YCL Philadelphia club, vice-president of the Temple University Student Government and on the board of the United States Student Association.
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