As we begin the year 1974 the world situation is one of great chaos and disorder. The fierce struggles between the imperialist nations, and especially between the two superpowers for world domination is bringing even greater suffering and hardship to the laboring masses of the world. Yet, as Chairman Mao has said, “the future of the people of the world is bright” and revolution is still the main trend in the world today. As we begin this year, we see the relentless struggle of the oppressed nations and peoples of the world delivering blow after blow to the schemes and designs of the blood-thirsty imperialist rulers of the world. Wars of national liberation are being fought from Indo-China to the Persian Gulf, from the Portuguese colonies in Africa to Northern Ireland, etc. While at the same time the working class in the capitalist countries is being forced to fight against the capitalist offensive that is intensifying suffering at home.
This is certainly true in the U.S. where the burden of the crisis of U.S. imperialism is hitting the American people extremely hard at this time, as we fight against a rising tide of fascism (the open and terroristic rule of finance capital.) For the Afro American people this burden has already reached disastrous proportion due to our super-exploitation and dual oppression. The Afro-American people and the American working class as a whole have no choice but to fight for the over throw of the rule of capital. Proletarian revolution is indeed on the order of the day, and we must begin to prepare. For the only solution, and the only path for the working masses and oppressed nationalities in the U.S. is proletarian revolution, the path already taken by one-third of humanity.
The BWC is an organization that developed out of the black liberation movement and the struggle of the American working class. We are part of the rapidly developing Anti-revisionist Communist Movement which is striving to bring into being the general staff of the working class; a genuine Communist Party. Our organization has been in existence for over three years and during that time we have made advances and made errors as we tried to grasp and apply the principles of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse Tung Thought. It has been through this process of advances and errors and summing up that we have increased our knowledge of the theory and practice of revolution in the U.S.
In publishing this document, which sets forth our views on the burning issues facing the communist movement and the American people, we do so as developing Marxist-Leninists knowing full well that it cannot be the last word on any of the questions that we have addressed. We do so with the understanding that in setting forth our views at this time in writing, testing them in practice in the class struggle, and through struggling with other honest revolution, revolutionaries, we will-arrive at the correct proletarian line. In preparing this document our goal was to address to revolutionary-minded people of all nationalities, but it is especially addressed to advance blacks. We do not apologize for this, because we have primarily worked within the black liberation struggle and we feel that as black communists we have certain special tasks to perform within it.
Finally, the struggle of the masses of our people in recent years brought forth both the worst and the finest that the black nation had to offer. Among the worst who rose to prominence and reached new heights on the backs of the people in the 60’s were the Jesse Jacksons, the Roy Innises, the Roy Wilkinsons, and various black politicians, black capitalists, poverty program hustlers, etc. Among the best elements of the black nation were the Fred Hamptons, the Malcolm Xs, the Jonathan Jacksons, and thousands of others both martyred and living who came forward to do their part to advance the course for which we have been struggling for nearly 400 years. It is especially to that latter group, with as much commitment today, with greater understanding, but sometimes isolated and sometimes demoralized and disunited, to which we direct a special appeal.
Brothers and Sisters, the masses of people are entering a period of great suffering. Objective reality does not allow any other course. History is now confronting us with a great task. We must unite with all that is genuine and honest in America and find the revolutionary way out. We must merge the great Afro-American struggle with the American workers movement. Afro-American liberation means proletarian revolution in the U.S.
BUILD THE COMMUNIST PARTY
MIKE HAMLIN
CHAIRMAN BWC