African Americans; United States -- Race relations
So far, no particular effort has been made to carry the message of
Socialism to these people. All the rest of the poor have had the
gospel preached to them, for the party has carried on special
propaganda work among the Poles, Slovaks, Finns, Hungarians and
Lithuanians. Here are ten million Americans, all proletarians, hanging
on the ragged edge of the impending class conflict. Left to themselves
they may become as great a menace to our advancing army as is the army
of the unemployed, and for precisely the same reason: they can be used
against us, as the craft unions have begun to find out. Surely we
should make some effort to enlist them under our banner that they may
swell our ranks and help to make us invincible. And we must do this
for the same reason that is impelling organized labor to adopt an
all-inclusive policy; because the other policy results in the
artificial breeding of scabs. On grounds of common sense and
enlightened self-interest it would be well for the Socialist party to
begin to organize the Negroes of America in reference to the class
struggle. The capitalists of America are not waiting. Already they
have subsidized Negro leaders, Negro editors, preachers and
politicians to build up in the breasts of the black people those
sentiments which will make them subservient to their will. For they
recognize the value (to them) of cheap labor power and they know that
if they can succeed in keeping one section of the working class down
they can use that section to keep other sections down too.
3. The Negro's Attitude Toward Socialism.
If the Socialist propaganda among Negroes is to be effectively carried
on, the members and leaders of the party must first understand the
Negro's attitude toward Socialism. That attitude finds its first
expression in ignorance. The mass of the Negro people in America are
ignorant of what Socialism means. For this they are not much to blame.
Behind the veil of the color line none of the great world-movements
for social betterment have been able to penetrate. Since it is not
yet the easiest task to get the white American worker—with all his
superior intellect—to see Socialism, it is but natural to expect that
these darker workers to whom America denies knowledge should still be
in ignorance as to its aims and objects.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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