Committees of Correspondence

[Louis N Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From newman%GARNET.BERKELEY.EDU@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tue Jul 16 14:17:05 1996
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 10:51:40 -0700
From: Nathan Newman <newman%GARNET.BERKELEY.EDU@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: COC-L - Committees of Correspondence List
     <COC-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Multiple recipients of list COC-L <COC-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Nat'l CoC Endorses Building Left Alliance of Organizations

      ==========================================================
      National CoC Endorses Building Left Alliance of Organizations
      ==========================================================

At its Second Bi-Annual National Convention during July 12-14th, the
national membership of the Committees of Correspondence endorsed a
resolution calling for building an ongoing left alliance of democratic
socialist and left organizations.  The Committees of Correspondence is a
democratic socialist organization with 1500 members (defined as renewing
their membership dues within 1995-96) across the country with national
leaders including activists, unionists and scholars including Pete Seeger,
Angela Davis and Manning Marable. Roughly 140 delegates attended this
national convention.  The final weighted vote on the resolution was 467 to
330 votes (elected delegates had eight votes while individual members
attending on their own had one vote).

The resolution was submitted jointly by the Oakland/Berkeley, Northern
California and Boston chapters of the CoC.  As passed, the resolution read
as follows


RESOLUTION ON BUILDING ALLIANCE FOR LEFT UNITY

Resolved:

      The Committees of Correspondence shall rededicate itself to
promoting unity between democratic socialist and left organizations.  To
this end, the Committees of Correspondence will explicitly explore and
promote an organizational alliance between left organizations, including
but not limited to the Committees of Correspondence, Solidarity,
Democratic Socialists of America, Socialist Party USA, and Freedom Road
Socialist Organization.

      Efforts towards unity should include continuing and deepening the
meetings of national leaders currently underway along with promoting unity
formations in cities and regions across the country.  The Committees of
Correspondence shall make it clear in all its discussions with other
organizations that our goal is to promote maximum organizational and
political unity while promoting a structure that preserves diversity and
innovation within such a combined alliance.


---

While not voted on directly, the motivating ideal of the motion was
submitted as follows by the Oakland/Berkeley and Boston chapters:


      In promoting such a federation, the CoC will present the ideal that:

* Such a federation would not eliminate the identity of organizations
joining it but would instead act as an umbrella to both initiatiate broad
campaigns and to promote greater collaboration on issues common to members
across organizations.

* Such a federation would create a common forum to promote a more united
left voice in the United States through issuing public statements,
creating more unified pressure on public institutions and launching new
public outreach and media.

* Such a federation would concentrate on appealing to a new generation of
activists who are tired of the divided, warring Left of the last few
decades and who might be more willing to join a united socialist
federation (and could later pick a more specific "flavor" of
organizational affiliation).

* Such a federation would create an attractive organizational form for
other groups to federate within, thus building the strength of the overall
Left as new groups join.

* Such a federation would create a shared democratic forum for votes on a
wide range of issues facing our movement.

* Such a federation would share expenses such as with a "United Way"
approach to fundraising, thereby cutting the administrative costs of
fundraising and other tasks for both the shared federation and for
individual organizations and caucuses within the federation.

* Such a federation would endorse no particular candidates but would
create a more unified strategy among those working for independent
politics in different organizations, while helping to complement
independent political work with the work of those members and
organizations still working within major political parties.





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