> > Another discussion list's very interesting back-and-forth on the "Vanguard" > concept prompted these practical thoughts of mine. I spread them into a > broader arena -- making it clear that this is not an effort to subject the > Great Socialists of history to any minimization. It has always seemed to me > that they -- more than some [not all by any means!] of their disciples -- > certainly recognized the critical nature of broad-based local leadership. > > I try to imagine what I as an organizer would evoke in the way of a > grassroots reaction, [all sorts of ethnicities over the years involving the > people "of the fewest alternatives"], were I to even think of myself as > "Vanguard." And I definitely don't like the scenario that emerges in my > mind. No one ever accused me of having a minimal little ego, but I'm not a > damn fool. I have no problem recognizing my anarcho-syndicalist > catechism -- my first and deepest love! -- something, by the way, quite akin > to Native tribalism at some key points. But, far more than that, we > radicals need to organize at the grassroots -- always organize and ight -- > the hardest and toughest and ultimately most satisfying work there is -- > and, very much in conjunction with that, we need always to be developing > strong and vigorous local leadership. "Pitchy-pine" fires -- the hot, fast > stuff -- are fine at certain junctures; but the fight is a long one -- even > under the best of circumstances -- and it's the "oak wood" fires that will > carry through the long winters and deserts and to the green oases and the > Red Water of effective and significant struggle. Martin King was a great > man and the old SCLC a fine movement -- but the top down stuff of too many > [not all] of the clergy in SCLC and in the hinterland, often left movements > which were breaking up even as the organizers moved on. The > grassroots/leadership development approaches by other civil rights > organizers [so well and consistently advocated by Miss Ella J. Baker], have > left outfits that have endured through the decades. Saul Alinsky had an > organizing style that focused primarily on bringing together the leaders of > existent organizations -- some of them very fine organizations and some not > so fine -- and, out of that, he would create something like the Back of the > Yards Council in the Chicago packinghouse district. But, in the late '60s > into the mid-'70s, when I was directing large scale grassroots community > organization of poor people [Black, Puerto Rican, Chicano, some Native, and > some Anglo], we had to fight practically everything around us -- Daley > Machine, Republicans, cops, racists, finks of all kinds -- and a prime enemy > was the old Back of the Yards Council, degenerated into something run by > Daley through Joe Meegan. It was reactionary and it was racist. In fact, > even Alinsky himself -- never recognizing the inherent flaw in his top-down > organizing approach -- was finally referring by then to the Back of the > Yards Council as a "frankenstein." We organized about 300 block clubs and > related organizations in two large umbrella groups and almost all of that > still remains active and effective. The old Mine-Mill union -- like the > other Left unions -- was radical and equalitarian and militant and, very > fundamentally, a model of rank-and-file democracy. It was that ethos that > enabled Mine-Mill to effectively resist some of the most vicious > witch-hunting [Feds, bosses, state, vigilantes, conservative unions] endured > by any labor organization in the 20th century -- and to very effectively, > always, service its membership and substantially address the broader social > justice and visionary concerns. In contrast, the authoritarian and > top-down Steel union -- well-heeled financially and "respectable," > floundered at all sorts of critical points. Having absorbed almost all of > Mine-Mill in 1967, following two decades of Government-backed Steel union > red-baiting and raiding, it lost the 1983-84 Phelps-Dodge strike -- and > several of the old copper locals as well, which broke up. Talk of > "Vanguard" and "militant minority" frankly bothers me a great deal. Good > organizers are always needed -- sensibly pragmatic, visionary, radical -- > and they are needed by the grassroots. The organizers also need to listen. > And they -- the organizers -- certainly need the grassroots people and > emergent local leadership: strong, tough, and -- in the view of power > structures -- dangerous! > > > Hunter Gray [Hunterbear] > Hunter Gray > www.hunterbear.org > > > _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
