League of Revolutionary Black Workers
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The League of Revolutionary Black Workers (LRBW) started in the late 1960s. It was formed as a reaction to the political uprising and violence known as the 12th Street riot in July 1967 in Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit police, National Guard, and U.S. Army joined forces and occupied parts of the city to end the rioting. Strikes occurred at different auto plants or factories where a majority of the workers were Black.
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[edit] Revolutionary Union Movement
Another group that facilitated the organization of LRBW was DRUM (the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement). It is an organization of Black workers trying to change the injustice and racism they experienced. It began as an in-plant study and action group. It evolved into a group that organized strikes and picketing. Other unions were formed as branches of DRUM and they spread to other factories such as Ford's River Rouge Plant, and Chrysler’s Eldon Avenue Gear and Axle plant.
[edit] The League
The concept of the League was the working of activists General Baker, John Watson, John Williams, and Luke Tripp. They began by putting out a theoretical journal called the Black Vanguard in 1964. This journal called for a League of Revolutionary Black Workers. It was not until late 1968 that meetings were held to discuss the possibility of a league. These meeting were with a coalition of activists who had worked together on previous groups. The LRBW was instigated in June of 1968. It opened its headquarters in October and began a public project to announce its existence. This was accomplished by the Inner City Voice, a local newspaper. The Black students are the ones who accelerated the awareness. The national Black economic Development Conference met in April of 1969. At the conference, James Forman a former member of the Black Panthers, drafted a Black Manifesto. It was poorly received, but passed as the League’s manifesto. Forman was not popular amongst all of the group members even and this started the conflict within the group.
[edit] The League Splits
The beginning of a party split began in 1970. Many of the Black Workers Congress resigned over ideological differences of: conceptual frameworks, issues, where priority should be, and social relations. Other problems arose between in-plant organizes, community activist, and the intellectuals. Half of the group, led by John Watson, thought the league should become Black Marxist-Leninist. Where as the other half felt that the Black Workers Congress wanted to spend more time with white folk then with them, the Black workers.
