Black Workers Congress

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The Black Worker’s Congress (BWC) was created in 1971 in response to a manifesto written by the League of Revolutionary Black Workers (League). The BWC would be a separate organization that would be used to expand the League across the United States. The BWC was also used to coordinate Revolutionary Union Movement and Black Workers caucuses. The BWC would be used to empower workers to make decisions about their freedom as workers.

The mission of the BWC: “Our objective: workers' control of their place of work, the factories, fields, offices, transportation services, and communications facilities, so that the exploitation of labor will cease and no person or corporation will get rich off the labor of another person. All people will work for the collective benefit of humanity.”(http://lists.village.virginia.edu/lists_archive/sixties-l/4167.html).

The BWC brought in 500 people at its first convention, but was not able to exceed that number as time went on. It accepted Hispanic, Asian, and Native American affiliates. While the BWC was getting a firm foundation, the League of Revolutionary Black Workers began to split apart. The culmination of this split was the BWC being comprised of intellectuals while the League continued on with the workers. The BWC never achieved its goals and was never able to establish itself with membership or influence in the great society.

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