What Is The Ida B. Wells Coalition Against Racism and Police Brutality?
The Ida B. Wells Coalition Against Racism and Police Brutality (IBWC) is an anti-racist liberation support group created by the Black Autonomy Federation to support its programs and its movement. Black Autonomy is a mass protest tendency against capitalist unemployment, war, racism, police brutality, and mass imprisonment. It is a direct action movement meant to gum up the machinery of capitalist production and prevent it from proceeding with its war against workers and the poor. In the black community, poverty and unemployment hover at depression levels, and no amount of government reforms have made a dent. Black workers and unemployed blacks need the support of labor unions and other movements at this time.
The IBWC is a pro-liberation protest movement, an anti-authoritarian tendency whose major purpose is to bridge the racial and class gap in U.S. capitalist society. Bridging this gap will not be accomplished by using the tired, old leftist slogans of “black-white, unite and fight,” which concealed white domination of the movement, but by uniting with the Black Autonomy movement in its anti-racist/anti-colonialist platform.
The Black Autonomy movement needs allies in its battle against the racist capitalist class, not the usual liberal or phony radical support, but genuine revolutionary working class support and solidarity. The needs of oppressed people must be the most important consideration. The IBWC must be a mass organization to unite all workers in a common struggle, but must be able to recognize the duty to support and adopt the special demands of black and other people of color as those of the entire working class.
The IBWC does not have to recruit or organize black people. Black Autonomy will do that, But the IBWC does have to make it possible for Black Autonomy to do that in Kansas City or in any other city, while carrying out a local program around local issues.
What Is The National Program of the IBWC?
Even though the IBWC is not a true national tendency, we need to adopt mass program now:
*Build a mass unemployment movement to fight back against poverty and joblessness in the black community.
*Defeat racial profiling and police brutality of black workers and people of color communities.
*Stand in opposition against mass imprisonment of black and people of color workers and the poor, and the diversion of funds from schools, hospitals, and community centers.
*Stand in opposition to government and corporate austerity measures.
What Is The Leadership, Structure and Organization of the IBWC?
The IBWC is an anti-authoritarian group, with leadership shared among people of color, women, LGBT people, and white activists. After open discussion and a majority vote of members, local leaders should be chosen and local campaigns undertaken.
As a pro-liberation protest movement, the IBWC does not work with current elected or appointed government officials (such as mayors, members of city councils, county commissions, school boards, etc.) The IBWC also does not work with current or past law enforcement officers (such as police, sheriff’s deputies, the FBI, etc.)
Local IBWC groups will decide on the amount of their dues, a portion of which they will be asked to share with the Black Autonomy Federation.
The IBWC accepts material aid that is given without restrictions.