The legendary jazz alto saxophonist the late Charlie “Bird” Parker, once said about jazz improvisation, that one should first learn the rules, and then break them. He did not mean an arbitrary breaking of rules in a frivolous manner, but in a creative way to create a motif of interest and creativity. I am going to break a fundamental “rule” of journalism which is not to inject oneself into the story: ones’ biases, opinions, prejudices, have no place in the story. This “rule” breaking on my part is based on observations I have made over the years with friends, colleagues, and associates from the political Left, especially the Marxist Left.

Confusion and Ultra-Leftism – An Ideological disaster

The African American holiday of Kwanzaa is celebrated/observed annually from December 26th to January 1st; many Black Leftists either pay lukewarm attention to its existence or ignore its importance completely. I see this as ultra-Leftism and a misunderstanding of the role that different currents play in the Liberation Movement, not only socioeconomically, but also culturally. There are many individuals who are non-socialists, non-Marxists, and non-communists, who have played significant roles in the struggle for National Liberation. Despite their limited understanding of class struggle and their weakness in ideological theory, many Black Nationalists have left their mark on the pages of social history, in the fight for freedom, self-determination, and an end to the exploitation of working people. Many have paid dearly, ranging from years of imprisonment to being killed by Law Enforcement.

The primary complaint between the revolutionary socialists and the Nationalists, is that the latter does not recognize the importance of class, and the Nationalists contend that the socialists downplay the fact that race occupies a significant place in social justice issues. Both complaints are true and have validity. The fundamental conflict facing society, the fundamental issue that underlies social inequality, poverty, and the like, is the contradiction between capital and labor, the socioeconomic system of capitalism. The struggle between the capitalist class, and the working class who produce the profits for capitalist appropriation, is the fundamental contradiction of capitalist society.

Another complaint by the Nationalists is that Marx was white; this comment although true is simplistic, subjective and lacks scholarship. To-date as far as I'm aware, no individual has done as extensive and in-depth a study and analysis of the socioeconomic system of capitalism, as Karl Marx did. That fact alone discredits and nullifies the complaint as imbecilic. Since the initial publication of Das Kapital in 1867, every economist white and Black, has made some reference to it - good or bad - in their comments about capitalism's structure and function. Capitalist exploitation and oppression spreads across all races; however, contrary to what some leftists think, capitalism is not “color blind.” Capitalism will use and has always used racial division, including pseudo “science,” to discriminate and divide the working class when it suits their interests.

There are some social issues that are strictly racial issues, which has nothing to do with class, and has to be addressed as such. Capitalism will exploit and discriminate against a middle class or upper-class Black, just as it would a working-class Black. Many of us are aware of the discrepancies in the awarding of government contracts, where Black firms are routinely kept out of the process, because of the lopsided awarding of contracts favoring white companies. This is a racial issue.

By the same token, many Black Nationalists fail to see and understand that under the capitalist system, the primary conflict is the contradiction between capital and labor. Production is social, but the ownership of the productive means and the appropriation from the production is private. This is a class matter. The late Eric Williams in his epic book Capitalism and Slavery said this: “Here, then, is the origin of Negro slavery. The reason was economic, not racial; it had to do not with the color of the laborer, but the cheapness of the labor…This was not a theory, it was a practical conclusion deduced from the personal experience of the planter. He would have gone to the moon, if necessary, for labor. Africa was nearer than the moon…”  Within the wider social context, both are individual issues each with its own characteristics; the point, however, is that they are interrelated and must be understood as such.

Kwanzaa in the face of Fascism’s attack on Black Culture

As a people of African descent, the observing/celebrating of Kwanzaa is one of those vehicles that helps to raise the social and cultural consciousness and forms a starting point for the cultural grounding of African people, especially in the diaspora. The Trump Administration has relentlessly carried out attacks against Black history and culture. The outlawing of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, the withdrawal of funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) as well as Black arts facilities, have all been impacted by the Administration’s attempt to erase Black history and rewrite US social history. In keeping with the ideology of fascism, the Administration has played on the prejudices and ignorance of the white electorate and has resorted to demagoguery, as a way of gaining widespread support for its attack on Black life.

There are some elements of the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) that are socialist-oriented and provides an impetus for social activism and is antithetical to the individualistic and gluttonous ideology of capitalist society. Although Kwanzaa was not created based on a revolutionary philosophical theory, Kwanzaa’s philosophical basis of Kawaida, provides a meaningful and useful contribution to the Black endeavor of the struggle against social injustice. Hopefully, the social consciousness of the collective will recognize that the final solution to exploitation, white supremacy, militarism, environmental destruction, and imperialist domination, is the transformation to a socialist society.

Dr. Maulana Karenga, educator, author and creator of Kwanzaa - Photo: Maulanakarenga.org

..”Kwanzaa is a time for celebration of the Good, the good of life, family, community, culture, friendship, the bountifulness and good of the earth, the wonder of the universe, the elders, the adults, the young, the human person in general, our history, our achievements, and our ceaseless striving and struggle for liberation and ever higher levels of human life. “– Dr. Maulana Karenga, creator of Kwanzaa