James Steele

Template:TOCnestleft James Steele is the Distinguished Lecturer in Labor Studies with the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education & Labor Studies.

Steele on the Democratic Party

James Steele, was Communist Party USA Legislative Director in the eighties. He said, "In the absence of a mass-based third party, it is possible and necessary for the people's movement to make use of the Democratic Party in the struggle for reforms...." He then went on to suggest that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party was growing in importance and would eventually drive the party, signaling hope for his plan.

We Will Make Peace Prevail!

On March 28, 1982 the New World Review organized a gala luncheon "We Will Make Peace Prevail! Disarmament Over Confrontation, Life Over Death", at the Grand Ballroom, Hotel Roosevelt, New York City. Virtually all participants were identified as Communist Party USA.

James Steele was listed on the Committee of Sponsors.

Communist youth festival

The National Preparatory Committee for the 12th World Festival of Youth and Students met in New York on March 2 and March 23 1985.

The meetings of representatives of the area preparatory committees and participating national organizations reflected the tremendous growth of the Festival movement over the month. Three hundred endorsements' have, now peen gathered by the more than 40 area' preparatory committees. The APCs have nearly tripled in number since late January.

Brenda Davenport, youth coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Greg Moore, president of the U.S Student Association; Philip Oke of the UN Office of the Christian Peace Conference, Sharon Burgess of District 65 ~ New Jersey Region, United Auto Workers; and Bernice A. King; of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Change were among those that attended the latest meeting, Ms. King is the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr..

The NPC meetings called for stepping up the pace of the festival movement and agreed that the April 20 demonstration for peace. jobs and justice in Washington D,C. was a key part of the work. Many area committees reported renting buses and signing youth up to go.

At the March 2 meeting, Ethel Lobman of Local 3882 of the American Federation of Teachers said, "It is our duty to bring together all those who suffer from Reagan's policies to protest" Ms. Lobman' was also a delegate to the New York Central Labor Council and án activist in the labor outreach committee of the New York coalition building April 20th.

There wil be 250 delegates to the festival and 300 "special participants" who will attend the festival in Moscow for four days, then travel to other parts of the USSR for an additional ten days. It was agreed that 100 of the 250 delegates would be picked from a national "pool" in order to ensure the most representative delegation possible.

Five co-chairs were elected at the meeting including Brenda Davenport of SCLC: Julian Epstein, aide to Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.); Andy Mager, the first New York draft registration resister to be imprisoned; James Steele, national chairman of the Young Communist League; and Sue Wray, president of the Student Association of the State University of New York. Two slots were left open for representatives from the trade union and Latino communities.

Communist Party dissidents

On November 15-16 1991, 30 dissident members of the National Committee of the Communist Party USA convened a meeting to "sign a statement of events" - most or all signatories were soon to break with the party and were later to form Committees of Correspondence.

The signatories included James Steele, New York;

Communist Party reformer

In 1991 James Steele, New York was one of several hundred Communist Party USA members to sign the a paper "An initiative to Unite and Renew the Party"-most signatories left the Party after the December 1991 conference to found Committees of Correspondence.

CoC National Conference endorser

In 1992 James Steele, executive director, Breakthrough Political Consulting Service, New York, endorsed the Committees of Correspondence national conference Conference on Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the 90s held at Berkeley California July 17-19.

Socialist Scholars Conference 1992

Ellen David-Freidman, Progressive Vermont Alliance; Max Elbaum, Managing Editor, CrossRoads; Robert Fitrakis, Columbus Democratic Socialists of America; Irwin Silber, Editorial Board, CrossRoads and James Steele, Breakthrough Political Consulting Services were speakers on the The '92 Elections & Left Electoral Strategies panel sponsored by CrossRoads at the Tenth Annual Socialist Scholars Conference. The conference was held April 24-26, 1992 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York City.

Political achievements

In 1997 James Steele was named as executive director, Breakthrough Political Consulting Service and the author of "Freedom's River:the African American contribution to democracy". until recently he served as Deputy District Director of organization for Congressman Major Owens.

Steele was the founder of the Center for African American Studies at Ohio State University.

External links

• Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education & Labor Studies website

References

Template:Reflist Template:Endorsers of the Conference on Perspectives for Democracy and Socialism in the 90s