The 8th Congress of Freedom Road Socialist Organization was a resounding success, and signals a bright future for our efforts to build the people’s struggle, construct a new communist party, and contribute to the process of revolutionary change. Since our 7th Congress in 2014, we have had continuous growth and FRSO is truly national in scope. Delegates attending the Congress came from every region of the country. The Congress saw many people not at our last Congress, including a few more veterans with 40 years or more experience as well as a much larger number of young people including students, workers, and activists in oppressed nationality communities.
The call for the 8th Congress stated:
“Our 8th Congress comes at an important juncture for our organization. Trump is attacking and we have been helping to lead the counter attack. We helped organize the march on the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, and we have led tens of thousands in the streets since he took office. It is our goal to make this country ungovernable. We have successfully resisted the repression that the state has visited upon us, and those we work with. Our numbers are growing – we have more people in more places. We want to consolidate the gains we have made, and lay plans for further victories.”
Our Political Secretary Steff Yorek opened the 8th Congress, stating:
“Look around, this is a room of extraordinary people. We are revolutionaries. We want to transform society. We are not putting our blood sweat and tears on the table to change the curtains of the ruling class’s house and round off the corners. We are a group of people who are here because we intend to burn down the house and build a new world upon the ashes of the old.”
The Congress adopted political resolutions on the economy, the political situation, and the international situation that provide materialist analyses of the conditions we are facing, and that help illuminate the lay of the land as we make further plans.
The Congress discussed and adopted a number of resolutions on our work to build a new communist party in the U.S., and the need for more young people to join our efforts in the trade unions to fuse Marxism-Leninism and the workers movement.
The Congress elected a new Central Committee to lead our organization. Veteran African American communist Frank Chapman was among those elected, Chapman states, “We are making real progress in building a fighting communist organization, and I am looking forward to more advances in the struggle against police crimes and building the Black liberation movement.”
Messages of greetings from communist and workers parties, national liberation movements, and anti-imperialist organizations were read to the delegates, including messages from the Workers Party of Belgium, Communist Party of Greece, Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist- Leninist), Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD), Fronte Popolare (Italy), Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), International League of Peoples´ Struggle – Jose Maria Sison, Communist Party of Sweden and the Labor Party of Turkey.
A message from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) states, “The CPP congratulates the Freedom Road Socialist Organization for its unprecedented organizational growth. By helping lead the struggles against the right-wing policies of the Trump regime, you are striking deep roots among the toiling masses of workers and other oppressed and exploited groups. In doing so, you are making Marxism-Leninism a truly vibrant and effective instrument of the proletariat for their class liberation.”
