The 5th Congress of Freedom Road Socialist Organization was a solid success that built on our many accomplishments over recent years. Delegates came from across the United States, from New Jersey to North Carolina, from Los Angeles to Chicago. It was particularly heartening see a strong delegation from the southern U.S.
The call to the congress stated:
“Our Congresses are the highest decision making body of our organization. It is responsible for integrating Marxism-Leninism with the concrete conditions we face, and producing our general line for the period ahead. Our congress will set forth our tasks and goals.”
And:
“The political situation we find ourselves in is very different than the last congress. The Bush administration is in decline and crisis, including a deepening defeat in Iraq. The national movements continue to rise and there is an increase in the level of class struggle. Our organization has done an excellent job responding to Katrina and the immigrant rights movement and we will continue to develop our ability to respond to events on the ground.”
As a result of the changed political situation, much of the work at the 5th Congress was devoted to analyzing the new political period we find ourselves in and our related tasks.
Our national Political Secretary, Stef Yorek, gave a speech to open the congress where she noted:
“A qualitative change in the landscape for our work is taking place. This transformation is being driven by the defeat of U.S. imperialism in Iraq. The Iraq war is causing contradictions in the ruling class and a deepening disillusionment of the masses of our country with the ruling class. In the coming period this disillusionment will be a lightening rod for radicalization. It is a truly exciting time to be a communist.”
The 5th Congress adopted a Main Political Report. Prepared under the leadership of our National Executive Committee, the Main Political Report summarized the political terrain in the U.S., focusing in on the rise of the immigrant rights and anti-war movements.
We adopted a central task document that lays out our main line of march for the period ahead. We will continue our efforts to build a new communist party, in the context of the growing mass movements. We also elected the leadership of our organization that will guide us in our work over the next few years.
The assembled delegates also adopted two sections of our political program – one being a class analysis of the U.S. and the other putting forth the immediate demands of the national movements inside the U.S. The development of the rest of the program will be an ongoing project of our organization over the next few years.
The Political Secretary expressed the delegates' enthusiasm for working class internationalism and socialism, stating:
“From anti-imperialist Venezuela to the staunchness of People’s Korea and the bright star of Nepal which may soon be the next socialist country, it is the dawning of a new day for socialism around the world. We are proletarian internationalists. We fully preach and practice the slogan of workers and oppressed peoples unite. Our comrades have traveled to the jungles of Colombia, to Quito and Belgium and Palestine.”
Delegates to the congress discussed some of the practical work to support the revolutionary movements in other countries.
Messages of solidarity from revolutionary organizations around the world were read to the delegates. The parties that sent messages to the 5th congress included: Communist Party of Albania, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), Workers Party of Belgium, Socialist Unity Center of India, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Communist Party of the Philippines, Proletarian Union (Spain), Communist Party of Sweden and the Syrian Communist Party.
