DISCRIMINATION against black people in Britain is an everyday Between 1974 and 1977 general esployment rose by 138 per cent.
hild for black people it rose by 307 cr cent. Amonest men with deerce dard pralificatiums, 79 percent of jobs compared to only 31 per Women, too, face discrimination in walks of life. Formal equality nder the law has done little to change One respuase in the United States Is combat discrimination has been sections of an article explaining the sues which recently appeared in Intercontinental Press/Inprecor ONE OF the most importunt cases affecting the labour, civil rights, and womes's movements in the United Males went before the Supreme Court om 28 March.
Officially kaown as Brian F. Weber versus Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation and United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO. the case beyun in 1974 when Weber, a white lab technician at the Kaiser Aluminum plant quisiana, filed suit to overturn an affirmative action plan for black and women siceiworkers negotinted by the Favourite Brian Weber charged in his suit that this modest gain for blacks constituted legal reverse discrimination" against him and other white males, that the affirmative action programme gave skilled jobs to blacks that whites would otherwise have got.
Weber is employing one of the GET OUTSE class to justify opposition to struggles for equality by women and oppressed national minorities in the States, He and his accusing the victims of committing the crime.
Those who try to use the myth of "reverse discrimination' as a bludgoon against the black civil claim that passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act everyone has been 'equal". Therefore, according to this logic, any special measures to help blacks or latinos or worben means that they are getting "privilcged" ircatment and everyone else — that is white males — Is being discriminated against.
Punctures A brief look at the reality of American society today punctures this myth.
The infant mortality rate for blacks is nearly twice that for whites. Black children go to schools that are for education than white children do According to official Labor Department figures for unemployWHAT'S LEFT Peruvia rem. 50p cach, funds to be shared by MG Fund Drive and Peruvian PRT. Write for 10, ackwers, 35 Malern Arene VANDWORTH Rock agains Raciam Clig icel, London SHi menlary on Northern Ireland. Captures the by The Other Cinema and UTOM at ile Roya iT Ticate, Sloane Squire, Condon SWon 24 June at 4.30 and 7.30 pm. Adm 11.30. Tickets available in advance From The Socialist Challenge 14 June 1979 page 18 labor solidarity.
Gramercy, ment during the third quarter of 1978, BRIAN WEBER. His challenge to affirmative action underscores the real meaning and companies profit from keeping STOP instituted io the late 1960s and early warnen and ittears warking class programmes workers:
cica tool lor weaken for class.
unions.
job. Onc assemble giant leading forward wonten's and begin an affirmative that to a certain percentage of America union thus far, The Cemmunis -HAT AIL INESS BE BIALK COOTERES ROVIN CHICA SEEDENE COMMENITY ACTION NEWCASTLE nerds a men Courdinator Mixed term contractol - plus pe dary negobabl Details from: Tim Ler, SCAN, ere Scudents Union, Kings Walk, Newsile-upon-Tone J.
These affirmative achon pro framines have so tat made oniy a small dent in the huge discriminatory barriers in education and employ men. Har despite heir limited oature the ruling ciass fears the gains that Suppressed rational minorities have already been able so wrest from them, that the existing rogrammes could serve as spring oards for furiker struggles and mor and radicalising Influener that abrnelve accun is harng on tie For theie reasons, it launched a concerted offensive agaiast affirmalive accion almost as scion as the first implemeared.
LEIL mid-1970%, acerally hundreds of reverse discrimination suits have been filed Some groups on the American lett oppose affirmative action, claiming Nothing coold be further from the truth. In fact, tailure by the labour movement to fight for the specinl needs of women, black and latino would only play into the hands of the ruling class as it tries to perpetuate its divide-and-rule poliPrejudices Affirmative action is an essential building working class solidarity, Strurgles in defence of the most oppressed strati of workers actually strengthen the entire class.
They break down the racist and sexist prejudices that Impede workers unity. They educare the working ciass to think in broad social terms. They help to build the unions by winning greater confidence and participation From women and the oppressed national minorities.
Affirmative action, finally. is a crucial component of the tight to transform the unions into instruments of revolutionary struggle.
does this pan by strengthening working class solidarity and by orienting the unions toward broad political questions. It tends to the positions the class collaborationist union bureaucracies, which base themselves on the BIAGE PEEPERLEY SEE DE LIC MOCKIE It aids the fight to democratise the Especially draws the most militant fighters into active leadership roles and begins to those forces capable of the American workers The importance of affirmative action scrugirles in the United States is a reflection of the impact of both the and black liberation but especially of the vanguard role of die black struggle As a result. American workers have learned vital lessons about the basi on which chess solidarity is forged.
On this question of affirmative action, the American working class is more advanced than workers in any other country. Though they still have many other thirtes to leart, this one particular acquisition helps arm them more effectively for the even bigger class battles that are already in sight.
North Library, Magoe Gardens, London N? (Tubes: Archway, Holleway Road). 2.30pm SCIENCE under capitaliem scientis knowled apitalist? Fri 15 June. 1.30-LU. 15, Sar 16 Jur Prince Conson. RE Open 1o all. Derails from: BSSRS, 9 Poland 3t
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