John Womack
John Womack, Jr., Emeritus Professor of History, Harvard University
Open Letter from RWU to the President
In November 2022 John Womack signed the Open Letter from RWU to the President .
Pro-Hamas Letter
In the wake of a terror attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, Harvard University students signed an open letter blaming Israel. After the students received negative media coverage, the ANSWER Coalition jumped to their defense in an open letter titled: "Open letter against intimidation at Harvard: Defend the freedom to speak in support of Palestine!" John Womack signed the letter. Excerpt:[1]
- We stand together against the racist harassment and demonization of Pro-Palestine student activists at Harvard and elsewhere across the country. These attacks are designed to intimidate, weaken, and silence people's right to speak out in support of the Palestinian people's struggle against occupation and apartheid. Their educational and professional futures are being threatened and right wing political operatives have even rented a TV truck to drive around campus displaying the students' faces. Some are even receiving death threats..."
CPUSA 31st National Convention resolution
17. FOR ASSESSING OUR WORLD MOVEMENT’S STRENGTHS AND SHORTCOMINGS
WHEREAS humanity faces mounting existential threats from imperialist aggressions and environmental and public-health breakdowns, and
WHEREAS capitalism creates these threats and cannot stop their escalation. and
WHEREAS only the world working class can lead initiatives among the oppressed masses to decisively address these threats, and
WHEREAS labor’s organizations worldwide, including our parties, unions, and states, have identical interests in the global class struggle,
BE IT RESOLVED that the 31st National Convention direct the International Department of the Communist Party USA to support efforts to identify the strengths and shortcomings of international communism from the Comintern to the contemporary international movement of our parties worldwide, and to address the implications for international transition from capitalism to socialism.
Submitted by Sandra Rosen, Emile Schepers, Cameron Orr, John Womack, Donald Donato, Gary Hicks, and Wadih Halabi.[2]
Open letter to Andy Stern
On May 1 2008, John Womack a History Professor at Harvard University signed an open letter to SEIU president Andy Stern in protest at SEIU moves force its local United Healthcare Workers into trusteeship.
- "We are writing to express our deep concern about SEIU's threatened trusteeship over its third largest local, United Healthcare Workers (UHW). We believe that there must always be room within organized labor for legitimate and principled dissent, if our movement is to survive and grow. Putting UHW under trusteeship would send a very troubling message and be viewed, by many, as a sign that internal democracy is not valued or tolerated within SEIU. In our view, this would have negative consequences for the workers directly affected, the SEIU itself, and the labor movement as a whole. We strongly urge you to avoid such a tragedy."