New Party: Additional Groups of that Name

From KeyWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

New Party: Other Groups With The Same Name as The One Formed in 1992

The name New Party has been around since the late 1960's, thought the most successful one was formed in the early 1990's by members of the marxist Democratic Socialists of America DSA. This section is devoted to listing the earlier groups called "New Party" so as to distinguish them from the New Party-1990's.

New Party, 1969-Early 1970s

A group known as the New Party was founded in 1969 and lasted a couple of years before disappearing. In the House Internal Security Committee's New Mobe Staff Study, 1970, there were three indexed references for this group.[1]

P. 19. "On January 18 (1969), there was a "teach-In on the Movement" at the Riverside Church. This session, billed as a supplemental to the "Conference on the Movement" being held the same day at the Hawthorne School (DC), heard a varied group of radical activists, including (Footnote 266):

P. 66: Footnote 336: Lists, as a member of the New Mobe Steering Committee:

P. 68: Footnote 373: Lists: Washington Action Committee -- Tentative List (as of 9/26/69:

ADD new material.


Dick Gregory tried to lead a movement in early 1969 during the Counter-Inaugural protests to rename the White House the Black House which he intended to occupy. [NB: No one took him seriously and the movement died a quick death].[2]

Inauguration of Dick Gregory as President-In-Exile of the United States

A flier contained information from The New Party about the "Inauguration of Dick Gregory as President-In-Exile of the United States" and his "Inaugural Ball" to be held on March 4, 1969, the first event to be held at the Morgan Community School Auditorium, 1733 California St, NW, Wash. D.C. (the latter event didn't have a place listed yet).

The New Party was also holding a "Town Meeting" at the A.M.E. (Methodist) Church, 15th & M. St., NW, earlier that day which would "consist of workshops and discussions on the problems of Washington, D.C., and the nation."

"Among those invited to lead the discussions are the following:

From the flier came the following information about Dick Gregory:

"Mr. Gregory campaigned for approximately a year as an independent write-in candidate for the Presidency of the United States. He was also on the ballot in several states as a candidate of the Peace & Freedom Party and the New Party."

"During his campaign he had a book published by bantam Books titled "Write Me In", which clearly spells out his personal and political philosophy and details his reasons for calling for a president-in-exile, a new political party, and the opening of the Black House, which will serve as a focal point for political dissent, and the advancement of creative political alternatives."

The New Party's address was listed as 1029 Vermont Ave, N.W., Wash. D.C., 20005, (202) 347-9600), the same building that house the old National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam National Mobe, New Mobe, its successor, and PCPJ, Peoples Coalition for Peace & Justice, another successor, as well as the SWP's Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam SMC Student Mobe.

The New Party literally disappeared as a functioning entity within a year or less, though its name continued on as a phone-booth operation till sometime in the late 70's, when new "New Party" groups arose.


Another longer flier on the same subject was entitled "You Are Invited to the Inauguration of Dick Gregory as president-in-exile", mentioning three events surrounding this theme. The flier said the following: "You Are Cordially Invited to the Inauguration of Dick Gregory as President-In-Exile of the United States, 11:45 AM, Tuesday, march 4th, The Morgan Community School Auditorium (1733 California St., NW). You are also invited to the Gregory Inaugural Ball, 8 P.M March 4th, Hotel America (14th & M. Streets, NW), Dick Gregory, African Dancers, The Valours (Free)."

Then followed some text about Gregory's campaign and its background, which is reproduced her en toto:

  • "Mr. Gregory campaigned for approximately a year as an independent write-in candidate for the Presidency of the United States. He also was on the ballot in several states as a candidate of the Peace and Freedom Party PFP and the New Party."
  • "During his campaign he had a book published by Bantam books titled "Write Me In" which clearly detailed his reasons for calling for a president-in-exile, a new political party, and the opening of the Black House, which will serve as a focal point for political dissent, and the advancement of creative political alternatives."
  • "The two-party system in America has made a mockery of democracy by denying people any real choice in determining the candidates who will represent them. Candidates are selected through the power plays of the party machine and such political activities produce candidates who will be represent the interests of the political party rather than the common good of all the people...The essence of true democracy is not only the right to vote, but also the right to select your own candidates. To be forced to select between party dominated choices is to have no REAL chose at all."
  • "The creation of a third party, a party based on the magnificent dream of peace and freedom, exposes the shallow aspirations of the two party system. Such a party offers a public forum for the expression of moral concern and provides a means of organizing those who dream of democracy will not submit to or be stifled by current political realities."
  • "Whatever the outcome of the vote in November, the waging of the battle is victory in itself. If I should happen to fail to receive the majority of that vote, I will still be the commander-in-chief of an independent voting army and will continue to wage war for justice and dignity among men for years to come."
  • "Whenever the occupant of the White House fails to respond to the just demands of human needs, the independent army will bring their concerns to the Black house to their President-In-Exile...Ours will be an active exile, a functioning government and a marching army."

(Gregory, "Write Me In", Bantam Books)

For Information on the Gregory Inauguration and Ball, call (202) 347-9600

On the other side of the leaflet was the following: 

  "Town Meeting"

"In conjunction with Mr. Gregory's inauguration and ball, the New Party will hold a town meeting patterned on the town meetings of early American history: at the A.M.E. Church, 1518 M Street, NW, 1:30 to 5:30 PM, Tuesday, March 4."

"The town meeting will consist of workshops and discussions on the problems of Washington, D.C., and the nation."

" Meeting Agenda: Educational Problems in D.C.; Hunger and Malnutrit(ion); The Danger of the Anti-Ballistic Missile System; Campus Revolt; Organizing Black Washington; Unionism in D.C.; The Need for Home Rule; Police-Community Relations; The Peace Movement - What's to be done; Is a New Politics Possible???"

Among those invited to lead the discussion are the following: {most names were the same as those on the other flier but a few new ones appeared)

Charles Cassell - DC City Council and radical agitator

The New Party - 347-9600

New Party reference in a 1973 leaflet put out by the neo-marxist "Peoples Party"

"We've All Had Enough" - Home Town Actions For Impeachment

November 10th thru 17th:

Initiators: for information call Miriam Gaylin, (202 547-5500

"We've all got our own political reasons for wanting Congress to quit stalling and impeach Nixon. His responsibility for continuance of the war, U.S. aid to Thieu and Lon Nol, Watergate,impoundments of funds and the fiscal crises, the wage freeze and its effects on working people, and the repression of political protest are high on anybody's list."

"We recognize that Nixon is not solely to blame. Congress has been controlled by the Democrats for most of the past four decades and share much of the responsibility. Nixon is the President and should be impeached now. Call your congressperson home and demand immediate action. Remind them that they are up for re-election next year."

The People's Party, 1065 31st Street, NW, Georgetown, (District of) Columbia 20007, (202) 338-1900

This leaflet appeared as Exhibit 6 in the study "The Meaning of the Bicentennial: Volume One: The Peoples Bicentennial Commission" by Max Friedman, ACU Education and Research Institute, Spring, 1976.

This may have been the last known mention of the "New Party" until the 1980's.

New Party, Richmond, Virginia, 1982

The maoist-oriented weekly newspaper the "Guardian", of September 15, 1982, p. 10, in their "Movement Directory" section, listed the following:

  • New Party, Richmond, Virginia 8319 Fulham Court, Richmond, Virginia, 23227. Tel: (804) 266-7173. "For transnational rights to individual disarmament, justice, liberty and peace. (sic)

No other information was given about this organization.

References

Template:Reflist

  1. ↑ Subversive Involvement in the Origin, Leadership and Activities of the New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam and Its Predecessor Organizations, Staff Study, 1970, SubDoc No. 40-163 O.
  2. ↑ 2010 Personal communication from former National and New Mobe/Washington Mobe member Max P. Friedman, who knew Silverman, Bloom and both Helen and Casey Gurewitz
Retrieved from "https://keywiki.org/index.php?title=New_Party:_Additional_Groups_of_that_Name&oldid=276016"