Eric Brooks

Eric Brooks

Eric Brooks is Chair Communist Party of Indiana. He is a native of Brooklyn, currently living in Gary, Indiana.

As he wrote in 2010;

One of the reasons I joined the Communist Party, looking back, was to break out of the bounds of capitalist solutions; to think systemically about needed change when viewed from the perspective of my class, working folks. Our Party would be strengthened in action and analysis by more strongly situating our short term tactical goals within the context of the ongoing strategic struggle for working class power and socialism.

Eric Brooks came into the Communist Party USA through the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

CP activists build the peace movement

Grassroots activists from around the country met in New York City on November 11–12, 2023 for a Communist Party USA peace conference. Responding to Israel’s razing of Gaza, the conference focused on demanding a ceasefire. “I really feel that we’re united and determined in this effort,” CPUSA co-chair Rossana Cambron remarked.

Throughout the weekend, the gathering’s participants were uplifted by songs of freedom led by artists belonging to the People's Music Network. “Our people’s music was a basic part of the proceedings,” said Ben Bath, the conference’s cultural coordinator.

Henry Lowendorf of the party’s Peace and Solidarity Commission asked the assembly, “How can we build on the ideas and energy of activists in labor, civil rights, environment, women, youth, and LGBTQ movements to change the militaristic policies of the Biden administration? How can we build broad unity around peace to defeat the extreme right in 2024?”

Moderated by the Rev. Annie Allen on Saturday and Angela Maske on Sunday, the conference featured presentations from leaders of the Communist Party of Israel and the Palestinian People's Party.

“The only solution to the occupation is a political agreement,” Aida Touma-Sliman of the Communist Party of Israel said.

Dr. Aqel Taqaz, the International Secretary for the Palestinian People's Party, which has a seat on the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, spoke on Sunday morning.

In his introduction to the conference, Lowendorf expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine and underlined the political battles ahead. “One thing we have before us is the toolkit provided by the Political Action Commission. It contains four pieces of legislation that support a cease-fire and ending arms sales to Israel; cutting the military budget and shifting those funds to end poverty, racism, and environmental devastation; and abolishing nuclear weapons.” He also called for ending the Cold War 2.0 against China, shutting down the 800 U.S. foreign military bases around the world, and dissolving NATO and AFRICOM.

Lisa Armstrong of the women’s collective declared. “In 2022, the average taxpayer gave $1,087 just for federal military contracts — four times what the same average taxpayer gave to K–12 education.” She highlighted the need for investments into child care and long-term care and expanding programs like the Child Tax Credit, SNAP, and other programs.

“There are peace constituencies alive and ready to build today’s peace movement,” Rosalio Urias Munoz of the Political Action Commission said. “This effort will take nuts and bolts organizing — working person to person, block to block, precinct by precinct, and engaging in other effective activities such as phone banks, petitions, delegations to our elected representatives, direct action, and more.”

“I do have some bad news,” Kooper Caraway of the Labor Commission warned. “Our bosses are still in charge of our government.” He connected the desperate situations they have created for working people to the poverty draft. “The reason it is important for the labor movement to build the peace movement is because our children are being funneled by our bosses into that vicious military-industrial complex.”

Dom Shannon, giving a report on behalf of the African American Equality Commission, called the trillion-dollar military budget a “form of welfare for the 0.01%.” Together with “money spent on … ICE and border patrol, and the funds spent on racist policing,” Shannon said it supports “the obscenely unequal distribution of wealth in the U.S. and globally under capitalism.”

Deb Wilmer, speaking on behalf of the Immigration Subcommittee on Saturday, pointed out that “immigration to the U.S. and globally today is fueled by the policies of imperialism.” Highlighting the fact that “racism is a primary driver of U.S. immigration policy and border militarization,”

“The most important thing that we could do,” Eric Brooks said on Sunday, “is meet people where they’re at, in the struggles that they’re already engaging in, and show how those struggles relate to the peace movement. We have to take the money that we’re spending now to oppress people and demand that money be spent for housing, for food, for education, for healthcare, for roads, and for potable water!”

For the Young Communist League USA, the issue of free speech loomed large as groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace are being banned on college campuses. “We believe the repression that is targeting youth activists right now is a part of the fascist offensive that is trying to erode away our people’s democratic rights,” YCL leader Aaron Booe noted. “There’s a lot of interest right now in learning how to concretely apply the principles of the popular front to the struggles of youth.”

Medicare for All

A coalition that includes the Indiana District of the Communist Party USA met on July 23 2022at Monument Circle in Indianapolis to demand passage of Medicare for All as a step toward addressing that problem. Over 75 people attended from all across the state.

Eric Brooks, chair of the CPUSA in Indiana, said “As a father, I want my daughter to be able to receive the health care she needs when she needs it. I want myself and all working, Black and Latina/o, women and children, LGBTQ and disabled, undocumented and imprisoned—all people—to have what the rich get effortlessly: quality affordable universal health care without insurance companies second-guessing the doctor.”

Adam Stant (SEIU Local 1), Paul Kaczocha (N.W. Indiana Medicare for All), Dr. Robert Stone (Hoosiers for a Common Sense Health Plan), Tracy Carson (March for M4A), Dr. Valerie McCray (State Senate candidate), and other speakers addressed the demonstration on why they support Medicare for All. AFSCME and SEIU Local 73 union members participated. James “Pick’em Up” Nelson MC’d the event.

At the July 23 event, Brooks said: “The Communist Party in Indiana is proud to join our voices with the demonstrators, united in democratic, people’s struggle, demanding Medicare for All. Let’s keep working together to build this movement and bring people to the ballot box.”

“Judas and the Black Messiah”

“Judas and the Black Messiah”: A conversation. Webinar April 11 @ 7:00 Pm - 8:30 Pm.

Are you ready for the revolution? Find out by a joining us for a conversation on the lessons of the Black Panther Party for today.

We’ll be talking with Frank Chapman, Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; Bea Lumpkin, long-time union and CP activist (Bea knew the Hampton family); Craig Gauthier, former Panther in the New Haven chapter and retired union member; Jafari Barrow, VA YCL coordinator; and Rossana Cambron, CPUSA co-chair.

Eric Brooks and Zenobia Thompson also participated.

Hosted by the CPUSA African American Equality Commission.

African American Equality Commission

CPUSA reforms the African American Equality Commission

Conveners Joe Sims, Zenobia Thompson, Eric Brooks

March 30, 2021

With reformation of the African American Equality Commission, CPUSA signals renewed focus on the Black community and anti-racist struggles

At the request of the National Committee of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), and building on the February 28, 2021, online event, “We’re Not Going Back! 2021 annual celebration of African-American culture and struggle,” on March 4, 2021, a convening committee was created to help reorganize the African American Equality Commission, CPUSA (AAEC).

The AAEC will support the CPUSA National Committee, clubs, and members in maintaining a focus on outreach and recruitment in the Black community, help the CPUSA strengthen the theoretical framework for a Marxist/Leninist understanding of the current struggles of the Black community in the USA, and spotlight struggles to improve Black living conditions.

The AAEC will encourage a party-wide dialog on the importance of infusing anti-racism and anti-misogyny issues into every struggle in which we participate, maintaining a special emphasis on the struggles of Black women.

On March 9, 2021, the first African American Equality Commission online meeting took place, in which a vital discussion ensued, committing to produce a report to the next NC meeting on the reformation of the AAEC, and to meet regularly going forward. The next AAEC meeting is scheduled for April 6, 2021.

The AAEC stands in solidarity with all people of color and workers globally fighting to meet their needs for food, housing, education, jobs, unionization and worker power, cultural activity, healthcare, and a healthy environment, and to end racist and misogynist violence. We stand against the destruction wrought by the capitalist exploitation of humanity and of the environment.

The AAEC is composed of members of the Communist Party USA focused on and supportive of the struggles of Black people in the United States against racist and political repression and violence, economic and physical. Its leadership includes many Black folks who are both long-term and newer members of the Communist Party USA, and friends.

Sanders supporter

Eric Brooks supported Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020.

Statement on Anti Blackness in the DSA

Statement on Anti Blackness in the DSA was released in February 2021:

We as the AfroSocialist and Socialists of Color Caucus stand in solidarity with the Black woman in DSA North Texas who was wrongfully suspended by DSA North Texas Co-chairs. This action by the DSA North Texas Co-chairs is racist and in particular anti-Black. This is not an isolated incident of racism but represents a pattern of anti-black and white supremacist actions within DSA which must be acknowledged, held accountable and systematically rooted out. There is a pattern of anti-black behavior that stems from the founding of DSA North Texas that has led to each generation of Co-chairs either perpetuating or being complicit in anti-black racism.

Signatories included Eric Brooks Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America.

WEB DuBois Clubs of America

In 2014, Eric Brooks was listed a a friend on the DuBois Clubs Facebook page.

Communist Party reformer

In 1991 Eric A. Brooks, New York was one of several hundred Communist Party USA membersto sign the a paper "An initiative to Unite and Renew the Party"-most signatories left the Party after the December 1991 conference to found Committees of Correspondence.

CPUSA member

In 2010, Eric Brooks was a member of the Communist Party USA in Indiana.

The struggle for socialism surrounds us; we operate inside the boundaries of this struggle daily. What Marx, Lenin, and other Marxist economists and historians describe in philosophical and economic terms is not dogmatic or inappropriate to the current day. Instead, these early socialist economists and philosophers provided the language and analysis of underlying dynamics that illuminates the current struggles and provides useful guidance on how to proceed.

Worker alliances with sectors of the exploiting class can be useful in certain limited circumstances. I see our Party's support for the Obama "agenda" — the agenda of the "fierce advocates" of a "fundamentally business friendly agenda" — as tactical and limited, and operating on just one plane of the multidimensional struggle that must be waged for working class power. However, there is no resolution of the underlying systemic contradictions impacting us today that can be achieved without resolute class struggle against all forms of exploitation and for socialism; a struggle that can't wait until tomorrow.

WAPE

The Seventh Annual Forum of the World Association for Political Economy (WAPE) was held 25-27 May 2012 at the National University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.

Erwin Marquit attended the meeting without presenting a paper. Wadih Halabi and Eric Brooks submitted papers, which were included in the proceedings, but neither one was actually present. I was the on ly CPUSA member attending.

Halabi and Brooks, both of whom identified themselves as members of the CPUSA, Halabi as a member of the Economics Commission and Brooks as chair of the Indiana District,

African American Equality Commission

In July 2015, Members of African American Equality Commission CP USA FaceBook group included Eric Brooks.

Communist

References

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