Black Sections Candidates for the NEC 1986

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This document from 1986 presents the demands and political stance of the Black Sections candidates for the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC). It outlines their calls for formal recognition within the party, opposition to exclusionary tactics, and their commitment to anti-racist and internationalist causes. The document highlights key political struggles faced by Black members within the Labour Party and their broader fight against racism and neo-colonialism.

Key points:
– Black Sections demand formal recognition and representation at all levels of the Labour Party, including the national constitution.
– The party leadership's creation of a 'Black and Asian advisory committee' and the expulsion of leading Black activists are criticized as divisive tactics.
– The candidates oppose any committees not democratically elected by Black members and reject 'witch-hunting' of socialists within the party.
– They advocate for anti-imperialist international solidarity, including support for liberation movements in South Africa and Palestine, and British withdrawal from Ireland and NATO.
– A detailed set of demands targets apartheid South Africa, including immediate disinvestment, trade union boycotts, the release of political prisoners, and breaking diplomatic ties.

This document reflects the political activism of Bernie Grant and the Black Sections campaign within the Labour Party during the 1980s, a crucial period for Black British political organisation. It demonstrates the fight against institutional racism within the party and solidarity with global struggles against apartheid and imperialism. These demands align with the broader movement for racial justice, trade union rights, and internationalism that defined Black British politics of the era.

Source note: The OCR transcript contains minor errors and formatting inconsistencies, but the main text and key points are clearly interpretable from the content provided.