I Wor Kuen's 12 Point Program and Platform
(1969)
I Wor Kuen was a revolutionary organization that emerged in from the New Left among Asian nationalities in the U.S.; it began in 1969 and ended in September, 1978 when it merged with the August 29th Movement, another revolutionary organization with roots in the Chicano liberation struggle. (adapted from "Fists For Revolution" by Fred Ho, published in the excellent Legacy to Liberation: Politics and Culture of Revolutionary Asian Pacific America, which Ho edited.)Asian people in Amerika have been continually oppressed by the greedy, traitorous gangsters of our own communities and by the wider racist exploitative Amerikan society. We have been bombarded by the media (newpapers, T.V., radio, and schools) with false ideas about how we should accept our position in this society. They have tried to brainwash us and have even coerced us into going overseas and fighting against our own people in S.E. Asia.
But, Asian Amerikans have been fighting back against the oppression of this country ever since we first tasted the bitterness of Amerika’s racism and exploitation. The long and heroic history of the Asian Amerikan struggle inspired and strengthened us in our purpose. No longer can we endure these oppressive conditions. We cannot let our ancestors’ struggles go down in vain. We know who are our real enemies and friends and we have new strength for we are joining our sisters and brothers within this country and around the world to fight for freedom and justice against the rulers of this country.
We have tried the peaceful means of petition, courts, voting and even demonstrations. But our situation remained the same. We are not free.
We want to improve the living conditions of our people and are preparing to defend our communities against oppression and for revolutionary armed war against the gangsters, businessmen, politicians, and police. When a government oppresses the people and no longer serves the needs of the people, we have the right to abolish it and create a new one.
We are working for a world of peace, where the needs of the people come first, which is without class distinctions and is based upon the love and unity of all people.
The following 12 points are what we are fighting for:
1. WE WANT SELF-DETERMINATION FOR ALL ASIAN AMERIKANS.
The masses of Asian people in Amerika live in ghettoes which are like small colonies. The Amerikan capitalists continually try to make profit off us by trying to alter our entire way of life for their own benefit. We want liberation from this enslavement so we can determine our own destinies.
2. WE WANT SELF-DETERMINATION FOR ALL ASIANS.
Western imperialists have been invading and colonizing countries in Asia for the past 500 years. Amerikan imperialism, concentrating in Asia is now engaged in the most sadistic and genocidal war of aggression the world has ever seen. We want an immediate end to Amerikan imperialism.
3. WE WANT LIBERATION OF ALL THIRD WORLD PEOPLES AND OTHER OPPRESSED PEOPLES.
People of color, Asian, Black, Brown, Red are all fighting for liberation from Amerika’s racist oppression. Millions and millions of white people are also rising up to fight our common oppressor. We recognize that only when the oppression of all people is ended can we all really be free.
4. WE WANT AN END TO MALE CHAUVINISM AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.
The thousands of years of oppression under feudalism and capitalism have created institutions and myths of male supremacy over women. Man must fight along with sisters in the struggle for economic and social equality and must recognize that sisters make up over half of the revolutionary army. Sisters and brothers are equals fighting for our people.
5. WE WANT COMMUNITY CONTROL OF OUR INSTITUTIONS AND LAND.
These institutions in our communities such as the police, schools, health, housing, transportation, sanitation, anti-pollution, and welfare must be controlled by and serve the needs of the people and not be geared to the making of money. We want an end to our community being used to make profit for outsiders, such as slumlords and tourist agencies.
6. WE WANT AN EDUCATION THAT EXPOSES THE TRUE HISTORY OF WESTERN IMPERIALISM IN ASIA AND AROUND THE WORLD: WHICH TEACHES US THE HARDSHIPS AND STRUGGLES OF OUR ANCESTORS IN THIS LAND AND WHICH REVEALS THE TRULY DECADENT EXPLOITATIVE NATURE OF AMERIKAN SOCIETY.
The Amerikan imperialists have tried to justify their world empire by covering up the inhuman deeds they perpetrated in Asia and to the rest of the Third World. They also try to brainwash us in school with racist history which does not tell of the degradation, oppression and humiliation Asians and other Third World People have been forced to suffer in Amerika. We want to learn of the heroic and inspiring struggles Asian people have conducted throughout the world as well as in Amerika.
7. WE WANT DECENT HOUSING AND HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
The institutions of housing, health, and child care are set up only to make money for landlords, doctors, hospitals and drug companies. We want housing, health, and child care that gives us life and not slow death.
8. WE WANT FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS AND ALL ASIANS.
Our Asian brothers and sisters in Amerika’s racist jails should be set free for they were not tried by their peers (other Asian brothers and sisters). Political prisoners are jailed because they fought for their freedom and basic rights as human beings. They all must be set free.
9. WE WANT AN END TO THE AMERIKAN MILITARY.
The Amerikan military machine is butchering people throughout the world, especially in Asia. The end of the Amerikan military will be one of the greatest events in the history of the liberation of mankind. We want all Asian Amerikans exempt from military servitude.
10. WE WANT AN END TO RACISM.
White racism has been oppressing Third World People for the past 500 years. Although we recognize and firmly support the progressive white people in the anti-imperialist struggle, we should continue to struggle against white racism on all levels. The racism towards Third World People toward each other is being broken down and a new unity is being created in our struggle against our common enemy.
11. WE WANT AN END TO THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF AMERIKA.
From its beginning, Amerika has been a robber country. It stole land by the use of armed force from native Amerikans, Chicanos and Latinos, and other peoples. Amerika can now only maintain its present boundaries both internally and externally by the threat and use of violence. We want free passage of all people to and from Amerika. The people of the world have built Amerika, and they must now determine its destiny. Amerika has also tried to blind those who live here as to the realities of socialism by restricting information from and travel to the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Albania, North Korea, and North Vietnam. We want open boundaries and an end to immigration and emigration harassment.
12. WE WANT A SOCIALIST SOCIETY.
What exists in Amerika today is a society where one man in order to survive must exploit his fellow man. We want a society that works for the fulfillment of human needs. We want decent housing, health, child care, employment, sanitation, and old age care. We want a society where no man or woman will die due to lack of food, medical care or housing, where each gives according to his ability and takes according to his need.
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