Mass Party Organizing Committee

Mass Party Organizing Committee
Name	Mass Party Organizing Committee
Formation	1973
Dissolved	1979
Type	Political organization
Purpose	Independent political party formation, Black Power, Socialism
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Region served	United States
Key people	Jesse Jackson, Larry Holmes, Monica Moorehead

Mass Party Organizing Committee

The Mass Party Organizing Committee (MPOC) was a New Left political organization active in the United States from 1973 to 1979. It was formed with the primary goal of building a new, independent mass party for working-class people, particularly from the African-American community, as an alternative to the Democratic and Republican parties. The MPOC represented a significant strategic evolution within the Black Power movement, seeking to translate the energy of the Civil Rights and Black Power era into durable political power through electoral and organizing work.

Formation and Historical Context

The MPOC was founded in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois, a major center of Black politics and labor organizing. Its formation was a direct response to the perceived limitations of the Civil rights movement's focus on Desegregation and the subsequent frustrations with the Democratic Party's failure to deliver substantive economic justice. Key organizers, many of whom were veterans of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, argued that the Two-party system was structurally incapable of addressing systemic racism and capitalist exploitation. The political climate was also shaped by the decline of the Black Panther Party and the search for new forms of Black political organization following the gains of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Ideology and Political Objectives

Ideologically, the MPOC synthesized principles of Black nationalism, socialism, and Independent politics. It rejected both bourgeois liberalism and dogmatic Marxism-Leninism, advocating instead for a "mass party" rooted in the daily struggles of the Working class. Its core objective was to build a national, class-based political party independent of corporate control. The MPOC's platform emphasized Economic justice, including full employment, a Guaranteed minimum income, national healthcare, and tenants' rights. It viewed Electoral politics not as an end in itself, but as a tool for mass mobilization and Political education.

Key Activities and Campaigns

The MPOC's work centered on local organizing and electoral campaigns designed to demonstrate the potential of independent politics. A major focus was the 1975 Chicago mayoral election, where the organization supported a challenge to the powerful Democratic machine of Mayor Richard J. Daley. It also engaged in Voter registration drives and ran candidates for local offices in cities like Detroit and Newark. Beyond elections, the MPOC was active in labor struggles, supporting unionization efforts and strikes, and in community campaigns against Police brutality and for Affordable housing. It published a newspaper, *The Organizer*, to disseminate its ideas and coordinate activities.

Relationship to Broader Civil Rights Movement

The MPOC occupied a distinct space in the post-Civil Rights Act landscape. It was critical of the mainstream Civil rights movement's alignment with the Democratic Party, exemplified by figures like Bayard Rustin and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Instead, it aligned more closely with the radical wing of the Black Power movement and sought alliances with other New Left groups, Puerto Rican independistas, and progressive labor unions. The MPOC's strategy represented a bridge between the direct action and Community control demands of the late 1960s and the Rainbow Coalition politics that would emerge in the 1980s.

Internal Structure and Leadership

The MPOC operated as a centrally coordinated but membership-driven organization. It established chapters in several industrial cities with significant Black populations. Key national leaders included Larry Holmes, a prominent activist and theoretician, and Monica Moorehead, who would later help found the Workers World Party. The organization also attracted support from high-profile figures like Jesse Jackson, whose own Operation PUSH shared some ideological ground, though Jackson's relationship with the MPOC was often one of parallel activity rather than formal membership. Internal debates often focused on the balance between Electoral politics and Revolutionary theory.

Legacy and Impact

Although the MPOC dissolved by 1979, failing in its immediate goal of founding a nationwide mass party, its impact was significant. It served as an important incubator for activists and ideas that influenced subsequent political movements. The concept of an independent political vehicle for Black and progressive voters directly presaged the 1984 and 1988 Jesse Jackson presidential campaigns and the broader Rainbow Coalition. Its analysis of the two-party system and emphasis on grassroots political independence informed later efforts like the Green Party of the United States and the Black Lives Matter movement's forays into Electoral politics. The MPOC is remembered as a bold attempt to answer the enduring question of how to build a progressive political force in the United States.