On October 1, Studies for the Liberation of Aztlán and Latin America (SLALA) officially accepted the leadership of the Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM). Similar to the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League (RAIL) and United Struggle from Within (USW), SLALA is mass organization open to all people who support the right of nations to self determination, including the necessity of armed struggle against imperialism. SLALA differs from RAIL only in its focus on organizing among the people of Aztlán and Latin American sojourners.
The founders of SLALA express admiration for Marxism-Leninism-Maoism in general and MIM in particular. This is why they approached MIM to from a mass organization explicitly led by MIM. Some SLALA members may go on to join the multi-national MIM or a future fraternal, single-nationality Maoist party. Some SLALA members may never do so. There will always be people who are ready to join mass organizations like SLALA and RAIL but not a Maoist party -- perhaps because they have not made up their minds about Maoism yet, perhaps because they do not wish all the rigors of party membership. While MIM hopes that these people will go on to join a Maoist party, we honor the important role played by non-party organizations like RAIL and SLALA.
SLALA aims to be a link between the multi-national MIM and the spontaneous mass movement in Aztlán. SLALA should organize revolutionary activity amongst the people of Aztlán and Latin American sojourners to broaden and strengthen the Maoist-led anti-imperialist movement in u.$. borders.
SLALA clearly and unrelentingly identifies the problems of Aztlán and Latin America as rooted in imperialist production where finance capital is dominant and export of capital reaps international superprofits. These superprofits form the material basis for reformism, complacency, and support for Amerikan imperialism among internal semi-colonies like Aztlán. SLALA members are internationalists. SLALA recognizes that armed struggle for national liberation as the only viable solution to the problems facing the people of Latin America and Aztlán.
SLALA plans to provide material assistance to Notas Rojas, MIM's Spanish-language newsletter, in the form of writers, translators, production help, fundraisers, distributors, etc. SLALA also aims to launch its own regular, self-supporting newsletter. In this way, SLALA will help develop a forum which will expose the masses of Aztlán to Maoist-led anti-imperialism, which will advance the righteous demands of the masses, and which will criticize the shortcomings of reformism and liberal politics.
SLALA studies the class structure of internal colonies and the appropriate means to organize all of the classes of Aztlán that can be rallied in order to create a mass, Maoist-led anti-imperialist movement.
SLALA's foundation reflects the correctness of MIM's theoretical and organizational line, persistent ideological struggle by MIM and SLALA organizers, and the hard work of SLALA and MIM.
MIM leads SLALA. In practice, this means that SLALA members do not hide the fact of MIM leadership and do not uphold the leadership of any other party or organization with a worked out political line (like Trotskyism, etc.). SLALA accepts open criticism from the MIM as a necessary condition to promote the strategic tasks of the organization and unity between the MIM and SLALA.
Voting members of SLALA represent the leadership of SLALA and have a say on what projects are done and how they are implemented. Voting members of SLALA do not disagree with the three cardinal points (see p. 2). It is Ok if voting members do not have a position on these principles, but they must not disagree with them. For example, voting members do not actively oppose the theory that there is a sizeable labor-aristocracy even inside internal semi-colonies.
Voting members take an active role in planning and carrying out SLALA activities. This includes providing financial support for SLALA.
Non-voting members of SLALA engage in theoretical struggle (e.g., argument over the nature of Amerika's militarization of its borders, or over whether anarchism or Leninism provides the most effective organizing model), agree to abide by the guidelines of study (see the document Guidelines for Study) and credit MIM and SLALA leadership with what they gather from SLALA-led study, events, and literature. Non-voting members considering or currently carrying out the tasks of voting members are encouraged to become voting members.
For more information on SLALA email pc_aztlan@hotmail.com
For more information on MIM and RAIL email mim@mim.org