Jose Velazquez

From KeyWiki

Jose E. Velazquez

Contents 1 Cuba trip 2 MPLA support 3 2000 WFP Convention 4 References

Cuba trip

According to Portia Sieglebaum, writing in the Communist Party USA's Daily World, Wednesday March 3, 1976 page 4, in late February, the Marxist-Leninist Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola and Angola government officials led a two-dav seminar in Havana to acquaint a large United States delegation with the struggle of the Angolan people.

A day and a half presentation by three Angolan leaders: Commandante Dibala, a member of the MPLA central committee and political commissar of the Eastern Front; Olga Lima, director of political affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Relations; and Pedro Zinga Baptista, a member of the Foreign relations department of the MPLA, was followed by a question and answer period. The MPLA spokesmen affirmed that MPLA doesn't believe that revolutions can be exported, but that it does believe that examples are followed.

Attending the seminar were 26 North Americans representing a wide range of organizations as well as several journalists.

Among the representatives were Marjorie Boehm from Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; James Bristol of the American Friends Service Committee; Robert Chrisman of the magazine Black Scholar: Henry Foner of the Fur and Leather Workers Joint Board; George Houser of the American Committee on Africa; Lee Johnson of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; Brenda Jones of Freedomways Magazine: Willis Logan of the Africa Office, National Council of Churches; Anthony Monteiro of National Anti-Imperialist Movement in Solidarity with African Liberation ; Patricia Murray of National Conference of Black Lawyers; Antonio Rodriguez of Centra de Accion Social Autonomo (acasa), a Chicano organization and Jose Velazquez of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party.

A telegram sent to the gathering by Rep.Charles Diggs (D-Mich) expressed regret that he could not attend and offered his hope for a frank and fruitful meeting.

MPLA support

The Angola Support Conference came into existence to organize a conference to support the MPLA held in Chicago, May 28-30, 1976. The Conference supported the MPLA and opposed U.S. and South African intervention in Angola. The sponsors were organizations supporting the MPLA from around the country. After the Chicago conference, the organization continued its activities with Prexy Nesbitt serving as national coordinator. Sponsors were;

• Barbara Barnes, MPLA Solidarity Committee
• Marjorie M. Boehm, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
• James E. Bristol, American Friends Service Committee
• Robert S. Browne, Black Economic Research Center
• Robert Chrisman; Black Scholar
• Johnnetta B. Cole; National Committee of the Venceremos Brigade
• Henry Foner, Amalgamated Meatcutters and Butcherworkmen of North America;
• Larry Holmes; Youth Against War and Fascism
• George M. Houser, American Committee on Africa
• A. Lee Johnson, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
• Brenda J. Jones, Freedomways Magazine
• Edgar Lockwood, Washington Office on Africa;
• Willis Logan, Africa Office, National Council of Churches
• Anthony Monteiro, National Anti-Imperialist Movement in Solidarity with African Liberation
• Patricia Murray, National Council of Black Lawyers
• Prexy Nesbitt, US Out of Angola Committee and Chicago Committee for the Liberation of Angola, Mozambique and Guinea
• Moses Newsom, Afro-American Newspapers
• Lance Pustin, Prairie Fire Organizing Committee
• Anthony H. Rodrigues, CSAS-General Brotherhood of Workers
• Michael Simmons, Third World Coalition/Southwest Workers Federation
• Jose E. Velazquez, Partide Socialista Pertorriquena
• Joe Walker, Bilalian News. .^[1]

2000 WFP Convention

The New York Working Families Party 2000 Convention was held at the Desmond Hotel, March 26.

Attendees included;

• Jim Duncan, WFP co-chair and statewide political director of the United Auto Workers
• Bertha Lewis, WFP co-chair and chair of New York ACORN
• Bob Masters, WFP co-chair and statewide political director of the Communication Workers of America
• State Senator Eric Schneiderman
• Chris Silvera, Treasurer of Teamsters local 808
• Dennis Hughes, president New York Federation of Labor
• Jose Velazquez, Lithographers local 1 organizer
• Ed Vargas, director of the state council of UNITE
• Karen Scharff, executive director of Citizen Action New York
• Jim Hightower
• Maude Hurd, national chair of ACORN
• Bradley Erck, a rep. on the Niagara County legislature and UAW Local 686, legislative committee chair
• Larry Handley, President Amalgamated Transit Union
• Arthur Cheliotes, president of Communication Workers of America local 1180
• Hillary Clinton

There were sizable delegations from ACORN and Citizen Action.^[2]

References