Below is the final draft of the Constitution of The African People's Socialist Party (APSP), to be adopted at our 5th Congress, scheduled from July 10 thru 14 this year. This is the document, through many months of grueling work, that is being put forth by the duly appointed Constitutional Commission of the APSP-USA. It has been again revised since our worldwide online study held June 27 on UhuruNews.com to reflect input and discussion from that study.

We place it again in your hands, the membership of the whole Party, to study and be prepared to make an informed decision when the time comes to vote it up or down, or make changes that are initiated by members in good standing with the Party.

We must read and study this document intensely, because it will be the law and order within our organization. The Constitution of the APSP-USA will be yours. You must consider your vote on your Constitution as important as the vote on your leadership.

To facilitate efforts for a universal understanding within the Party of our Constitution, the Party's Agit-Prop Department is will continue the online study on Sunday, July 4, from 4pm-6pm U.S. Eastern that will be broadcast as video over UhuruNews.com and as audio over UhuruRadio.com.

This live study will be led by Constitutional Committee Chair, Chimurenga Waller and others who sit on that commission. The general public is also invited to this study.

Forward to the 5th Congress of the African People's Socialist Party!

» Download the APSP-USA Constitution (PDF 201KB)


PREAMBLE



WHEREAS the world political economy has its origins in the attack on Africa, which includes the capture of Africa and the trade in African people, initiating the foundation of the modern world economy and the genesis of capitalism;



WHEREAS the initial attack on Africa provided the process wherein European imperialist or “racist” consciousness, the European nation, bourgeois democracy, imperialist wealth, the industrial revolution and capitalism were forged, totally wiping out the indigenous political economies of Africa and transforming Africa into a continent whose purpose was to provide for the creation and re-creation of real life for Europe and North America;



WHEREAS this process of slavery and various other forms of colonialism that gave rise to the parasitic capitalist system and the European nation also stemmed from the attack on Africa which undermined the consolidation of African national consciousness and the African nation itself;



WHEREAS the existing economic structures of Africa were born of the slave trade and modified to accommodate colonialism and neocolonialism, serving as a means of transferring Africa’s resources to Europe, North America and increasingly to other countries and manipulating the political situation in Africa to serve hostile, foreign economic interests at the expense of our people;



WHEREAS through slavery and colonialism the human and material wealth of Africa and other areas of the world was forcibly transferred to Europe, contributing to the overthrow of European feudalism, the installation of capitalism and the rise of heretofore nonexistent social forces such as the capitalist class and the working class, both of which owe their existence to slavery and colonialism;



WHEREAS the brutal conditions of existence in Africa today were born of this parasitic relationship upon which the entire imperialist edifice rests;



WHEREAS in order to facilitate this European orgy of plunder of our resources, Africa was divided into untenable, distorted microstates that function primarily as structures to transfer Africa’s resources to imperialist countries and corporations;



WHEREAS Africans forcibly dispersed from Africa continue to live in various states of economic deprivation and political subjugation including domestic or internal colonialism in places like the U.S. and Canada;



WHEREAS the primary struggle of African people within the U.S. is to overthrow the alien U.S. colonial domination that is responsible for virtually every hardship imposed on our people that is identifiable as a “black” problem, including poor, inadequate and hostile education in colonial institutions; shortages of healthcare in colonially controlled communities that induce poor health; housing often unfit for human habitation; and denial of a general ability to acquire sufficient and decent food, clothing and shelter;



WHEREAS the conditions of existence of African people within the U.S. is characterized by colonial military police occupation, inhumane police violence against, and massive incarceration of, African people;



WHEREAS, in the face of the great need for economic development and self-serving productive work within our oppressed communities, Africans colonized within the U.S. endure chronic unemployment and underemployment;



WHEREAS our domestically colonized community also suffers from the imposition of an illegal drug economy and massive infusions of legal and illegal drugs by U.S. colonial agencies, leading to African community demoralization and legal justification for designer laws and collective punishment of African people, especially of the working class communities;



WHEREAS since the era of Marcus Garvey in the early 20th Century most African national liberation movements have fought for power within the colonially-created borders, thereby guaranteeing even with a “successful” outcome to our struggle that we continue to be dependent on a relationship with the imperialists for our own resources, since the imposed colonial borders prevent the emergence of a truly significant All-African national economy;



WHEREAS Africa’s colonial enslavement contributed to the rise of capitalism, which introduced a poorly-formed, primitive social force in the form of the African petty bourgeoisie with interests separate from that of the masses of African toilers and that achieves its identity primarily through its relationship to imperialism;



WHEREAS the African primitive petty bourgeoisie, as a social force, is capable of realizing its class aims and aspirations within the context of the existing capitalist/imperialist system with its attendant derivatives such as the division of Africa into post-colonial, ill-formed neocolonial states that help to limit the consolidation of African national consciousness and the African nation itself;



WHEREAS the neocolonial state serves as the incubator for the reproduction of the primitive petty bourgeoisie as a social force;



WHEREAS the African Liberation Movement, both in Africa and abroad has run into its limitations when fought within the imperialist-imposed borders;



WHEREAS throughout the African world the African working class is the most dynamic social force in society and creator of all material value upon which all growth and development rely, and is the only social force that cannot realize its aims without the complete destruction of the imperialist economic structures, including the false borders that separate Africans from each other and our resources in Africa and abroad;



WHEREAS the African working class, forcibly dispersed throughout the world, is strategically located and delegated by history with the task of liberating and uniting Africa and African people, a necessary occurrence for genuine liberation;



WHEREAS the African working class, because of its historical significance, has the responsibility of liberating the African nation and becoming the new ruling class;



WHEREAS such responsibility requires the international African working class to organize a capacity for collective action by African workers of different countries, including Africans in imperialist-created, artificial, trans-colonial countries of Africa and those in countries to which Africans have been forcibly dispersed;



WHEREAS we, the advanced detachment of the African working class and its general staff, have organized this international organization to pursue the goal of the liberation and unification of Africa and African people under the leadership of the African working class as a critical component of the struggle to overthrow imperialism and all its representations and manifestations, including all forms of colonialism, and the establishment of the international dictatorship of the working class;



WE RESOLVE to build and consolidate the African People’s Socialist Party-USA as an integral part of international struggle to overthrow capitalist imperialism and its neocolonial minions in order to achieve the unification and liberation of Africa and African people under the leadership of the African working class and build a society which will, as declared by Kwame Nkrumah, “advance the triumph of the international socialist revolution, and onward progress towards world communism, under which, every society is ordered on the principle of – from each according to … ability, to each according to … needs.”



ARTICLE 1.0 NAME AND LEGAL STATUS

1.1 The name of the Party shall be the African People’s Socialist Party-USA (Hereafter and herein referred to as the APSP-USA, the Party or the Organization). The APSP-USA is a component of the African Socialist International (ASI).

1.2 The APSP-USA shall exist in its own name separate from its members and constituent organizations. It shall continue to exist even when its membership changes and there are new members, member organizations or officers.

1.3 Furthermore the Party shall be able to own its own property and other possessions, as well as be able to sue and be sued in its own name.

1.4 The Party is also the sole and exclusive owner of all real and intellectual property in its possession and has sole and exclusive rights in the control and dispersal of its real and intellectual property as determined by the National Central Committee. Safeguards, including trademarks and copyrights will be used to secure the intellectual and real property of the Party.

1.5 All members and officers of the Party understand that all work done by them on behalf of the Party remains the possession of the Party.



ARTICLE 2.0 THE APSP RELATIONSHIP TO THE AFRICAN SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL (ASI)

2.1 The APSP-USA subscribes and adheres to the program and political philosophy of the ASI, including the ASI Main Resolution. The ASI is an international, revolutionary party with component national organizations in different countries operating under the name African People’s Socialist Party. (Example: APSP-USA, APSP-United Kingdom, APSP-South Africa, etc.)



ARTICLE 3.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

3.1 The aims and objectives of the APSP-USA are to lead the struggle of the African working class and oppressed masses against U.S. capitalist-colonialist domination and all the manifestations of oppression and exploitation that result from this relationship. The Party recognizes that the particular character of the oppression of African people within U.S. borders is domestic or internal colonialism. Leading the struggle to end the system of domestic colonialism and smash the U.S. capitalist-colonialist state is the immediate task of the African People’s Socialist Party-USA and the African working class in the U.S.

3.2 The Party aims to advance the genuine liberation and unification of Africa and African people through its work as the U.S. Front of the worldwide African Revolution, and from this political vantage point fight for the creation of a single All-African Socialist State which will advance the development of a classless, communist society organized around the principle of, from each according to her or his ability and to each according to her or his needs.

3.3 The Party works for the emancipation of the laboring masses of the world in every country in the contest against national oppression and capitalist exploitation and to advance the solidarity of all peoples in the relentless battle against imperialism and for the victory of world socialism.

3.4 The Party aims to establish a formidable working alliance with progressive parties or forums that subscribe to the goals of the liberation and unification of Africa and African people under the leadership of the African working class and the toiling masses in general.



ARTICLE 4.0 MEMBERSHIP

4.1 Membership of the APSP-USA shall be drawn from individuals that meet the following basic requirements:
4.1.1 Every member must voluntarily unite with Party rules and policies.

4.1.2 Every member must be African and 18 years of age or older. In special circumstances the age requirement may be waived subject to the approval of the Party National Central Committee (NCC).

4.1.3 Every member must unite with the aims of the Party as defined in the program of the Party and its Constitution.

4.1.4 Every member does active work in an organization under the leadership and discipline of the Party.

4.1.5 Every member actively distributes the press of the APSP-USA.

4.1.6 Every member adheres to all policies established by the Party Congress and decisions of the National Central Committee (NCC).

4.1.7 Every prospective member of the Party must have studied the Party Constitution and program.

4.1.8 Every applicant for membership must be sponsored by a Party member in good standing.

4.1.9 The Party is at liberty to accept or reject applications for membership.

4.1.10 The procedure for admitting a member shall be completed when the prospective member is introduced to a special meeting of Party members whose task shall be to evaluate the prospective member’s application for approval or rejection.

4.1.11 Upon approval of an application for membership, the new member will serve a probation period of six months and will become a member in good standing if all requirements have been met at the end of that period.

4.1.12 Employed members shall pay a total of one hour’s wage per month for dues. Monthly dues for unemployed workers, incarcerated members, and students will be established by the NCC and shall be adjusted as needed.

4.1.13 Members of the Party may be disciplined for conduct or actions detrimental to the Party. Discipline may include public or written self-criticism, expulsion, public censure, and suspension from Party work or removal from positions of authority.

4.1.14 Reasons for disciplinary action shall include but are not limited to violations of the rules of Party discipline, violation of the Party Constitution, theft of Party or movement resources, falsification of information written or verbal on application or other Party documents, exhibiting disunity with the program and policies of the Party, non-authorized abandonment of post or position or any actions that serve to discredit the Party or its programs in the eyes of the African masses or our allies.

4.1.15 A formal charge must be made against a member and a subsequent inquiry to determine the validity of the charges before any discipline is administered.

4.1.16 In the event that a member is expelled from the Party, the member may submit an appeal in writing to the next highest committee for reconsideration. An appeal may be submitted all the way up to the Party Congress. The Congress decision will end the appeal process.

4.1.17 The Party Organization Manual shall be used for guidance when necessary for clarification concerning Party discipline and other issues not specified in the Constitution.



ARTICLE 5.0 PRINCIPLE OF PARTY ORGANIZATION

5.1 The organizational principle through which the APSP-USA is organized and under which it operates is democratic centralism. Democracy in the component APSP-USA organizations is practiced under a centralized leadership in accordance with democratic ethos. Democratic Centralism is a system of Party organization, which combines the maximum involvement of the membership in determining policy and in the democratic election of leading APSP-USA committee leaders, together with the best forms of centralized leadership in the activities of the APSP-USA.

5.1.1 After a thorough discussion in any Party structure surrounding an activity or policy and a decision is made by the Party structure, the decision must be carried out by all unreservedly, even if a minority of the particular organization is in disagreement.

5.1.2 All leading committees of the Party, from the lowest to the highest body, that are not appointed by a legitimate higher Party organization, are elected by the membership or delegates of the given Party organization.

5.1.3 Every elected or appointed APSP-USA committee leader must report regularly on its activity to its respective Party organization and the appropriate higher APSP-USA committees.

5.1.4 The lower Party committees and all Party members have the duty of carrying out the decisions of the higher Party committees, the NCC and the National Congress. Decisions of the National Congress and the NCC and the higher APSP-USA committees are binding upon the lower APSP-USA organizations and the entire membership.

5.1.5 An appeal of a decision by a Party Committee or constituent organization shall meet the following protocol:

a. A written request for reconsideration must be sent to the next highest level of the Party organization or committee and copied to the appellant’s organization if the member works inside a constitutionally constituted Party Organization.

b. A majority of 75 percent of the leadership body of the organization or committee considering the appeal must accept the reconsideration issue before it can be implemented.

c. Issues of policy, procedure and discipline of members can be reconsidered, whereas constitutional language shall not be reconsidered except during the designated pre-Congress discussion period. Approval of constitutional language can only be executed at the National Party Congress.

d. All appeals of decisions made to the next leading committee shall be heard by the respective body within 90 days or at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the committee, whichever occurs first.

e. Appeals may be made to successive leading committees up to and including the APSP-USA Congress. Decisions of the APSP-USA Congress are final.

f. While the appeal is pending, the decision that is being appealed must be carried out by all members of the APSP-USA.

g. No member of the APSP-USA has the right to violate the process of appealing APSP-USA decisions.

h. No member has the right to secretly meet with others to circumvent the processes set forth by the APSP-USA. This is factionalism, which is not permissible within the Party.



ARTICLE 6.0 STRUCTURE OF THE APSP-USA

6.1 NATIONAL CONGRESS

6.1.1 The National Party Congress shall be held every three years, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025 and every 3 years after.

6.1.2 The National Party Congress shall be the highest decision making body of the APSP-USA.

6.1.3 The National Party Congress shall elect members of the National Central Committee (NCC).

6.1.4 The National Party Congress shall receive and engage reports from national office bearers.

6.1.5 The National Party Congress shall be the final body of appeal on any decisions of policy, constitutional amendments, or discipline of members.

6.1.6 The National Party Congress shall be empowered to review any resolution, program of action and any policy of the organization.

6.1.7 The National Party Congress shall review and amend the Constitution when and if necessary.

6.1.8 Prior to each National Party Congress a four month period shall be provided for discussion in all Party organizations and leading Party committees on the Political Report or Main Resolution, the Party Program and Constitution, to adopt resolutions on all questions of Party policy for consideration by the Congress. All policies and decisions, however, remain in full force during the pre-Congress discussions.

6.2 NATIONAL CENTRAL COMMITTEE

6.2.1 The National Central Committee (NCC) is the leading body of the African People’s Socialist Party-USA between National Party Congresses. The NCC shall be empowered to call or delay special congresses under extraordinary circumstances such as natural disasters, political atmosphere not conducive to effecting a congress, or changes in laws that make the convening of a congress impossible.

6.2.2 The National Central Committee shall meet quarterly per year, whenever practicable, with notice of meetings and agendas sent to NCC members at least two weeks prior to meetings. Additional meetings shall be called with the approval of one-third of the sitting members of the National Central Committee.

6.2.3 The elected officers of the NCC shall be elected at the National Party Congress. To be eligible for election or appointment as an officer of the NCC, a Party member shall have been in good standing (not on probation and dues paid in full before the election) for one year prior to the election, must not have been the subject of any disciplinary action within the year prior to the election. The eligibility rules may be waived by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the sitting NCC. The officers of the NCC are as follows:

a. Chairperson

b. Deputy Chairperson

c. Secretary General

d. National Director of Organization

e. Director of International Affairs

f. National Director of Agitation and Propaganda

g. National Director of Economic Development and Finance

h. National Director of Recruitment and Membership

i. National Director of the African Women’s Commission

j. National Director of the African Youth Commission

k. National Director of the African Farmers and Agricultural Workers Commission

l. National Director of the African Labor Commission

m. Regional representatives from each of the six (6) Party designated regions of the USA

6.2.4 The National Director of Security is appointed under the prerogative powers of the Chairperson. This is a non-voting position on the NCC.

6.2.5 Officers of the Secretariat

a. Secretary General

b. National Director of Organization

c. Director of International Affairs

d. National Director of Agitation and Propaganda

e. National Director of Economic Development and Finance

f. National Director of Recruitment and Membership

6.2.6 The Secretariat is that body of National Central Committee offices collectively responsible for overseeing the day-to-day implementation of Party policy as determined by the National Party Congress and the National Central Committee and guided by the Secretary General in consultation with the Office of the Chairperson.

6.2.7 The Secretariat shall meet not less than eight times per year, whenever practical, during the months of February, March, May, June, August, September, November and December, with notices of meetings and agendas sent to officers of the Secretariat not less than one week prior to meetings.

6.2.8 Appointed NCC Members from constituent organizations

6.2.9 Officers may be appointed to the NCC from constituent organizations as the situation may require with a two-thirds affirmative vote from sitting NCC members. Examples of such organizations are:

a. International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement

b. All African People’s Development and Empowerment Project

c. African National Prison Organization

d. African Internationalist Student Organization

6.3 Cooptation may be utilized to fill vacancies in the National Central Committee. Officers may be appointed to the NCC using the process of cooptation with a two-thirds affirmative vote of sitting NCC members in the event that the election at the National Party Congress does not fill all positions on the NCC. The process of cooptation may be utilized to fill positions on the NCC in the event a member of the NCC becomes incapacitated, dies in office or is removed from office. (Note: Cooptation will not be utilized to replace the Chairperson, the protocol for which being defined in Article 9.0 Powers and Functions of Officers of The National Central Committee under the job description for the Secretary General)

6.4 Officers of the NCC may be removed from office for cause. Removal from office may be executed for gross misconduct, theft or misuse of Party resources, violations of the Party Constitution, exhibiting disunity with the Party program or policies, persistent failure to perform the duties and responsibilities of office or position or any actions that serve to discredit or undermine the Party or its programs. An officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the sitting NCC after a formal charge is levied against an officer and the charges are substantiated by a Party inquiry.

6.5 The Regional Conference shall implement the discussion of the Political Report to the National Party Congress, Party constitutional amendments, policy change proposals, development and review of resolutions for presentation at the National Party Congress. Nominations of Regional Representatives to the National Central Committee shall be effected at the Regional Conferences to be ratified by the entire Party at the National Party Congress. Each region consists of Local Party Organizations.

6.5.1 The Regional Conference shall convene every three years, or at least three months before each National Party Congress.

6.5.2 Each area of the USA will constitute one of six regions: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, and West.

6.6 The Regional Committee is the leading body of the Region between Regional Conferences. The responsibilities of the Regional Committee shall include but are not limited to overseeing the organization, development, building and growth of Local Party Organizations within the region, providing training for local leaders within the region and organizing the Regional Conference. The Regional Committee will meet on a quarterly basis and may increase the meeting schedule as needed for the efficient operation of the Region. Powers and functions of officers of the NCC will apply to RC officers with necessary changes.

6.6.1 Officers of the APSP-USA Regional Committees (RC) are as follows:

a. Regional Representative

b. Regional Secretary

c. Regional Coordinator of Organization

d. Regional Coordinator of Agitation and Propaganda

e. Regional Coordinator of Economic Development and Finance

f. Regional Coordinator of Recruitment and Membership

g. Regional Coordinator of the African Women’s Commission

h. Regional Coordinator of the African Youth Commission

i. Regional Coordinator of the African Farmers and Agricultural Workers Commission

j. Regional Coordinator of the African Labor Commission

6.6.2 The Regional Coordinator of Security is appointed by the Regional Representative in consultation with the National Chairperson. This is a non-voting position on the Regional Committee

6.7 Local Party Organizations (LPO) are subordinate to and located within a particular region of the USA. The Local Party Organization is the next level of organization below the Region. The Local Party Organization is a citywide structure of lower Party Units. The Officers of the LPO are elected on an annual basis. The offices of the LocaL Party Lead Organizer, Local Party Secretary, and the Local Party Organizer for Recruitment and Membership shall be mandatory in the LPO structure.( (Note: The NCC has designated some cities as exceptions to the citywide LPO structure. This will include New York City where each borough is to be considered a city because of the large populations. The NCC maintains the right to designate other cities in a similar manner to maximize the efficient operation of the LPO)

6.7.1 Officers of the Local Party Organization are as follows:

a. Local Party Lead Organizer

b. Local Party Secretary

c. Local Party Organizer for Agitation and Propaganda

d. Local Party Organizer for Economic Development and Finance

e. Local Party Organizer for Recruitment and Membership

f. Local Party Burning Spear Agent

g. Local Party Organizer for Security (non-voting).

6.8 The Party Unit is the basic form of Party organization. A Party Unit may be formed in a prison, workplace, neighborhood or block etc. within a city. It is the organization that will execute the Party program at the ground level of organizing. The Party Unit will consist of a minimum of three members, the necessary number for implementation of the democratic centralist principle of one Unit Leader and two followers. The term of office of the unit officers will be one year, starting from the date the Unit is formed. There shall be three mandatory offices to be held in the Unit, the Unit Leader, the Unit Secretary, and Unit Leader of Membership and Recruitment. The Unit consists of the following officers:

a. Unit Leader

b. Unit Secretary

c. Unit Leader of Agitation and propaganda

d. Unit Leader of Membership and Recruitment

e. Unit Leader of Finance and Economic Development

f. Unit Burning Spear Agent

6.9 The African People’s Solidarity Committee (APSC) is a Party organization with a specific identity. It is comprised primarily of North Americans and works directly under the leadership of the National Central Committee through the Office of the Chairperson. The APSC is the primary organization through which well-meaning whites or Euro-American people and organizations can unite under the leadership of the African Revolution in pursuit of African liberation, unification and socialism. Unity with the APSC provides accountability to white individuals and organizations that claim political and economic activism motivated by unity with African liberation. This subordinate structural relationship to the Party leadership is a reflection of the location of North Americans and Europeans to the parasitic capitalist political economy and the political structures through which the Euro-imperialists exercise their exploitative will. It is a reflection of our understanding that the struggle for African liberation, unification and socialism is also a struggle for black self-determination and the consolidation of the internationally dispersed African nation.

6.9.1 The primary task of the APSC is to extend the struggle for African liberation, unification and socialism, as defined by the Party, to the centers of the Euro-American population. It is an organized second front of the African Liberation Movement under the leadership of the African working class as represented by its advanced detachment, the African People’s Socialist Party-USA.

6.9.2 A crucial aspect of the work of APSC is the pursuit of reparations for African people from the Euro-American governments, corporations and population. APSC is the concrete, organizational representation of the reality that the highest expression of genuine political unity with the struggle of colonized African people from those of the oppressor nation population is material solidarity.

6.9.3 Among the material solidarity efforts of the African People’s Solidarity Committee are various APSC-created and/or administered Party institutions, donor campaigns and economic development and fundraising projects. Along with the general pursuit of reparations for African people, APSC is also tasked with the responsibility of implementing material solidarity through the pursuit of intellectual, political and other resources required by the Party for the advancement of the African liberation struggle. Material solidarity with the Party in the advancement of African liberation is one of the factors that distinguishes APSC work from charity and defines it as solidarity.

6.9.4 All properties and relationships acquired by APSC in the pursuit of its aims are the property of the African People’s Socialist Party. This includes all businesses and other financial institutions and initiatives, all of which shall be formally owned by the Party or its designated organization(s).

6.9.5 In pursuit of its political mission to win political and material solidarity within the Euro-American population for the cause of African liberation, unification and socialism, the APSC shall organize an annual Day of Solidarity with African People or African People’s Solidarity Day in addition to the other mobilizations, forums and conferences designed to win support to the Party’s aims and programs.

6.9.6 The African People’s Solidarity Committee shall conduct a National APSC Conference every three years or at least three months prior to the National Party Congress for the purpose of discussing the Party’s Political Report or Main Resolution to the Congress, elect its national leadership and propose resolutions to the Party’s National Congress.

6.9.7 The APSC shall also conduct an annual National Plenary to review its progress in carrying out its mission, to give reports to its members and receive reports from relevant members and constituent organizations and/or committees.

6.9.8 With necessary and appropriate changes approved by the Office of the Chair, the structure of the APSC shall replicate the structure of the Party as reflected in this Constitution, which is binding on the African People’s Solidarity Committee, its membership and constituent organizations.



ARTICLE 7.0 QUORUM

7.1 The minimum number of members required for lawful transaction of business of the Party Congresses, Conferences and all its Committees across all spheres of the Party shall be a simple majority of delegates or members of the relevant committee, as the case may be, in attendance of a duly constituted Congress, Conference or meeting of any Party Committees.



8.0 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

8.1 This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting at the APSP-USA Congress. Each Local Party Organization shall be allowed three votes at the National Party Congress. Any amendments must be in written form and submitted 90 days prior to the Congress. All amendments to the Constitution must follow this process of pre-Congress discussion.



ARTICLE 9.0 POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL CENTRAL COMMITTEE

a. CHAIRPERSON

* Chief representative of the organization nationally;
* Presides over the meetings of the NCC;
* Supervises, controls and manages the Secretariat and all NCC elected office bearers in the performance of their duties and exercise of their powers;
* Ensures and supervises the implementation of the Party vision, mandate, Congress and or conference resolutions;
* Initiates and maintains diplomatic alliances, united fronts and international relations;
* Promotes and advances the goals, policies and vision of the organization;
* Takes decisions in the best interests of the organization, with such decisions in due course being subject to ratification by the NCC or National Party Congress;
* The Chairperson may delegate some of his/her responsibilities to the Deputy Chairperson or another member of the NCC;
* Reports and accounts to the NCC for the exercise and performance of his/her powers and functions;
* Gives a Political Report at each Congress;
* Prerogative powers of the Chairperson will be as follows:
* a. Appointment of the National Director of Security in consultation with the NCC.
* b. Consultation with the Regional Representative in the appointment of the Regional Coordinator of Security.
* c. Appoints the President of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement and, with the affirmation of the NCC, leaders of various other constituent organizations as required.
* d. Appoints the Chairperson of the African People’s Solidarity Committee.

b. DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON

* Anticipates the needs of the Chairman;
* Conducts or coordinates research, prepares speeches, presentations and talking points for the Chairman on an array of topics and for a breadth of constituents;
* Liaises with Party and movement leadership;
* Ensures information flow to and from the Chairman’s Office, via all types of venues (forums, correspondence, speeches, conferences, retreats, etc.)
* Facilitates communication and works closely with the Chairman’s Administrative Assistant;
* Acts as the Chairman’s representative and ambassador to external constituents as directed;
* Oversees the operations, staff and budget of the Chairman’s Office;
* In collaboration with the Administrative Assistant, ensures planning for key committees and board meetings to include:
* Coordination of the Chairman’s tour
* Tracking, monitoring and follow-up of the progress of projects, action items, strategies that emanate from the Chairman’s staff, Central Committee and other appropriate movement meetings, etc.;
* Develops memos, communiqués, and correspondence;
* Prepares agendas, identifies meeting participants;
* Collects, prepares and distributes appropriate briefing materials;
* Ensures that appropriate follow-up actions are taken;
* Initiates subsequent follow-up meetings and communication for key committees and others as directed;
* Works with the Administrative Assistant to ensure accuracy, coordination, and prioritization of the calendar;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

c. SECRETARY GENERAL

* Convenes the NCC and Secretariat meetings in consultation with the Chairperson as required by the Constitution;
* Responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Party;
* Convenes conferences and Congresses as mandated by the NCC;
* Keeps an up-to-date register of all members, structures and committees of the organization;
* Represents the organization in any forums as may be required by circumstances or delegated by the NCC;
* Produces and archives all records of the NCC, the Secretariat, conferences and Congresses;
* Guides and supervises directors in the exercise and performance of their powers and functions with the exception of the National Director of Organization;
* Sends reports and liaises with the Chairperson;
* Gives an administrative report to the Congress. Shall act with all powers of the Chairperson in the event the Chairperson is incapacitated or dies while in office. These powers will be retained by the Secretary General until a special election is called by the Central Committee within 90 days of assuming these powers, or until the next regularly scheduled election at the National Party Congress, whichever comes first;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

d. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZATION

* Develops and implements mass mobilization strategies;
* Works closely with directors of various commissions of the APSP-USA;
* Develops membership services;
* Works closely with the Director of Agitation and Propaganda in implementing cadre development programs;
* Gives an organizational report at each Congress and conferences as requested by the NCC;
* Reports to the Deputy Chairperson when the NCC is not sitting;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

e. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF AGITATION AND PROPAGANDA

* Manages the Party School to facilitate commissariat activities and cadre development;
* Develops and implements programs to educate members in the ideology, principles, policies, history, and other relevant political, philosophical and ideological theories and practices;
* Proposes a political education curriculum to be approved by the NCC;
* Arranges for leadership, management and other skills training programs;
* Arranges for academic deployment of Party members in various fields of study in line with the skill demands of the Party in fulfilling its political mandate;
* Coordinates Party political communication;
* Arranges press conferences and all media interviews for the NCC or any member of the NCC;
* Manages and maintains a Party archive to provide library services to Party members;
* Liaises with all Party structures to ensure co-coordinated and consistent relay of information;
* Ensures there is consultation on any public communication matter;
* Reports to the Secretariat when the NCC is not sitting;
* Gives a Media and Publicity Report at each Congress;
* Coordinates The Burning Spear newspaper, Uhuru News, Uhuru Radio, party publications and all media outlets of the Party;
* Builds the economic self-sufficiency of the Agit-Prop Department;
* Develops the capacity of Agit-Prop to contribute financially to the budget needs of the Party.
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

f. DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

* Serves as the ambassador to promote the objectives of the African People’s Socialist Party-USA in the African and non-African world;
* Liaises with international multilateral bodies and political organizations;
* Ensures representation and promotion of the organization internationally;
* Establishes and directs international projects;
* Is responsible for the formulation of international affairs policy;
* Reports to the Secretary General;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

g. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCE

* Promotes Party economic self reliance and development policies;
* Provides leadership to the subordinate economic structures throughout the Party;
* Provides oversight over resources and fundraising institutions built and/or administered by the African People’s Solidarity Committee;
* Provides financial and related expertise to the entire Party and its component parts;
* Provides training in financial matters for the Party and its constituent organizations;
* Establishes and oversees standardized policies within the Party and its structures for efficient, appropriate and security-based handling of finances and other resources;
* Liaises with the various departments of the Party to establish, oversee and achieve the budget requirements of the Party;
* Develops and implements resource generation and mobilization strategies to ensure resources are raised for programs, events, conferences and the Party Congress;
* Shall be responsible and accountable for the collection, receipt and banking of all funds of the organization;
* Ensures audit of the financial statements of the funds of the organization;
* Implements the financial policy of the organization;
* Report to the Secretariat and the NCC;
* Gives a Financial Report to the Central Committee quarterly — January, April, July and October of each year — and an audited Financial Report to the National Party Congress;
* Manages and maintains Party resources and assets;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

h. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICAN WOMEN’S COMMISSION

* Constitutes a committee of three (3) or more members to serve in the commission;
* Develops and implements a mobilization strategy and policy on African women;
* The Commission will organize the African National Women’s Organization (ANWO) as an instrument for the mass mobilization of African women for pursuit of their interests as oppressed subjects of U.S. domestic colonialism;
* The Commission will train African women to fight for the cause of African Internationalism and for the full development of women as political leaders and makers and shapers of human history;
* The Commission will educate African women to an awareness of the difference between non-antagonistic contradictions between colonized African men and women, that must be resolved through education and persuasion, and antagonistic contradictions between African people and imperialism that can only be resolved through the defeat of imperialism and the liberation and unification of Africa and African people worldwide;
* The Commission will initiate educational campaigns within the ranks of the African People’s Socialist Party and its constituent organizations on the history of African women in the resistance to all forms of imperialism and provide leadership in the struggle against retrograde and colonialist attitudes that undermine the leadership and dignity of African women;
* The Commission will initiate forums and symposiums that are designed to raise the level of African community awareness of, and struggles against, all forms of political, social and economic, exploitation and oppression of African women;
* The Commission will recruit the most steadfast class conscious anti-colonialist African women into the ranks of the African People’s Socialist Party, the advanced detachment of all the oppressed and colonized African people within current U.S. borders;
* The Commission will focus on the mobilization and advancement of the plight of African women;
* Interacts with and mobilizes organizations promoting the advancement of the interests of African women;
* Develops and implements programs and projects to advance the interests of African women;
* Reports to the NCC and National Party Congress;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

i. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH COMMISSION

* Constitutes a committee of three (3) or more members between the ages of 18 and 35 to serve on the commission;
* Develops and implements a mobilization strategy and the African youth policy;
* Develops special programs and strategies to promote an African Internationalist worldview among African youth;
* Organizes African youth for maximum participation in the resistance to U.S. domestic colonialism, especially as it relates to attacks on young African workers;
* The Commission shall focus on the mobilization and advancement of the plight of African youth;
* Wins the most steadfast, class conscious and anti-colonialist young Africans into the ranks of the African People’s Socialist party;
* Interacts with and mobilizes organizations promoting the advancement of the interests of African youth;
* Develops and implements programs and projects to advance the interests of African youth;
* Report to the NCC and National Party Congress;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

j. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICAN FARMERS AND

AGRICULTURAL WORKERS COMMISSION

* Constitutes a committee of three (3) or more members to serve on the commission;
* Develops and implements a mobilization strategy and African agricultural and peasant workers policy;
* Commission shall focus on the mobilization and advancement of the plight of African farmers and agricultural workers;
* Interacts with and mobilizes organizations promoting the advancement of the interests of African agricultural and peasant workers;
* Wins the most steadfast, class conscious and anti-colonialist small farmers and agricultural workers into the ranks of the African People’s Socialist Party;
* Develops and implements programs and projects to advance the interests of African agricultural and peasant workers;
* Reports to the NCC and the National Party Congress;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

k. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICAN LABOR COMMISSION

* Constitutes a committee of three (3) or more members to serve in the commission;
* Develops and implements a mobilization strategy and African labor policy;
* The Commission shall develop a strategy for introducing the theory of African Internationalism into the ranks of African labor;
* The Commission will assist African workers to become conscious of the African People’s Socialist Party as the advanced detachment or general staff of African labor, the Party through which the African working class will realize its historic mission of becoming the new ruling class of a liberated, dispersed but united African proletarian nation;
* The Commission shall promote the understanding of the centrality of labor in society as the producer of all value associated with the acquisition of food, clothing and shelter and material well-being;
* The Commission shall work for the creation of an African Internationalist labor union embracing African workers throughout the world who are involved in formal and informal sectors of the economy;
* Commission shall focus on the mobilization and advancement of the plight of African labor;
* Interacts with and mobilizes organizations promoting the advancement of the interests of African labor;
* Develops and implements programs and projects to advance the interests of African labor;
* Reports to the NCC and National Party Congress;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

l. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF SECURITY * (NON-VOTING)

* Duties will be determined from time to time in accordance with all strategic and security interests of the organization;
* Builds and oversees a security apparatus of the Party, securing the Chairman, leadership and membership of the Party based on a relationship with the masses of African workers and grounded in the theory of African Internationalism and the principles of democratic centralism;
* Implements legitimate and revolutionary instructions from the Chairperson or the NCC in accordance with the principles of democratic centralism;
* Reports all security matters to the Chairperson or another member of the NCC designated by the Chairperson;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours.

m. Regional Representatives

* Recruits members within the boundaries of one of the six predetermined regions of the U.S.;
* Builds and oversees the efficient functioning of the Regional office;
* Sends in monthly written reports to the Secretary General concerning the region work. The report will include recruitment of new members, Local Party Organizations built, establishment of new contacts, and potential new members in the region;
* Develops and coordinates the implementation of the Plan of Action to build the Region;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staffing, procedures and office hours;
* Develops campaigns consistent with the goals and objectives established by the National Party Congress;
* Will establish training for Local Party Organization leaders in the region;
* Will coordinate building for the Regional Pre-Congress Conference every three years;
* Chairs the meetings of the Regional Committee;
* Will attend National Central Committee meetings representing the Region.



n. National Director Of Recruitment and Membership

* Develops the Plan of Action for Party recruitment in the U.S. that includes but is not limited to recruitment campaigns, membership retention, and streamlining of the membership process;
* Secures the dues payments from Party members on a monthly basis;
* Sends a written monthly recruiting and membership report to the Secretary General;
* Builds office to capacity, which includes staff, procedures and office hours;
* Forwards a portion of the dues payments to Economic Development and Finance;
* Builds a sustainable budget for the efficient operation of the office;
* Provides training to cadre on recruitment and the process for bringing in new members;
* Organizes throughout the U.S. to recruit new members and maintain the membership of our cadres;
* Will maintain a secured master membership roll of all Party members in the U.S.;
* Will attend meetings of the Secretariat and National Central Committee.