Rev Left Radio Eric Mann on Revolutionary Struggle: The Weather Underground, the Long 1960s, and the Fight for Liberation Today (Part 1)
Sep 27, 2025
Eric Mann, a veteran civil rights, labor, and environmental organizer, shares his transformative journey from working with CORE and SNCC to joining the Weather Underground. He discusses the impact of Black leadership on his activism and the United Front strategy linking Vietnam to Black liberation. Mann dives into the factional breakdown of SDS, the planning of a bold action at Harvard, and the aftermath of his arrest. Reflecting on militancy's necessity and consequences, he emphasizes the importance of commitment and organization for today's revolutionaries.
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Spotting Entryism In SDS
- Progressive Labor (PL) entered SDS with a caucus-style entryist tactic, provoking faction fights and disrupting meetings.
- Mann recounts spotting PL cadre by their pre-organized moves and building an anti-PL tendency to defend SDS democracy.
Defend The Meeting As The Base
- Protect mass organizations by banning pre-organized caucuses and expelling factional actors who undermine meetings.
- Keep meetings as the primary decision-making space to prevent entryism and preserve democratic unity.
Isolate Factions Through Mass Work
- When building or preserving mass organizations, prioritize keeping people engaged rather than purging differences immediately.
- Isolate factionalists through mass mobilization and votes rather than impulsive walkouts that cede control.
