revolutionary action movement (ram) - Michael Schwartz Library

Liberation for their inspiring victories against U .S . imperialism
in South Vietnam and thereby declare our independence from
the policies of the U .S . government abroad and at home . 5
In 1964, Grace Boggs and Rev . Albert Cleage were instrumental in
developing a strong statewide Freedom Now Party .
Some members of UHURU
were organizers for FNP .
Also, in 1964, UHURU members went to Cuba where they met Robert F .
Williams, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Muhammad Babu . Some joined RAM .
In 1965, they regrouped and formed a chapter of the Afro-American Student
Movement in Detroit which put out a theoretical
journal called Black Vanguard,
edited by John Watson .
Black Vanguard was distributed to black
workers in the plants but was too theoretical and thick for a positive
response from workers .
In January of 1965, RAM experienced its first organizational crisis .
James and Grace Boggs resigned from their positions in the movement . This
left only two public officers, Freeman and Stanford .
Through correspond
ence, both decided to resign their positions in the organization . An
emergency meeting was convened in Cleveland, where it was decided that new
leadership should be elected . Discussing the analysis of Robert F .
Williams, who emphasized the movement should be
underground, the new leadership
decided it was best to remain secret .
From that point in January,
1965 on, all leadership in RAM was secret, and all materials written for
RAM publications would be anonymous .
The political perspective of RAM
changed . The concept of a black dictatorship of the U .S ., while still being
maintained, began to take a
secondary position to the black nation in
the South .
5,1 Greetings to Our Militant Vietnamese Brothers," Black America , (Fall
1964), p . 21 .