KANSAS COMMUNIST ASSOCIATION

About Us

KCA Organizational Chart

I. Generally

We are registered as a Kansas 501(c)(3) educational non-profit. Meaning that while we have a great deal of leeway in what we do, we must be committed to spending the greater portion of our funds on educational initiatives. In our case, we advocate for Anti-Capitalist perspectives in education and the public discourse, as well as fund certain activities to build the movement.

It also means that we are not a political party or lobbying group (but neither is AIPAC or the Chamber of Commerce), & that we cannot spend much of our money lobbying politicians. However, like the criminal AIPAC and CoC, we can leverage our membership to support political actions, if we so chose.

I.A. On the Name

We are not trying to trick anyone in to embracing Communism. Nor are we a “Political Party” (at this time).

Although we have members from across the Anti-Capitalist tendencies, we call ourselves the “Kansas Communist Association”, with the “Party” domain simply because we had bought the domain at a time when many of our members were still in the CPUSA. This organization began as a way for the tendencies to interact & unite, & evolved in to its own separate group in the interests of being outside the constant conflicts between the organized parties.

I.B. Structure

We are led by our membership as a whole, with our leadership acting in a facilitators to the decisions of the group. Our central body is located in Wichita, with regional groups throughout Kansas.

I.C. Officers

We have three central officer positions as well as regional coordinators across Kansas. The Central Officers are:

  1. Coordinator – Responsible for directing statewide activism and coordinating regional directors and actions. They also manage events and equipment, along with the Treasurer.
  2. Secretary-Treasurer – Responsible for tracking budgets and spending, and payments to venders.
  3. Membership Coordinator– Responsible for recording meetings and outreach to new members.

In order to help local activism, each region of the state has a Regional Coordinator, responsible for organizing activists in their area, as well as onboarding of new members.

See Bylaw Section for information on officer election process.

I.D. On Funding

Until we achieve liberation, the reality is that our efforts require money and time on the part of our entire membership. All the money we get, and all the money we spend, is spent in Kansas, for the purposes of Kansas Marxism. Nothing we have goes towards any national party and we have no paid positions.

While we do not have the resources of our enemies, we do have a greater cause. As we are made up of working class people existing in late stage capitalism, we cannot and do not expect all of our members to be able to financially contribute even the modest amounts we might require to the cause.

As such, we allow members to contribute by their efforts. In other words, if you cannot afford to help us with money, you may help us with work. We have been fortunate to have members from a wide section of the proletariat with a wide range of skills and knowledge. This has so far allowed us to develop more strongly in a short amount of time, despite our lack of funding.

II. Purpose

Our goal is to unify the left/ Marxist tendencies in to one cohesive force through the work of revolution. Too often whenever a group demands unity, they mean that others must unify under them. We were established to instead provide an unbiased & non-partisan body that would not allow groups or individuals to coordinate efforts without antagonistic relationships or joining groups activists may be opposed to in some way. As cooperation is a central concept that unifies the tendencies.

We also aim to provide a structure that enables participating groups to coordinate their efforts as well as a resource for them to establish their own collectives.

We do not aim to push others towards a purely Marxist perspective, nor hinder any Anti-Capitalist groups from achieving their own success. The work unites us, even if we may share different ultimate goals, and we consider the success of one group to be the success of the movement as a whole.

III. Methods

We organize by doing. We use whatever methods are available to us to recruit activists to our cause & develop the class consciousness of the people in our communities, including protests & demonstrations, publications of propaganda, & direct actions. We also make efforts to get in to our communities so that we can demonstrate our commitment to the people, especially those places ignored by our enemies.

As a coalition, we make every effort to coordinate actions so that groups are not competing for time or space, & to allow for maximum participation of the membership. For some, that participation may mean creating self-sufficient & independent communities, while for others it may mean direct actions against the empire or it’s proxies. Some may only have the energy or ability to bring attention to the cause with street signs & protests. We recognize that all forms of resistance are necessary for our eventual victory, & will support & encourage them all.

IV. Politics & Lobbying

We do not as a group believe that our liberation can be achieved by political action & voting, especially if the candidates to choose from come from our class enemies in the traditional political parties. We do not shy away from the beliefs, established by the founding fathers of this nation & supported throughout world history, that only through revolutionary actions can we be free.

We do acknowledge, however, that politics can be a useful tool in bringing the message of Anti-Capitalism to the masses. When we properly positioned to do so, we hope to fund or run our own candidates in support of this goal.

V. On Infighting

We do not participate in the destructive infighting that has for so long plagued our cause & crippled our effectiveness. While our enemies work together, those that should hold the concept of cooperation as central to their beliefs fight each other relentlessly.

However, we are not naïve to the fact that many of the reasons for leftist infighting stem from valid differences in opinion & theoretical understandings. We also recognize that struggle among ourselves, if done correctly, both strengthens our individual understanding of current theory & develops the existing theory for our current conditions.

Part of purpose is to be a way for the different groups & tendencies to come together & discuss their ideas. We do this by building on the truth that we are all in the same fight, & that being face to face with someone is far different than being online. We are forced to listen, & by listening, understand.

VI. Propaganda

We use many available methods to convey our message to the masses, including some that might be considered strange to groups more secretive in their work. We understand that the cause requires both underground & aboveground actions, & that our function is to perform the public actions for our cause.

While we do not condone illegal actions to convey our message, such as graffiti, rioting, or acts of sabotage, we also not condemn such actions, as they are the voices of the unheard masses.

VII. Violence

We do not condone the use of adventurist or non-defensive violence in support of our cause, nor will you find us engaging in such activity. However, you will not hear us as a group condemn such actions.

Violence is being done on us & on those we care about. It is only proper that we defend ourselves & our communities with all the force we can muster. The enemies of liberty should not have a monopoly on violence, & we must both prepare for our own defense & for the eventual fight for our liberation (keeping in mind that it is unlikely we will ever be fully prepared).

VIII. Liberals

We are not liberals, nor do we submit to their methods of activism. They have continuously demonstrated their unreliable nature & lack of commitment to the cause of liberation. While liberal groups are welcome to participate in our actions, they must do so with the understanding that they will not be allowed to dictate terms nor the way in which we demonstrate. We also take steps to distinguish ourselves from liberal groups to avoid being confused for them, & must demand that they do the same.

While they may be considered a fertile field in which to recruit potential members, it is more likely you will find that they lack the class awareness necessary for the fight ahead, & are resistant to learning about what real liberation entails.

IIX. Conservatives

As with the liberals, we view conservatives as being in support of the capitalist forces arrayed against us. And again as with liberals, we cannot rely on them to stand against fascism. We do not believe that conservatives are as a whole supporting of fascism.

Like liberals, conservatives lack the class awareness necessary to fully participate in our cause, & while we would welcome their support, they cannot be allowed to dictate our aims or methods.

IX. Inclusion

We do not tolerate discrimination or mistreatment of our members by anyone, including other members. As part of our work, members may interact with those they are personally unfamiliar with, such as members of the LGBTQ community, different religious views, or People of Color. This goes a long way to developing both tolerance & understanding of other viewpoints.

We are in the same fight, no matter the makeup of a member may be. What matters to us is that they are Anti-Capitalist. All else is secondary to that consideration, & we will need every person we can for the fight ahead.

X. Democratic Centralism

Because we are an umbrella organization composed of many different groups, some with their own considerations regarding DemCent, we do not enforce it in this organization. It is on each person advocating for their action to inspire others to join them, rather than the body for enforcing sometimes arbitrary participation & support requirements. Furthermore, we encourage debate & criticism, seeing both as necessary for growth & group development.

XI. Law Enforcement

While we seek to engage in conduct within the scope of the law, including those related to demonstration permits & similar issues, we do not actively cooperate with law enforcement because we recognize them as agents for the oppressive forces against us, & because of their history of abuse towards vulnerable communities.

We also see no wisdom in interfering with their activities if they do not intrude on any present aims we may have, including investigating criminal activity of non-members.