THE black radical tradition, which I associate myself with, is rich in its history of struggle and resistance to oppression. It is also a Marxist tradition.

It is this tradition that has, eventually, led me to joining the Communist Party of Britain.

I remember attending a CP meeting one Sunday morning in Birmingham city centre in 1983 and buying the book Black Marxism by Cedric Robinson at the obligatory bookstall. 

Black Marxism is second only in my list of favourite and most-read books to my well-worn paperback version of the autobiography of Angela Davis.

Black Marxism and its studies of the Haitian revolution, WEB DuBois, CLR James and Richard Wright plus, later, Paul Robeson and Walter Rodney all pointed me towards the importance of having a clear theoretical grounding for my activism.

I knew for sure that black women were a central part of this tradition, although clearly underexplained by Robinson. So over the years I’ve devoured every book ever written by Davis and the very great poet and activist June Jordan.

An individual response to racism can sometimes be very satisfying. But everything that I have learnt confirms to me that a black collective resistance to racism, exploitation and domination rooted in Marxism is the only thing that makes any real sense to me. 

I was fortunate that there was a vibrant socialist movement in my hometown of Walsall in the early 1980s. Locally there were strong local branches of the CP, the New Communist Party and, of course, the usual grouping of Trotskyist organisations.

But in 1981 I was inspired to join the Labour Party because of the work of the inspirational left-wing council and its efforts to decentralise the councils services to the towns neighbourhoods, as well as the leadership campaigns of Tony Benn. I also became very active in the leadership of the Labour Party Black Sections.

The resistance to our campaign for Black Sections in the party was, at times, brutally racist. There were plenty of people in the Labour Party and trade union movement at the time who should, frankly, be ashamed of themselves for the way they opposed Black Sections.

It was, however, a precursor to the anti-black racism that is now so prevalent in Labour today but which is largely unchallenged by elements within the leadership. It is also something I can no longer tolerate.

I have no problem with people disagreeing about strategies to resist racism. But I do have a problem with two-faced behaviours where people say one thing but do another in practice on race. This, sadly, is an all too common trait in Labour, in some unions, and, sadly, by some elements on the so-called left.

Despite the many excellent activists who remain, I do not believe the black radical tradition has a home in Labour. Neither do I believe that the gradualist politics, that often bears minimal difference to other pro-capitalist parties, will be remotely enough to tackle the exploitation faced by working-class people — whether black or white. In fact it is not designed to do so.

I believe in a fundamental shift in society in favour of working-class people where the dominance of the rich is challenged rather than lauded. 

Labour does not believe in the same things that I do and there is little prospect of it ever doing so. So there is no point in remaining in membership.

I also believe in a party that doesn’t have to be pushed kicking and screaming into supporting workers in struggle. Labour clearly has a problem with that.

Three other things led me to leave the Labour Party and to join the CP. 

Firstly, during a recent campaign in the union I used to work for, I was accused of being anti-semitic because of my long-held support for the Palestinians. 

Someone trawled back 10 years through my social media accounts to come up with a set of weak and spurious allegations.

These allegations “coincidentally” surfaced on the day ballot papers began landing on voters’ doormats. After months of investigation, although never suspended, I was found to have breached the rules for which a note would be placed on my membership record. 

How dare anyone accuse me of anti-semitism and think I’m going to just allow that to stand.

Secondly, any party that is more comfortable allowing Tories to cross the floor of the House of Commons than allow my friend and comrade Jeremy Corbyn to sit as a Labour MP needs to take a cold, hard look at themselves.

Thirdly, there is no inclination whatsoever within the Labour leadership to publish that almost mythical document called the Forde report. There is no desire to tackle the deep-rooted anti-black racism within Labour. If there was they would have done much more.

So I tore up my Labour membership card after 41 years. But I didn’t want to be some kind of lone-wolf socialist. 

Everything that I have read and witnessed throughout my long years of activism convinced me that the only logical course for me to take was to join the CP.

The party has many of the most principled activists I have ever met and, through them, some of the most outstanding socialists from across the world I have met. 

The CP demonstrates a clear understanding of the relationship between race and class and, importantly for me, the critical role of the highest form of capitalism, imperialism.

Joining the CP was still a decision I agonised over for some months but I am proud to have at last joined the party that perhaps I should have joined in the first place. 

The CP believes in the black radical tradition, without being patronising, as some on the left can be, and the revolutionary change in society necessary to liberate the entire working class.

I am proud that the CP is now, at long last, my political home.

Roger McKenzie is a journalist and general secretary of Liberation (liberationorg.co.uk).