Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware (PA & DE) District of the CPUSA is a regional chapter of the Communist Party USA. ¹

According to the Philadelphia Young Communist League, it and the PA & DE District of the CPUSA use the DuBois-Robeson People’s Center in Philadelphia as their official reading room and physical space, along with advocacy group West Philadelphia Club.  ²

Background

Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware (PA & DE) District of the CPUSA is a regional chapter of the Communist Party USA.  ³

According to Philadelphia Young Communist League, a similar communist organization in the Philadelphia area, both it and the PA & DE District of the CPUSA use the DuBois-Robeson People’s Center in Philadelphia as its official reading room and physical space, along with advocacy group West Philadelphia Club. ²

Activities

In 2010, the District Committee of the Pennsylvania and Delaware District of the CPUSA claimed to support the Marxist-aligned concept of “Democratic Centralism,” which, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Bolshevik leader Vladmir Lenin allegedly argued to mean “free discussion within the party should be tolerated and even encouraged up to a point, but, once a vote was taken, all discussion had to end.” ⁴ The District Committee claimed that, “[o]ur Party clearly bases itself on the principle of democratic centralism…[i]t further applies this by guaranteeing the fullest participation of the whole membership in the making of policy change.” ^{5 4}

In February 2010, the PA & DE District of the CPUSA held a lecture to commemorate African American History Month, with one of the speakers being Temple University professor of African American Studies Anthony Monteiro. On their website, the group wrote a blog update on the lecture, praising the “jobs programs” put in place by groups such as the AFL-CIO, the NAACP, and La Raza (later renamed UnidosUS). The group, however, claimed that the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) should push for more “advanced demands.” It further alleged that “only a radical democratic government intervention to stimulate and radically restructure the economy can lift the working class and nation out of the … persistent economic morass.” ⁶

Additional policy topics advocated in the blog post include promoting environmentalism, a  public works job programs, “robust affirmative action,” and single-payer healthcare. ⁶

In June 2014 the PA & DE District of the CPUSA along with the Illinois Communist Party authored a blog post that claimed racism, “is based on the system of capitalist exploitation… [it] is used in a myriad of ways to divide union members and all working class people. It remains the ruling class’ most potent weapon.” ⁷ The post further argued that “Multi-racial unity in the workplace is the key to winning victories for all, to lifting wages, conditions and dignity for every worker.”  ⁷

In August 2021, the PA & DE District of the CPUSA wrote a post on its website claiming that the Covid-19 Pandemic showed the “limitations of the ACA and the failures of our current healthcare system” ⁸ and argued for “an opportunity to shift our emphasis to the struggle for a single-payer, universal Medicare For All system while simultaneously advocating for more revolutionary change”  ⁸

1. “Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware District CPUSA.” CPUSA. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.cpusa.org/authors/communist-party-of-eastern-pennsylvania-delaware/.
2. “Get Involved.” Philadelphia Young Communist League. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.phillyycl.com/get-involved/.
3. “About CPUSA.” Communist Party USA. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://cpusa.org/about-us/.
4. Dagger, Richard and Ball, Terence. “democratic centralism.” Britannica. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/money/democratic-centralism.
5. “Convention Discussion: On Party Democracy.” Communist Party USA, March 24, 2010. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.cpusa.org/party_voices/convention-discussion-on-party-democracy/.
6.  Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware District, CPUSA. “Convention Discussion: Summary of Eastern PA Membership Discussion.” CPUSA, May 15, 2010. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.cpusa.org/party_voices/convention-discussion-summary-of-eastern-pa-membership-discussion/.
7. “Illinois Communist Party and Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware District, CPUSA.” Communist Party USA, June 12, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.cpusa.org/party_voices/proposed-resolution-racism-effects-many/.
8. Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware District CPUSA. “Strengthening the Party’s position on healthcare.” CPUSA, August 24, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.cpusa.org/article/strengthening-the-partys-position-on-healthcare/.