Communist Ideas Abound at Unitarian Assembly

LOUISVILLE, KY, June 20 — The Progressive Labor Party brought ideas of revolutionary change and communism to the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), attended by 3,500 people from across the U.S. The weekend’s highlight was an open Party forum that drew several dozen people who’d received a PL leaflet. Their thoughts on the need for communism and a mass party ranged from hostile to curious and receptive. A few thought that real change could come through the capitalists’ “democratic” process.
There was a lot of discussion about whether violence was necessary, and how the state apparatus maintained power for the ruling class. Eventually, the talk prompted a young worker to express the need for a violent overthrow of the capitalist system. 
We made many contacts through this forum and felt a real expression of interest from many others who were unable to attend.  To build on this success, we are planning another forum at next year’s General Assembly.
One highlight of the Assembly is the Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) process.  This allows attendees to bring a pressing social issue to the body and ask the UUA to organize around it. UU’s from New York spearheaded an AIW condemning the racist harassment of black and Latino youth, in particular the stop-and-frisk policy and racist murders by New York City police. 
The work to enlist support for this proposal and bring it to the floor was a collective effort among Party members, and others who supported the AIW after hearing it introduced. Discussion ensued about growing fascism in the United States as the ruling class builds for war against its imperialist rivals.  We explained how racism hurts all workers, and how we must build a multiracial fight-back against racism.  This kind of give-and-take with people among our friends offered a great opportunity to advance the Party’s ideas.
Over 200 CHALLENGEs were sold outside the convention center.  The issue’s back-page article addressed the UUA’s core principles and explained that they could be achieved only through communist revolution.  The convention delegates’ hopes for a fair and equitable society, one that recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of all people, is simply not possible in a system based on profit instead of people’s needs. The article sparked conversations about the need for a communist society and a Party to lead the working class.
The weekend made it clearer that activity in such organizations is critical to the growth of PLP. The point is not to build the reform movement but to build principled struggle with working-class people who want a better society. When we share our lives with our class brothers and sisters, we can see more clearly that a revolutionary future is possible.