CHALLENGE Project: Learn to Fight, Fight to Learn

BROOKLYN, August 13 — Snippets of conversations in English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Mandarin. Keys tapping away. Pens scribbling furiously. Some arguments and laughter over an article. This is the sound of the Challenge Summer Project. This August, comrades and friends from around the world came to New York City before our Convention to participate in the production, distribution, and strengthening of CHALLENGE, the communist newspaper of PLP.
After kicking the project off with the Hoops for Justice basketball tournament (see CHALLENGE 9/2), 50 people worked together to produce the most collective edition of CHALLENGE to date. We began with a study group on capitalist propaganda versus communist propaganda.
Red vs. Expert
Some people wrote articles while others chose graphics to accompany them. Some crafted snappy headlines, while a large group of people edited the articles to make sure they had a strong political line. Another posted on PLP’s social media sites: twitter, Facebook, and our blog. Still others translated the articles in English and Spanish. Nearly everyone was new to producing CHALLENGE.
The result? A paper for the masses by the masses. This edition of the paper (9/2) reflected the large collective that helped produce it. Many comrades gained an insight into the work that goes into creating it. Some raised concern about the quality of translations and the topics covered in the paper. CHALLENGE is only as good as the collective that produces it, and the only way for it to capture all the fightback stories and ideas of the working class is for a large number of workers and students to contribute.
Many commented that producing CHALLENGE is indeed more challenging than they initially thought and that they understand why writing regularly for CHALLENGE is important. To produce and distribute a paper of even higher quality, we must be part of the process.
Throughout the summer project, we also sold hundreds of CHALLENGEs at rallies throughout Brooklyn. For many, it was their first sale, first time on the bullhorn, first time leading a rally. Overall, we gave out so many CHALLENGEs that we ran out of the latest issue and had to go back three issues! We also got quite a few contacts and collected many donations for CHALLENGE. One of the goals of this CHALLENGE project was to show that anyone can be a communist leader: whether it be in the streets rallying and representing the Party or in front of a computer writing or translating stories of class struggle.
CHALLENGE, for and by the Collective
 Workers must not only learn to fight, but also fight to learn. Many participants discussed the paralysis that comes along with having to write for CHALLENGE, saying that writing articles feels more like filling in a formula. Capitalist culture dictates that writing is an individualist process, meant for academics and ruling-class thinkers. On the contrary, as we learned during this summer project, creativity is a collective process. Our experience in the working class is far more important to CHALLENGE than “technical training.” When writing an article or making a speech, if we must worry, worry about how workers and youth will respond to the communist ideas we express.
As a transition into PLP’s 50th anniversary convention (see page 8), we concluded the Summer Project with a picnic and discussion of the convention workshop materials. Comrades not only struggled with each other over the politics and participation in CHALLENGE, but also built and strengthened ties!
We invite all our readers to write for CHALLENGE, distribute it among friends and co-workers, and use CHALLENGE as a tool for organizing a communist revolution!