Students, Teachers Rally vs. Racist Murders

BROOKLYN, September 22—“Can I have a sheet of those stickers Miss? I want to help give them out” That ‘s what we heard from at least a dozen students Thursday morning as we handed out anti-racist stickers to wear at a local high school. Some students and teachers also made a plan to hold a rally after school in response to the rash of racist police killings this last week. To abolish racism and build a better world, we must fight back!
At lunchtime, teachers and students gathered to make signs for the rally after school. As we searched for slogans on the Internet, we came across a website that tracked the amount of police killings in the U.S. There were 13 in the last 6 days! This led to a discussion where students pointed out that it’s not just a few bad cops, but the whole system that is racist. We were outraged at the murders of Keith Lamont Scott in North Carolina, Terrence Crutcher in Oklahoma and 13 year old, Tyre King in Ohio. But these racist killings expose a capitalist system that is a daily horror for billions of  people around the world. And life will get even worse as competing capitalists around the world bring us ever closer to world war.
Learning to Fight, Fighting to Learn
So it’s more important than ever to fight back and not just go on with business as usual. Even if one rally, or wearing a sticker will not stop innocent people from being killed at the hands of the police, these small acts help to raise everyone’s consciousness. When others see people fighting back, they think about the racist inequality in our world. That has an impact on people even if we don’t see it immediately.  
In some English classes, students made posters for the rally as part of the lesson. In those classes they have been reading the biography of Malcolm X and discussing the fight against racism during the Civil Rights Movement. In U.S. history classes, all students received a copy of CHALLENGE as we discussed these racist killings in connection with the bigger question of “What is Race?” and “Why Does Racism Exist?” Racism is the biggest tool of billionaire bosses around the world. They use it to divide the working class as they reap huge profits. We must fight racism now as we build a revolutionary movement for communism. Only under communism will we be able to finally destroy racism, sexism and all the other evils of capitalism.
Schools, like the cops, are run by the government; they are part of the “state apparatus.” The cops try to control us by intimidation and terror. The schools try to brainwash us into being obedient workers who think only about ourselves.  They want us to salute the flag, do as we are told, and don’t rebel or think for ourselves. Yet here we have young people thinking, discussing and organizing with leadership of communist and antiracist education workers. This can be a step towards joining the lifelong battle for a better world, communism.
Student Leadership
After the end of the last class, some teachers and students headed out with the signs made earlier in the day. At first, many students were intimidated and felt unsure, but a group of senior girls gave leadership by taking signs and beginning a picket line. More students gathered, many watched as we chanted, took pictures and held up our signs.  Although the rally was not as big as some in past years at this school, we were happy because some new students, teachers and staff participated. We have a planning meeting coming up for future fightbacks. The fight for communism continues, sometimes one small step at a time. Join us!