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 Progressive Labor Party on Race & Racism

OUR FIGHT

 

Progressive Labor Party (PLP) fights to destroy capitalism and the dictatorship of the capitalist class. We organize workers, soldiers and youth into a revolutionary movement for communism.

Only the dictatorship of the working class — communism — can provide a lasting solution to the disaster that is today’s world for billions of people. This cannot be done through electoral politics, but requires a revolutionary movement and a mass Red Army led by PLP.

Worldwide capitalism, in its relentless drive for profit, inevitably leads to war, fascism, poverty, disease, starvation and environmental destruction. The capitalist class, through its state power — governments, armies, police, schools and culture —  maintains a dictatorship over the world’s workers. The capitalist dictatorship supports, and is supported by, the anti-working-class ideologies of racism, sexism, nationalism, individualism and religion.

While the bosses and their mouthpieces claim “communism is dead,” capitalism is the real failure for billions worldwide. Capitalism returned to Russia and China because socialism retained many aspects of the profit system, like wages and privileges. Russia and China did not establish communism.

Communism means working collectively to build a worker-run society. We will abolish work for wages, money and profits. Everyone will share in society’s benefits and burdens. 

Communism means abolishing racism and the concept of “race.” Capitalism uses racism to super-exploit black, Latino, Asian and indigenous workers, and to divide the entire working class.

Communism means abolishing the special oppression of women — sexism — and divisive gender roles created by the class society.

Communism means abolishing nations and nationalism. One international working class, one world, one Party.

Communism means that the minds of millions of workers must become free from religion’s false promises, unscientific thinking and poisonous ideology. Communism will triumph when the masses of workers can use the science of dialectical materialism to understand, analyze and change the world to meet their needs and aspirations.

  Communism means the Party leads every aspect of society. For this to work, millions of workers — eventually everyone — must become communist organizers. Join Us!

 

 

 

 

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Friday
Jul282017

Four-Year Struggle for Kyam Livingston Cultivates Working-Class Unity

Brooklyn, July 21—A speaker for the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) chanted, “How do you spell racist? NYPD.” It grew in power as other workers joined in. This was the 4th anniversary of the death of Kyam Livingston, who died in police custody when she was denied medical care. The speaker continued, “Justice for Kyam Livingston, killed in a Brooklyn cell! Until we get rid of this damned capitalist, racist system there is no justice.“
This was our 48th monthly demonstration as about 50 people rallied for Kyam on the corner of Church Avenue and E. 18th Street. We were young and old, men and women, Black, white, Asian and Latin. It was also a day of remembrance for Kyam, who became ill while awaiting arraignment on a minor matter and was refused medical care while she cried in agony for seven hours. Kyam’s mother, Anita Neal, has led this battle for justice. Her fire, her organizational skills, and her unrelenting demands for justice have inspired all of us.
We have been involved in the struggle against racism and other evils of this capitalist system for many years. Giving up was never an option. How to move the struggle forward was the only question. All of the moments we spent together—making plans for the next demonstration, eating together, sharing stories—brought us closer. We became family. We became comrades.
During this campaign to gain justice, respect, and acknowledgement from a brutal, racist system, members of PLP have been making the point that these movements that fight for justice bring people together need to eventually lead to a revolution and a communist world—a world without borders or racism. A world that the workers will organize and control based on worker needs, not capitalist profits.
At the rally, we distributed several hundred leaflets and petitioned for a corner signpost in commemoration of Kyam. The demand is to claim the spot for a working class woman who was murdered through the neglect and cruelty of the racist capitalist “justice” system. Several hundred Challenges were distributed. People on the street got involved in many discussions with us as passersby began to understand that this was the fourth anniversary and that this struggle has been continuous.
One of the members of our committee spoke on behalf of his local church. The church’s Justice Committee has been in this struggle since day one. He said a system that allows such racist outrages should not be allowed to continue. Kyam’s mother spoke of her anguish and how much she misses her daughter. She spoke of how our Justice for Kyam group has been working collectively with no acknowledgement from local politician. She spoke about a small scholarship fund she started for local Junior High School students, and how she wants a signpost with her daughter’s name. But she knows that a signpost will not bring justice—nothing will bring back her daughter. A signpost means the struggle must continue. Let’s fight to win that signpost to remember Kyam and make it a step on the way to a better world.
The collective work of our Justice for Kyam Committee has touched the hearts and fighting spirit of the people of Flatbush. Many times when we were on the street handing out leaflets or collecting petitions, people thanked us for consistently being there and being involved in this effort. Many joined the rallies and took petitions and leaflets to give to their friends. Over the four years of this struggle, hundreds of people have been involved in these rallies
As has been the custom, at the end of the rally Anita gave out balloons and flowers. We marched to the middle of the intersection, stopping traffic. Holding Kyam’s ashes in an urn, Anita made a tearful speech about how much she misses her daughter and about her anger at the system that claims to care but just abuses. As the sky was beginning to darken, orange balloons were released and flooded the sky, as they disappeared upwards.

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