NEW JERSEY, August 25—This year’s twin pandemic of Covid-19 and police terror shed a light on the decline of the U.S. ruling class and proved yet again that capitalism fails our class. It is in this context of rising fascism that Progressive Labor Party (PLP) organized the annual Summer Project. The purpose of the Summer Project was to educate newer members about communism, learn about organizing in their places of work, school, and neighborhoods, strengthen relationships, and further develop our budding young leaders. The fact that PLP was able to execute the Project exemplifies the young leaders’ commitment to building communist leaders.
In the span of two hot summer weeks, the red (communist) Project reached 50 multiracial and multigenerational women and men. Through the distribution of CHALLENGE, 1,500 people were exposed to communist literature. At its closing, four participants joined or recommitted to the Party, including Black and white students and teachers. Overall, a success in moving towards winning workers and students closer to a communist outlook! The Party has a bright future.
Learn to fight, fight to learn
The Summer Project, in Newark, NJ for the first time, consisted of a series of group discussions held physically distant and virtual, CHALLENGE distributions in Newark and nearby towns, and a few rallies.
Veteran PL’ers opened the Project with an introduction and history of PLP, an international party building an antiracist and antisexist movement for communism and advancing communist politics for 55 years.
In the wake of Covid-19, rising mass unemployment, along with the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others, it was important to analyze the ways the ruling class weaponizes identity politics to profit off the divisions of the working class. The study group discussions included the topics of capitalist ideology in media and hip-hop, communism, sexism, and immigration (see letters, page 6).
PLP aims to treat participants with the highest respect and encourage the highest commitment. We fight to learn and learn to fight. Everyone, regardless of experience was encouraged to advance the conversation with their unique perspectives.
During the discussion on communism, participants made the distinction between communism and socialism, the former being a society based on workers’ power and elimination of the basis of all inequity while the latter is a halfway system that still tolerates inequities and other capitalist practices.
Another discussion explored how liberal misleaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez learn to posture progressiveness on the road to build a nation ready for bigger wars. More importantly, how communism means that the exploiting class will be eliminated, which is the root of racist and sexist divisions. Workers would control all aspects of society.
CHALLENGE: door to door
Putting the theoretical into practice, PL’ers distributed CHALLENGE in Newark’s Ivy Hill neighborhood, Bloomfield Ave, and, for the first time, in Stephen Crane Village, a working-class housing complex where the residents are predominantly Black and Latin. For years, residents have been subjected to decrepit housing conditions, and mismanagement from corrupt and indifferent slumlords. Stephen Crane lies on the border of Belleville, NJ near the Clara Maass Medical Center. A few PL’ers stood in front of Pat’s Deli, where workers from the hospital often visited during their lunch hour, while others went door to door in the housing complex with CHALLENGE, speaking with the residents, encouraging them to inquire further if they were interested. PL’ers received a warm reception!
Caravan for communism: ‘it was fire’
A caravan against capitalism invigorated participants and residents alike. About twelve cars drove through the streets of Newark with signs such as “Capitalism is the disease, Communism is the Cure” taped on both sides. Every car sported a red flag. Chants alternated between Spanish and English over instrumentals.
We chanted, “Asian, Latin, Black and white—Workers of the world unite” to the beat of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage.”
Such creativity and vigor was met with pedestrians raising their fist in solidarity and drivers honking in support.
The height of the caravan was the loud response at a supermarket parking lot; people cheered, clapped, and inquired. Some didn’t wait for CHALLENGE sellers to approach them; they took a copy themselves. As one PL’er described it, “it was fire.”
The caravan ended in Kearny, NJ, a town known for being notoriously racist but with a growing Latin population. PL’ers rallied in front of a small apartment complex, chanting for communist revolution in English and Spanish before giving speeches.
An essential worker spoke out against the deplorable conditions of the nursing home where they worked, speaking on the lack of protection, and the horrible treatment the patients experience.
Another comrade spoke out against capitalism, stating that reforms or electing a “progressive” politician won’t do any good when it is the system that needs to be destroyed.
The residents stayed, listened, and some took CHALLENGE. The local police kept driving up and down the street a few times, but we were not intimidated; we continued chanting.
The future is bright
The Summer Project closed with a barbecue and reflections. A healthcare worker opened the program by discussing his journey to joining the Party (see letter, page 6). Another young worker who organizes undocumented migrant workers gave a talk about the contradictions of reform and revolution. A PL’er discussed the role of elections and why the Party slogan is “don’t vote, organize!” Identity politics still remain a barrier to applying a class analysis to world events. Liberal misleaders are the main danger in the fight for a communist world, since they funnel working-class anger into allegiance to nationalism, fascism, and eventual war.
An undocumented student said, “I didn’t know what capitalism was” before her introduction to PLP. She talked with her teacher, researched it independently, and participated in study groups. In fighting to learn, she realized how important it was to understand what it means to live under capitalism. This student wants to keep learning and fighting with PLP.
With students like her, the future is bright and red.