Planting seeds of communism in the Black Student Union
As an up-and-coming revolutionary communist, I've taken to heart the need to infuse discussions about problems within my Black community with a clear and direct sentiment: this anti-gay, sexist, racist, system of capitalism is the true root of our problems. I managed to start that discussion within the Black Student Union (BSU) on my campus, which led to some interesting results.
We started our discussion with a current event, the sequence of bomb threats to HBCU's-no doubt intentional on the part of the racist perpetrators. One person, a young Black woman with a boisterous attitude, pointed out the obvious. It's no surprise to anyone, especially the Black community. She alluded to this country's history of othering [alienating] those responsible for its creation and "the white man's" cycle of hypocrisy in regards to slavery and freedom in the U.S. She ended by reaffirming that those in power will never truly have in mind the interests of Black, Latin, Asian, Indigenous, muslim, and immigrant workers.
This resonated with me so much that I asked the same question that I raised when I first joined BSU: Why do we, Black workers, subscribe to the electoral process when we know it was not built for us? Of course, multiple people chimed in with sentiments of civic duty and obligation to the sacrifices made during the Civil Rights Movement. I once again voiced my disapproval, which prompted another person to ask, "So what do you want? Communism?" which I responded to with an assured yes. This stirred the group for a moment, but I slowly managed to explain aspects of communism and Progressive Labor Party (PLP) that challenged their brainwashed notions.
I left the meeting with the same enthusiastic woman who expressed the most curiosity about communism. She clearly wanted to better understand how the concept of collectivity would be applied to those who commit crimes. Her dilemma was a final decision coming down to one person breaking a tie between two decisions. I told her that I appreciate her contemplation of such a serious issue and that I could not give her a set answer, as that would have to be dealt with in the moment in the higher phase of communism. We parted ways, and she left with a copy of CHALLENGE.
Since then, I've passed the paper around campus and have also discussed it with my roommate. I'm glad to say that I've become bolder in upholding the party's line when in political discussion, and I hope to continue including sharp, revolutionary concepts as a true alternative for the people around me that want real change.
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Demonte Ward-Blake – Say His Name!
I participated in a press conference and rally in Largo, Maryland of over 30 antiracists that announced a $75 million lawsuit against Prince George’s County (PG). The lawsuit was filed because cop Bryant Strong paralyzed Demonte Ward-Blake by slamming his head against the curb in 2019, making this former athlete a quadriplegic. Demonte, vulnerable in a wheelchair while outdoors, was later killed in a shooting. His family and lawyers spoke emotionally about the excessive murderous force used by cop Strong, who goes on trial in May for second degree assault and reckless endangerment. Members of Community Justice (CJ) also spoke of their horrid experiences with PG police, including a family member of William Green, shot and murdered by a cop while handcuffed and seated in a police car (CHALLENGE, 2/17/2019).
As a Progressive Labor Party (PLP) member and a CJ member, I was happy to see a strong turnout from CJ for this event. We promised each other to intensify our efforts around racist police brutality and fighting the system. The lawyers claimed that only these huge lawsuits can force change. I think, instead, that bold, mass, multiracial action can have a much bigger impact, and such actions can go beyond the limits of this vicious capitalist system. We must organize, organize, organize to build a revolutionary multiracial movement to end the capitalist system with its inherent racist and brutal character.
Union worsens; transit workers en route to multiracial unity
Progressive Labor Party (PLP) has always said that winning for the working class is winning more workers to communist ideas and to fight for the antiracist, egalitarian society that humanity deserves. The reform struggles that we engage in today give the Party and our working-class friends the experience and the vision to ultimately run society in our collective interests.
The struggle to win workers to vote and strike against the racist contracts pushed by the Democrat mayors of Chicago and liberal union misleaders (see editorial, page 2) -- both Black and white -- opens the doors for us to win workers to communist ideas.
Just this past month, the workers of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) voted on and accepted one of its worst labor contracts ever. The CTA President (appointed by the Mayor) got a 33 percent raise while the workers got a 9.25 percent raise over four years broken up into 1 percent and up to 2.5 percent annually. Inflation is at its highest point in 40 years and even though workers were angry about the 33 percent raise given to the President of CTA, they voted to accept the contract. Out of 10,000 members only 3,253 voted. It was 2,432 for the contract and 1050 voted the contract down.
The antiracist Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century fought against Jim Crow and for Black workers to be hired in public transportation and the post office. As the workers at the CTA became a majority-Black workforce, the union members saw their wages, benefits and rights being taken away by the sellout union misleadership. The Black union officials in Chicago have done their job of selling the workers out to the CTA and Big Fascist Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
PLP has been involved in building the Chicago Transit Justice Coalition (CTJC). The CTJC is made up of members of Amalgamated Transit Union locals 241 and 308 as well as union members from other locals, and is building the fight against low-wage part time jobs and sellout unions. We have had Zoom meetings throughout the pandemic, some in-person meetings, a bowling party and close to a dozen rallies outside of bus garages, train terminals, and the union offices. Throughout, we are building stronger ties and friendships with each other.
CTJC led the fight against the latest contract, and has vowed to keep on fighting. Even though the voter turnout broke a record for being low and the contract has been accepted by the workers, more union members than ever have been calling for a strike and believe in the need for a strike!
In response to the contract fight, CTJC sent out the mass message, “There will be no progress without struggle,” a reference to a quote from Black abolitionist leader Fredrick Douglass. The CTJC also explained that “our struggle is part of a greater, worldwide struggle against the billionaire bloodsuckers of the poor” and detailed plans to intensify the struggle against the sellout unions.
Members of PLP have been inspired by our friends in ATU Locals 241 and 308. We have faced racism from some union members, including Black nationalists and white racists who have tried to divide and silence the CTJC members on social media and during meetings.
CTCJ met and discussed how we will not allow racism to divide us. We will defend each other in words and deeds. Co-workers who do not belong to the CTJC spoke out against the racist posts and helped build more antiracist voices in our locals. The ATU does not want to build the fight against racism. Those of us in the Party and our friends do, and will fight for communist revolution as the only way to end racism and exploitation for good.
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Red on the Radio calls out imperialism
On February 24, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I got on the “What’s Going On” WBAI talk show at 7 a.m. to oppose their lies about how the U.S. was “isolationist” and that the Soviet Union supported Nazis before World War II.
On U.S. isolation, I asked about the 800 U.S. military bases in over 100 countries, U.S. missile submarines to Australia, 30,000 U.S. troops and missiles in South Korea, 40,000 U.S. troops and air bases in Japan, U.S. forces in Taiwan and the Philippines training them for war with China and ringing Russia with NATO missile bases for over 50 years.
On the lie about Soviet Union support of Nazis because of their non-aggression pact before World War II, I said the Soviet Union begged the U.S., England and France to join an attack on Germany when they invaded more countries and all the so-called “allies” refused because they wanted Germany to destroy the Soviet Union, the first workers’ state. Germany needed the pact to avoid a dangerous two-front war and the Soviet Union was forced to make the pact to buy time to build its war industry behind the Ural Mountains from which they defeated the expected German invasion and won World War II by inflicting 80 percent of German military casualties.
I said World War II was a fight between the U.S., Germany and Japan over who would become top imperialist and the coming World War III is to determine the top-dog imperialist among the U.S., China and Russia and that workers should not become body bags for capitalist wars. There was also talk about how a World War III makes no sense, but I thought it made a lot of “cents” to the Wall Street military-industrial complex facing an economic crisis and the loss of U.S. world hegemony. However, I didn’t get time to conclude “same enemy, same fight, workers of the world unite to smash imperialist war with communist revolution.”