Progressive Labor Party has been working in our small, multiracial church for 24 years now. We’ve had modest success this May Day March for Communism. Every year, our numbers swell to an average of 30. This will only grow as we win more comrades and friends themselves to be May Day builders on a weekly basis starting in January.
There are at least two factors leading to our modest success:
Always putting the Party first in the context of our anti-racist struggles
Deepening our ties, personal and political, with every comrade and friend we know and are getting to know.
Sooner than later
The goal is to introduce every new friend to CHALLENGE as soon as we know enough about them. The rule is “Sooner than Later.” And in every contact and at every meeting, some aspect of the Party’s politics is at the forefront of our discussions, and we always make sure CHALLENGE is available, and we try to make reference to an article or editorial that we find is relevant to the discussion at hand.
Beginning in January, the May Day date is announced at every gathering, and we explain the importance of this crucial event to the struggles we are engaged in—here and worldwide.
Eggcited for May Day!
Currently, we are building the campaign to stop the New York Police Department from murdering people undergoing a mental health crisis. We meet twice a month to plan. The morning of May Day, everyone was invited to the church for “Eggs for Encouragement.” Over breakfast we discussed how to make our participation most effective: Fourteen marchers volunteered to carry large posters, each with the name of a police victim.
Two “Good Shepherds” volunteered to carry a large poster in Spanish, Creole, and English saying “Stop NYPD Killing People in Mental Crisis.” The “Shepherds” job was to keep our contingent together for maximum visiblity by our sisters and brothers along the route.
Three “Evangelists” gave out flyers in three languages inviting participation in this struggle against racist police terror.Everyone, of course, understood that this was a communist PLP event.
One second-time marcher was so enthused that she sent out the list of our chants widely to others.Her only criticism was that we needed many more posters and banners making all chants fully visible to onlookers.
Celebrate the joy, share the sorrow, fight the good fight
Little of this would’ve been possible without ongoing organization—week in and week out, among our comrades, and with our friends, new and old. Celebrating the joy of anniversaries, birthdays, new births, and all other important life events cement ties, personal and political.
But equally important is the mutual support we bring in times of pain, sorrow, loss and racist oppression.
Particularly, the horrid suffering endured by our Black and Latin members and friends calls forth both practical and emotional support and exploration of possible new fronts for struggle.
For example one comrade, a young single mother, has suffered continual deprivations from the NYC “Human Resources” Administration. We plan to mobilize for her next fair hearing, and involve her peer-friends in an anti-racist campaign that we hope to spread citywide.
After this excellent May Day, we are in a stronger position to advance all of this work. As we end every meeting, we continue to shout, “Fight the Good Fight!”