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.
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Students, family, teachers expose liberal misleadership, demand safe schools
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- 28 August 2020 102 hits
NEW YORK CITY, August 3—Hundreds of teachers, students, and parents protested the unsafe plans to reopen city schools. They demanded smaller class sizes and the removal of police from schools. High school youth led chants, showed a promising pro-student element of working-class solidarity in this protest that began outside the teachers’ union (UFT) headquarters and marched to City Hall. Progressive Labor Party (PLP) put forward communist ideas of building antiracist student-family-teacher unity with signs, a bullhorn, and CHALLENGE.
Multiracial fightback is growing
Some teachers opposed to reopening NYC schools have been motivated by an individualist, anti-student outlook that focuses strictly on their own safety. However, speakers at this protest overwhelmingly demonstrated concerns for students, families, and teachers alike.
Protesters rejected liberal misleaders like the NYC Mayor and Schools Chancellor with chants like, “Hey de Blasio/Carranza, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?”
One speaker explicitly targeted Governor Andrew Cuomo, sold as competent and anti-Trump, who has a history of slashing healthcare budgets and closing hospitals.
This rally reflects the influence of the protests following the murder of George Floyd and other targets of racist police terror. Protesters welcomed chants that connected school reopenings to racism.
This shows that “safe schools” does not simply mean preventing the spread of Covid-19, but also the removal of police.
Notably, the rally began at UFT headquarters whose leadership is notorious for its historic racist and anti-communist collaboration with school bosses, going back to its inception.
Time and time again, the UFT has opposed antiracist initiatives by its members and by Black and Latin workers in the community. Their misleadership must be challenged.
In contrast with previous demonstrations organized by this caucus of the teachers’ union, MORE (Movement of Rank & File Educators), this rally was broader and more multiracial. That said, they remain mired in reformism. Calling for “no school until it’s safe” is not an “advanced” demand because capitalism will never create safe schools (see page 8).
To truly organize the working class, education workers must prioritize organizing students and their families against racism. This will create the unity necessary to defeat capitalism and create a communist world.
Mass budget cuts while bosses’ profits soar
Instead of the great investment of resources and workers required to combat a pandemic, the bosses are already slashing school budgets. Democrat-run New York City has cut $400 million from this year’s budget. Carranza admitted the net impact will be over a $1 billion loss (Staten Island Advance, 7/9) and also warned of a possible layoff of 9,000 teachers (Wall Street Journal, 8/20).
Yet, “Wall Street is enjoying a historic revival as the Federal Reserve and other central banks flooded the global economy with money” (NPR, 7/15). A study by the anti-poverty organization Oxfam found that “17 of the top 25 most profitable U.S. corporations, including Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Facebook, Pfizer, and Visa, are expected to make almost $85 billion more in 2020 than in previous years.” U.S. billionaires also saw their wealth balloon by over $500 billion during the first three months of the pandemic.
Yet, the politicians cry, “there is no money” and still assure us that things are “safe” and “we are ready!” Reams of reports on schools’ infrastructure show innumerable violations and years of deferred maintenance in the over 1500 city school buildings, many of which are 100 years old. Schools have been dangerous places for years!
Build student-teacher-family solidarity
Capitalism is and always will be violent. Whichever way school resumes in the fall, capitalist schools will continue to be abject failures for students.
Education workers and students need to step up to train ourselves as leaders inside our schools: in our classrooms (virtual or otherwise), through various clubs, school committees, and study groups, and in the teachers’ union, uniting with parents. We will need to push for what’s in the best interest of students and put antiracism front and center.
With PLP’s leadership, we can strengthen unity among parents, teachers, and students—all while building solidarity with custodial, healthcare, and transit workers to protect one another. Organizing demonstrations, community forums, and work actions will show other workers the power of a united multiracial working class and build a communist movement.
The road to combat the devastation created by capitalism is long. But we have a tremendous opportunity now to expose capitalism’s utter disregard for the working class and its inability to run society. We truly have a world to win! Join PLP!
At the Democratic National Convention (DNC) the imperialist Big Fascists put on display the political coalition that they hope can defeat Donald Trump and the Small Fascists that he represents. The Big Fascists are going all out, calling on their fake progressives, various military leaders, and anti-Trump Republican Party leaders to fight off the Small Fascists.
The Progressive Labor Party (PLP) maintains that these liberal politicians, representing the Big Fascists, are the greater threat to the working class. They want to build multiracial support for reforms that will feed their drive towards war against imperialist rivals, China and Russia. PLP says that workers from different countries have no interest in killing each other. The whole damn capitalist system has to go. Workers should run the world–that’s communism.
Big Fascists vs Small Fascists
If it’s not just electoral politics between the Republicans and Democrats, then what’s going on? There’s a split between two capitalist factions: the Big Fascists and the Small Fascists.
The Small Fascists are mostly domestically oriented capitalists like the Koch brothers looking to cut taxes for immediate profit. They are unwilling to spend money fighting wars to defend the worldwide U.S. empire. This means a racist gutting of social services at home and a retreat of U.S. imperialism internationally. Their base is mainly organized through evangelical churches and white nationalist movements. At the Republican National Convention, the Republicans were openly appealing to racist police terror and Klan-type vigilantism. It’s not a party that can lead the U.S. in the world war that the Big Fascists are preparing for. Reject them all!
The Big Fascists, representing finance capital and the imperialist wing of the capitalist class, are looking to build a multiracial coalition to support U.S. imperialism. They need to win Black, Latin, Asian and white workers to sacrifice for finance capitalists like JP Morgan Chase and Exxon Mobil in a war with China, Russia or both. Reject them!
The party of the international working class is the Progressive Labor Party. Capitalism can never serve the needs of workers. It is a racist, sexist, decaying system. PLP says workers can run all aspects of society. That’s communism.
U.S. imperialist Big Fascists unite behind Biden
The Small Fascists have gained power through the Republican Party, now led by president Donald Trump. He has succeeded in marginalizing Big Fascist Republicans such as the Bush family, Colin Powell, Robert Mueller, etc. We saw this at the DNC.
The Big Fascists trotted out military leaders, many of them Republicans. Republican politicians like former Ohio Governor John Kasich, former NJ Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and 27 former members of Congress came out in support of Biden.
Additionally, military leaders who served U.S. Imperialism overseas also came out for Biden. Colin Powell oversaw the invasion of Panama and Iraq in the 1990s, then helped the U.S. invade Iraq again in the 2000s. He endorsed Biden with over 70 former national security officials. Directors of the FBI and CIA (again many Republicans) are supporting Biden and the Democrats (NYtimes, 8/20).
While unity is essential for the Big Fascists—and deadly for the working class— it may not be enough to defeat the Small Fascists.
Consolidating the phony progressives
Over the last 15 years the Small Fascists have been able to seize upon opportunities that culminated in a Trump presidency. The Big Fascists need to appear anti-racist, anti-sexist, and pro working class while continuing to serve finance capital and build patriotism and pass some possible reforms in order to prepare for world war. So they continue to pander to Black and Latin workers.
In 2016, 12 percent of Sanders supporters ended up voting for Trump (NPR, 8/24/17). The Big Fascists need to win back these workers in 2020. So they enlisted misleaders like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Michelle Obama to endorse Biden.
These Big Fascists know that they need to win Black workers to support Biden whose racist track record has become visible since announcing his candidacy. Biden worked with openly racist segregationists James Eastland and Strom Thurmond to pass racist anti-crime bills that led to the mass incarceration of mainly Black and Latin workers (NYTimes, 6/25/2019).
Racist and sexual predator Biden is not a point of strength for the Big Fascists. They installed a Black and South Asian woman Kamala Harris—a top prosecutor with a history of mass incarceration and a racist “lock em up” mentality—to attract a set of multiracial voters. They are riding on an identity politics ticket.
These Big Fascists view the November election as vital to the future of U.S. imperialism. The working class will lose either way. Our future lies with communism where workers run everything. As protests continue against racist police killings, the Big Fascist Democrats are trying to take protestors from the streets and into electoral politics. We need to organize in the streets against racism and against the entire capitalist system.
I regard the collective as the supremely important form of educational work.
-Anton Semyonovich Makarenko
A pandemic rages. There is no cure. Countless are infected; hundreds of thousands have died. The U.S. accounts for only four percent of the world population but over 25 percent of Covid-19 cases. Clearly the capitalists don’t care about us; their only goal is profit. So, we are being shoved into factories, offices, and stores to die for their profit system. To complete the misery, capital demands that children be returned to schools without guaranteeing safety. Such is the logical conclusion to the capitalist educational system.
But there is an alternative to the absolute failure of this miserable racist, sexist, anti-working-class capitalist system and its so-called “education”. And that is communist solidarity: production for need, mutual respect, and education for collective and individual development. A communist revolution is needed to transform society. Two great working-class revolutions have occurred within the last 100 years. The Bolshevik Revolution (1917) and the Chinese Revolution (1949). While both have been tragically reversed due to the seeds of capitalist practices, their early practices have yielded valuable lessons to be applied before and after our next successful revolution.
What can we learn from these revolutions now, especially in education? A good starting point is to examine some of the dramatic changes made in every sphere of life after The Russian Revolution.
From 1914 to 1921 Russia, an already impoverished country ruled by a vicious ruling class, was devastated financially and militarily first by its involvement in World War I and then by a civil war created by the U.S., English, French and Polish imperialists. Eighty percent of its industry and transportation system was destroyed and agriculture and food distribution almost ceased. The new Soviet state faced immense problems of hunger, disease, and homelessness. These are the leftovers of the old capitalist society that was dealt with.
All children have role to play in leadership
Yet, despite the vast problems, many in the Soviet Union were eager to create a new society, a new humankind, a new collective spirit and an entirely new type of education. Among them was an educator, Anton Makarenko.
Born into a working class family in 1888, Makarenko became a teacher when he was 17 years old. Already convinced of the need for revolution he began his career in the midst of the first (1905) revolution organizing meeting places for revolutionary workers. Makarenko continued teaching and supporting revolutionary activity. By 1920 he had successfully taught hundreds and supervised thousands of students. In addition, he had begun to formulate a new educational system based upon the Marxist classics, Lenin’s leadership and the Red Army’s experiences.
In 1920 he was asked by the Educational Commissariat to organize the Poltava Colony for Young Offenders. Due to the destruction caused by WWI and the capitalist Civil War, tens of thousands of starving, orphaned children roamed the countryside and the cities in search of food and shelter. Many turned to crime to survive. They were thoroughly demoralized, angry, and divided by ethnic hatreds.
Makarenko began with six adolescents who had a criminal history, a windowless, doorless, broken down building, some poor farmland, no tools, no books, little food, and two teachers. The goal: to create the foundation of a communist educational collective. Completely uninterested in their past records, believing no one is born with “good” or ‘bad” genetic characteristics Makarenko had a positive and optimistic outlook about each child’s development. He found that all children, including those with profound psychological problems, had a role to play in leadership.
This was a time when the U.S. led a Jim Crow segregated education system, spewed racist pseudo-scientific ideas, and promoted
individualism.
Utmost demand & utmost respect
The first months were rough. Untrusting, the children felt that this was just another prison. It took months before Makarenko gained their respect by forcefully demanding that they cut the firewood for the whole colony not just for themselves. It was a beginning. Based on his years of teaching and revolutionary activity Makarenko came to see that one must “place the utmost demands on a person and treat him with the utmost respect” in order to succeed.
He rejected physical punishment, which was a common measure in that period. Makarenko realized that just as the working class and peasantry had overcome great social and personal problems to win a revolution, all children would, given respect and collectivity, become productive comrades.
What the capitalist countries promote only in theory was already done in practice in the Soviet Union: emphasis on treating children with respect, providing a collective for children to learn, importance of adult models, learning as a social process, uniting manual and mental work as one, and more.
Amidst their poverty (and with some help from the central organizations), the children began to learn to raise their own food, repair their clothes, fix their dwelling and cobble together tools.
However, the main tasks Makarenko set before them was to collectively plan their communal needs. Many of the children were functionally illiterate. Yet despite their resistance to being in school, the demand was they learn the trades that kept the commune in repair. They began to work in teams gradually learning to think in wider collective needs not merely individualist needs. The children loved all this freedom and self-respect.
Over many years hundreds of children passed through the renamed “Gorky Colony.” With more teachers and agronomists, engineers and the USSR’s growing prosperity, the colony combined five hours of productive agricultural and industrial work and four hours political and conventional instruction. The intellectual labor and manual labor were united. Even within the first three years, the collective students were encouraged to become a partially self-governing commune. After seven years, Makarenko was asked to duplicate the success by founding a new collective of orphaned children, which became the Dzerzhinsky Commune.
‘The Road to Life’
Makarenko wrote many books and articles about education which outlined his conclusions distilled from years of experience while educating thousands of children. One of his outstanding works, The Road to Life, is a record of the transformative experience of the Gorky Colony. It is a book to inspire all those teachers (and in fact everyone) who yearn for a free, respectful, socially conscious life: a communist life.
Worcester, MA, August 25—Earlier this month our Progressive Labor Party (PLP) contingent in Worcester joined forces with members from Racism Free Worcester Public Schools, Defund Worcester Police, and Showing Up For Racial Justice to rally for working class students and demand that police be removed from the school system. An integrated and multi-racial group of nearly 75 workers took turns making speeches and leading chants in an effort to advance the battle against systemic racism during the event, which was called by the Massachusetts Human Rights Commission.
The small but mighty demonstration was held in Lincoln Square near the local police station. As leaders from different organizations took turns at the mic, PLP members made our line clear when we demanded this racist capitalist system be shut down.
Our members explained the school-to-jail pipeline and showed the crowd that allowing kkkops in our schools is hurting working class students. We explained that defunding the police isn’t enough, we need to first kick them out of schools and furthermore fight for a world where racist murderers aren’t handed guns and get out of jail free cards.
We also took the opportunity to explain the importance of multi-racial unity and fightback. An integrated, international working class is necessary to end capitalism.
As speeches wrapped up, we then led about 50 people from the original gathering across the street to the entrance of the police station. We led chants ranging from “Black Lives Matter” to “George Floyd” to chants that put the entire system and its lackeys on trial: “Nazi cops, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”
We later learned that the local police union equated us to terrorists and made demands that one of our comrades be fired from his current volunteer job. Albeit brief, our militant and organized moment of fightback was met with more pushback from the bosses than the rest of the reform demonstration.
These kkkops know that the bosses’ capitalist system is currently protecting them and they know that when PLP comrades chant “SHUT THIS RACIST SYSTEM DOWN!” we’re not calling for reforms, or reduced funding; we are calling for a workers’ revolution, and nothing scares them more.
