LOS ANGELES—The 12 months since last May Day has been a hell of a year for the working class of the world. With Covid-19, continued police murders and brutality , unemployment, and lack of housing ravishing working-class communities, especially Black, Latin and Asian, it can be hard to imagine creating a better world for all of us. But May Day reminds us that we have a communist world to win and we can join together with our class brothers and sisters to fight to achieve that goal.
In Los Angeles, May Day was a coming together of Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members and our friends to commemorate the struggles of our past comrades and highlight the continuing battles PLP is helping to lead. Through our work within two mass organizations, one dedicated to giving voice to the families of those murdered by the police, and the other a tenants’ union fighting racist gentrification, we were able to celebrate May Day in a community park and lead a car caravan to the Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters.
Celebrating a year of struggle
The park where May Day was held is located in the community that the Party has been organizing in for over a year and a half with the Flores family, whose son Alex was ripped from them by LAPD thugs. Members of the community stopped by to listen to our speeches and songs. The park was filled with a multi-racial crowd of 70 people, young and old, all familiar with the Party through its work within the mass organizations.
The May Day program included songs, poems and speeches about the history of May Day and why it is important for every member of our class to join PLP. The calls for a communist revolution were loud and clear. The program was co-led by Alex’s sister. Over the course of the struggle, she and others in her family have become increasingly convinced that this system can never provide a viable future for the working class. Antiracist and anti-sexist speeches and songs were enthusiastically applauded. Clearly working-class unity between Black, Latin, white, young, old, men and women, LGTBQ+ and straight, is necessary to build a revolutionary movement.
Healthcare workers joined the event and contributed their musical talents with drum beats to accompany a comrade with spoken word. Students and teachers from high schools where Party members work attended the event and contributed with both prepared speeches and their thoughts during an open mic session. The highlight was the breakout sessions in which people met in small groups to discuss “What does justice look like?” This question was asked because there are so many families still seeking “justice” with our leadership and they are starting to wonder if justice can ever be accomplished under this system. Party members spoke about the need to overthrow this capitalist system and replace it with communism as the only path to “justice.”
The May Day program was followed by a powerful caravan of cars with signs, led by a sound truck. As we drove towards the LAPD Headquarters we were greeted with cheers and fists in the air from the people in the community. The Party, five of the families and others gathered in front of the LAPD headquarters where we confronted the cops, who were out in full riot gear. The families boldly called out the outfit responsible for assassinating their loved ones. A Party member’s call for communist revolution to smash racist police murder was enthusiastically applauded.
Hard work & sharp struggle leads to advances
PLP has been involved in struggles against police terror for many years. In LA, we have been able to work directly with several victims’ families during the past year. These families have led regular rallies and protests in front of the Newton Police Station. Not only do the families speak about their experiences with the racist LAPD and the County Sheriffs, but we show our strength by taking over the street and collectively confronting the police. We have also been active in a community based campaign supporting an evicted family who has boldly reclaimed their home after being thrown out by the same racist enforcers of the profit system that murder our brothers and sisters. All of these actions have always been welcomed and supported by workers who live in these areas.
Racist police terror affects all working-class people, but disproportionately Black, Indigenous and Latin workers, as May Day speakers pointed out. The role of the police is to protect profits and private property, to physically and mentally oppress workers, especially Black and Latin workers, and to divide the working class in order to uphold this racist capitalist system. Multiracial unity is essential to the struggle against the police and capitalism.
Leading up to May Day, two workers began meeting with a Party club and are moving closer to joining the Party. Hundreds of people were exposed to communist and antiracist politics, and more people understand the strength of the working class when we unite. The future here looks bright for the growth of PLP and our movement to rid the earth of the exploiters and their henchmen in “law enforcement.”
BROOKLYN, May 1—The Progressive Labor Party (PLP) in New York City and New Jersey united a multiracial and multi generational crowd of over 200 fighters to march working-class power. “Whose day? Our day!! What day? May Day!” Several Black and Latin women workers gave speeches throughout the march. The essential message was loud and clear: “The victories of the rich are not the victories of the international working class; putting worker needs at the forefront is our victory.” That’s communism.
Communists marching by!
Curious faces responded with awe at seeing a multiracial group of women leading the energized march from the sound truck. Their voices amplified by loud speakers denounced the crimes of this capitalist system. This drew a lot of attention from workers coming out of stores, sitting by their apartment windows, walking on the street and riding by in cars, buses, and motorcycles. Over a thousand passersby took CHALLENGE. Some made donations. Many others were receptive to the chants laid over the latest hits. Fists were raised in solidarity with the banner on the truck, “The only solution is a communist revolution!”
The workers witnessed PLP's blossoming red army taking to the streets. As we marched, many workers heard chants in Spanish, Hatian Creole, and English. Some workers joined the march. Workers are tired of this system. They want change.
Fight Back!
Later in the evening, more than 120 workers and youth joined us for a Virtual May Day celebration. The themes of the event included capitalism’s war on our health, the history of May Day and 60 years of PLP fighting for communism. There were international greetings from PL’ers in Haiti and Mexico. We celebrated the wit and might of the international working class with inspiring original songs about worker fightback against capitalist brutality. Small group conversations at the end of the event gave people a chance to speak on the fightbacks they’ve been involved in recently, and ask questions about the Party.
Highlights of the virtual event included the main speech by a healthcare worker comrade about capitalism’s war against our health and safety and the beauty and healing possible only with a communist future. After the event several workers shared how striking it was to hear a young comrade share about the loss of their mother to capitalist healthcare, and the funny and encouraging stories of fightback in their job as a health worker in a long-term care facility. Attendees also commented with interest on the presentation of PLP’s history of fightback, which included historic photos and recounts of some successful battles against fascists and the bosses from the 1960s to the present. As one said, “I’d heard about some of these events on the news growing up, but I had no idea how many people were actually there and fighting for change”.
Our communist victory!
The response of workers proves to both experienced and emerging working-class fighters that when workers are exposed to communist ideas, it resonates with them. PL’ers are here to show the international working class what communism looks like (multiracial, multigenerational, of all genders), and what communists believe: a shared vision for victory by workers worldwide, that one day everyday will be May Day!
CHICAGO, May 1 – Close to 100 members of Progressive Labor Party (PLP) and friends gathered on the west side of the city today to boldly celebrate International Workers Day and our vision of a communist future. Working-class fighters of all ages – Asian, Latin, Black and white – united for the purpose of carrying out our most inspirational and well-organized May Day in years.
Over one year into a deadly and racist pandemic, workers worldwide are fired up. Our class is grappling with the wretched failure that is the capitalist profit system. Many more are growing dissatisfied with the passivity of voting and the bosses’ offers of reform crumbs.
In short, workers seem more receptive to revolutionary communist struggle as the only path to our collective liberation. The international PLP is ready and willing to accept these eager fighters into our Party’s ranks as we build the long fight for a communist world!
Communism on street corners
To kick our celebration off, we gathered on all four corners of a busy intersection in a multiracial, working-class neighborhood. Our collective has sold CHALLENGE newspaper and held rallies at this same spot for years and workers here have come to welcome our militant messages of fightback and revolution.
With at least 15 rallying workers on each corner, we started giving rousing speeches on the bullhorn and leading bilingual chants in Spanish and English. Dozens of copies of CHALLENGE were flying out of our hands from cars stopped at lights and by workers walking past.
On display were dozens of colorful, revolutionary signs and banners celebrating the international working class and its mass PLP. Months of planning by Party committees were apparent with our variety of signs, flyers, creative new chants, and custom PLP red facemasks. Everyone present was quickly energized for our next move: taking the streets!
Whose streets? Our streets!
May Day marchers started filing off the corners onto busy Cermak Road. Our security contingent guided the pace and perimeter of the march and ensured our safety. We drew the attention of the racist and sexist kkkops almost instantly. But they soon learned their intimidation tactics were not about to rain on our working-class parade.
The bullhorn speeches and chants continued as we marched west through the neighborhood. Our voices thundered down each block as we chanted, “The only solution is communist revolution!” and “Asian, Latin, Black and white – Workers of the world, unite!”
Numerous workers along the route stepped out to raise their fists, record video, and take a copy of CHALLENGE. Some joined our march on the spot! We called out the names of many workers shot down by this vicious system, including those of Adam Toledo and Anthony Alvarez, two Latin youth murdered by the klan-in-blue in Chicago this year. The entire neighborhood heard it loud and clear that communism means an end to racist police murder!
Revolutionary optimism
After a mile-long march, we filtered into a nearby park to begin our program. Two newer comrades from PLP emceed, each giving speeches in which they described how the Party has provided them a vehicle for building community and fighting the racist bosses. They praised the multiracial, multigenerational character of the Party and the wisdom gained from struggling collectively in mass campaigns.
A healthcare worker then switched things up and led the crowd in a number of songs on their guitar, including “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” by Tracy Chapman. Two veteran PLP members, a teacher and a nurse, followed with speeches in which they shared the fightback on their jobs and in the streets, and contrasted the racist and sexist brutality of capitalism with the revolutionary optimism of communism. We concluded our event with rousing renditions of the communist anthem “The Internationale” in Spanish and English.
As we socialized afterwards on the beautiful Saturday afternoon, the optimistic mood was evident. May Day is truly a revolutionary shot in the arm!
Onward to communist revolution!
In our post-May Day upswing, we know we must remain focused. We are making plans to incorporate new members into the Party and broaden our revolutionary battle against the profit system. Here’s to another successful May Day!
All power to the international working class!
BALTIMORE, May 1—Members and friends of the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) held a virtual May Day event. It was streamed live, featuring poetry, music and short videos, along with commentary and discussion on the history of May Day, the ideas of PLP, and the importance of international working class solidarity. In addition, the program dealt with the struggle against police brutality, as killer cops continue to terrorize workers, with virtually no accountability. Yes, Derek Chauvin was found guilty for the racist murder of George Floyd. But, in the face of approximately 1,100 cop killings each and every year in the United States, there have been only seven murder convictions since 2005. That’s a murder conviction rate of about one in 2,500. The capitalist billionaires who control the government need cops to protect them and their profiteering businesses. To get rid of killer cops, the whole capitalist system has to go.
New supporters lead May Day organizing
Members of our newly formed PLP study group spearheaded our streaming May Day this year. This is a significant advance and, when they’re ready, we welcome these antiracist, anti-sexist fighters to join Progressive Labor Party and dedicate their life’s work to the achievement of a truly working class-led world.
Streaming of Baltimore’s May Day began with a documentary video about the pre-pandemic East Coast May Day marches – organized by Progressive Labor Party in 2017, 2018 and 2019 - live, out in the streets! Those powerful marches condemned the predatory capitalist system that harms and exploits all members of the working class. Following that video, Tawanda Jones – who is the co-founder, along with other family members, of the West Wednesday Coalition – discussed the history of May Day. She described the brutal police killings of workers during May Day’s founding, and how those same tactics are used against the working class today. Capitalism will never truly hold racist killer cops accountable. The system requires violence from cops to continue its exploitative existence. We need a revolution for working class power.
Next, a new supporter of the Party performed a spoken-word poem, touching on the history of May Day, how far we have come, and how far we still have to go to eradicate this capitalist system and replace it with communism. After that, a former member of Progressive Labor Party – who remains supportive of our revolutionary work – discussed the main communist ideas that drew him to the Party when he was in high school.
May Day builds international working class solidarity
The capitalist education system strives to keep workers divided and misled against our best interests. On the contrary, PLP builds working class solidarity to combat the capitalist bosses, as they continue to exploit our labor and accumulate stolen wealth. Events like May Day are an opportunity for members of the working class to come together and celebrate our accomplishments as a collective, while not losing sight of the progress we must continue to make.
In accordance with May Day’s core principle – worldwide unity of the working class – a key presentation was about the tremendous struggle in India (see the editorial, page 2) by farmers and farm workers, who make up 50 percent of India’s population. Taking place during seven months in 2020 and 2021, their fight may have been the largest mass movement in all of human history, involving as many as 250 million people in just a single day of the nation-wide protests! As expected, in accord with profitable U.S. business investments in India – where the minimum wage is $2.42 a day – the Joe Biden / Kamala Harris administration has supported the Indian government, led by fascist Prime Minister Modi, as they slaughtered and martyred over 200 of the agricultural protestors.
We played an electrifying, local music video, entitled No Justice, No Peace. It centers around efforts to combat the capitalist injustice system and includes inspiring images of confrontation after confrontation with politicians, police chiefs, lying medical examiners, and the Baltimore state’s attorney. Then a powerful speaker, whose former husband was murdered by police, honored the father of her children, and gave compelling testimony about what we must do, to create the new world we need. Other segments of the program included a revolutionary dance performance, and a visual poem; both creative and beautiful.
Workers of the world unite! Fight for communism!
On May Day, nearly 40 people, mostly young workers, took to the streets, making demands of the murderous state, with slogans of worker fightback. That same day, thousands of people took to the streets in different cities and towns in Colombia as a form of resistance to police brutality, censorship, and hunger.
We delivered the message that workers need a communist future, and that revolution is the only way to combat the sexism, racism and fascism that prevails in a capitalist world. To support our message we distributed CHALLENGE and talked with various people, known and new, about PLP’s political line and encouraged followers to join the Party.
Although the presence of ESMAD (riot police) was threatening, with several people injured and killed in different parts of the country, we boldly marched with our collectives, young and old, carrying the red flag of communism and the chanting the Party’s revolutionaryline as a friendly hand for the proletarian who walks, marches, shouts, and resists!
