CHICAGO, October 20­­—Tonight we celebrated the victory and legacy of the communist October Revolution with comrades and close members of our base. About 60 of us gathered at a local hall to talk about the history of the how the Bolsheviks and theRussian working class won state power over 100 years ago, and how we in Progressive Labor Party are carrying on the tradition of international fight back, particularly with an emphasis on Black workers and youth being the key to revolution.
Table talks challenge bosses’reforms & racist cops
    We kicked off the event with an open mic and table talks in order to make the event more engaging for those in attendance. We led discussions around issues of conditions in working-class schools for students and teachers, the confirmation of the newest U.S. Supreme Court arch-sexist, Brett Kavanaugh, efforts of the working class organizing fight back efforts in the area, and the difference between reform and revolution.
A major part of our table conversations was the recent conviction of racist cop Jason Van Dyke for the murder of Black teenager Laquan McDonald. However, the conversation wasn’t a celebratory tone. It was a realistic tone in terms of the illusions that the ruling class feed members of the working class. Their version of justice never substantially works for members of the working class, particularly for Black, Latin, and women workers.
Even the “conviction” of Van Dyke shows that the state terror against working-class people by these killer kkkops isn’t regarded as a crime at all. This is shown by the fact that although Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 charges of aggravated battery with a firearm, he was found not guilty of “professional misconduct.” Meaning, viciously murdering a Black youth who was walking away from him wasn’t contrary to his duties, and it speaks volumes about the murderously racist character of the police under capitalism.
Revolutionary speeches, strengthening youth base
After the table talks, a comrade gave a passionate speech about rebuilding the mass international movement and the need to take state power once again through armed revolution. She blasted the capitalist bosses’ efforts to pacify us through their bogus “democracy” and elections, and reminded all of us that true political power “comes through the barrel of a gun.” She provoked all of us to imagine what could be if the caravan of migrant workers making their way through Central America was met at the U.S.-Mexico border with arms and communist leadership.
Following the comrade, a family member of Steven Rosenthal, a 15-year-old Black youth recently murdered by the Chicago Police Department (CPD), made a heartfelt speech about the realities of police repression in our neighborhoods. He talked about the life and personality of Steven and his relationships with his friends, and the type of lies that CPD have told about him since his murder. The teens in attendance noticeably gave him their attention, and the effect it had on them was visible.
These teenagers were present as a result of our growing work in local schools, and the conversations they had after the event were inspiring. It is vital that we continue to work with youth because they bear the brunt of the abuses of capitalism. A few of these young people voiced an understanding of how racism affects them, and of what awaits them if we don’t fight back and smash it.
The reality is that it could be any of them or any of us if we’re not successful in building a wide base among the working class as well as a massive Red Army to fight back with revolutionary violence against the fascism that’s heaped on us constantly.
Onward to state power
We ended the celebration with music and dancing, the way that working-class revolutions should be commemorated. It was yet another step forward in building our communist culture among the working class, a culture that is egalitarian, multi-racial, multi-gender, and multi-generational.
Over a century ago, the Bolsheviks and the Russian workers, peasants, soldiers, and sailors gave us one of history’s best lessons on what can be accomplished when our class is armed and organized with communist politics. It is on their shoulders that we stand as we continue to build our Party for that inevitable day when the working class wins power once again.