PLP’s Summer Project started off with teachers and students going to a high school in Washington Heights, an area that used to send thousands to May Day marches. CHALLENGE was distributed to students and to workers at the subway stop.
In the evening, we viewed the film “Sir! NO Sir!,” about resistance by rank-and-file soldiers in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. A parent and some students came to the movie showing. It was the parent’s first introduction to the Party, and she was interested. It is important to have parents, students and teachers united, as PL is trying to build a Party that includes all members of the working class.
Summer Project participants had a CHALLENGE sale at a local community college. Students eagerly took the paper and one was interested in coming to a protest in Harlem on Wednesday. Campus security guards told the PL’ers that they couldn’t do their sale as the college was “private property.” How a campus that is paid for with public money is off-limits to the public is a contradiction that only makes sense under the logic of capitalism. These students, like those on campuses all over the U.S. and the world, are seeing their tuition skyrocket while their quality of education declines.
The sellers refused to move as one participant talked to the campus KKKops. Eventually they moved to the sidewalk and distributed some more papers. Even though we don’t have state power in this period of history, it is important to challenge the state within the limits that we can, whenever we can. When campus security yelled at a female CHALLENGE seller, they all stood their ground and refused to make it easy to drive communists off the campus.
On August 8, the racist thugs in blue — NYPD KKKops — murdered a young Latino man and shot over 20 bullets at another, putting him in intensive care in Harlem Hospital (HH). Comrades working in a church in Harlem wrote up a leaflet condemning the racist murder, as well as racist cuts at HH, and called for a rally there and a meeting at the church later on in the evening.
The small but spirited rally chanted against police brutality. Hundreds of leaflets and CHALLENGES were distributed to angry workers leaving and entering their shifts, as well as passers-by. Comrades working in the church brought out children, youth, and adults from the black working class of Harlem. PL’ers must continue to work in community organizations and churches to build the Party, coordinate actions, and increase the level of militancy within the working class to build for communist revolution.
Manhattan PL’ers participated in a discussion of the important PL document “Build A Base in the Working Class.” Comrades from all over the world discussed the difficulty of creating ties with people based on revolutionary communist politics. Their stories underscored the Party’s present analysis of our line, “Dark Night Shall Have Its End.” Great amounts of work lead to modest results, but this period will lead to greater advances when the tide of history shifts and the working class takes the offensive. Only communist leadership will prevent the working class’ offensive against the bosses from becoming mired in reformist struggles and Obama worship.
Highlights of the Experiences of PLP Summer Project Participants
My experiences during this past week have been a self-revelation. Selling CHALLENGE and actually standing up for a cause has made me feel like I can make a difference in this capitalist society we live in. Everyone I’ve met is highly intelligent, inspiring and motivated. We see a cause and stand up for it. We don’t allow the working class to get walked over or get taken advantage of. I appreciate listening to everyone speak about communism and the different terms I heard, because I’m constantly learning something new. Having this unity and common cause makes me feel like we can rise up and win. I feel appreciative to be here and have the reins handed over to me and pass it on from our generation to our kids.
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My first day here was a nervous one. I haven’t participated in anything political in a while. But after hearing from the people who are experienced, I realized why I was really here in NY. I’m here to unite the working class, to fight imperialism, racism and sexism!
The first day selling CHALLENGE was very difficult. I didn’t have a chance to read the issue first, so that made it hard to sell. I offered, and some would listen then ignore me. Some would put me down. It did put my morale down. Luckily, I had comrades to help me and lift my spirits. They explained to me what I could say and what’s a good way to get donations. Each day of selling the paper got easier. I read the paper and supplement, which helped to understand our fight a lot better.
I felt the study groups would be difficult, but after listening to everyone I realized it was more about sharing our thoughts on the paper. We get a better understanding of what we are here for and how to improve our Party.
The experience I enjoyed the most was our rally protesting the Council on Foreign Relations. I hadn’t realized the bosses had secret meetings in regular old buildings. As I looked around my comrades, I saw unity. What made me really feel our unity was that even when the cops came, no one moved. Our line marched on, chanting, “Exxon Mobil, BP Shell, take your war and go to hell!”
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My name is Dion and I’m a worker. For the last week, I was in NYC with other fellow workers like myself, working on the Project. When I first was asked to come, I was glad, but I didn’t think it would be work. I thought it was going to be all play. It was my first time on a plane and in NYC, so I was hyped up. I met all types of people from all over the globe and everybody was here for one reason: to fight for the working class, to get the public’s attention and to show them that the times we are living in are not right at all. We all want to expose these ruling-class assholes for who they really are.
I’m from the block, the hood. We don’t really pay close attention to those things at all. We just chill, live our life the way we always do and pray to see tomorrow. I love my experiences in this past week. It has opened my eyes, my mind and given me new questions about life.
The most important thing I learned is that workers are all just one big family that wants to be treated fairly, and if not, we will fight back. Like I said in the beginning, and as it will be in the end: I’m Dion and I am a worker.
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My favorite part of the Summer Project was seeing the many different “races” in NY. There are many different types of food, clothing, languages and music. Seeing all this in one place is inspiring. Staying with other people in the Party made me feel comfortable. I liked being in NY, helping others in the same struggle as me. It’s inspiring to meet other people from different parts of the world who come together with me and fight for the same cause. This trip gave me the experience of selling CHALLENGE for the first time, and learning new ways to organize a communist group by attending study groups and movie nights. I also enjoyed sightseeing on the Staten Island Ferry and going to the best museum I’ve ever been to. I am grateful I was invited to come here and make a difference.
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What I loved the most about the Summer Project was taking naps. Seriously though, this
summer, I learned to remind myself not to quit when people intentionally ignored me while trying to sell the paper. I felt welcomed from the NY comrades and being in the Party really feels like being in one big family.
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This Summer Project was fun and filled with new ideas and new people. I have done three Projects before, but none were like this one. I went to the VA hospital with two young comrades and we gave out a few CHALLENGES. I had a nice discussion with a 40-year veteran. He was telling me that we are doing a good thing, but we need to make sure that we are doing what we talk about. Hospital security kicked us out. I never got kicked out of anywhere before, but I was proud that we made a plan to get out safely and we executed it perfectly. I loved the CFR rally. It was full of energy. I really felt like we were an army.
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I sold the newspaper CHALLENGE. I watched a movie about how back then women couldn’t decide or vote to help their family (Salt of the Earth). I went marching with people, protesting for the workers. I think in all the things we did, it was important how everybody stood together; they never gave up. I learned how many people were fighting and how many people agreed and others didn’t. I felt great about this Summer Project.
