SEATTLE, WA — "I think you will be a leader of the whole Party in two years," predicted a local worker at the closing Seattle Summer Project barbeque. He was addressing the twenty-something year old leader of the visiting collective of comrades.

He paused, letting this sink in to all present. "Worldwide!" he added for emphasis.

Boeing worker signing letter of solidarity with South african metalworkers

The young leader described her experiences during her five years of International Communist Workers' Party (ICWP) projects. She made sure other participants also spoke about their summer project impressions.

The comrades got our literature to Boeing workers, LA and Bay Area transit workers, garment workers, soldiers and students over the years. Most importantly, she declared, we have built a new collective of young comrades that can fight for our line.

Summer Project Builds International Consciousness

This summer, we made a special effort to build anti-racist international communist solidarity metalworkers. These strikers helped open the door a thousand miles away at Boeing. It was time to step through that doorway.

We distributed hundreds of Red Flag newspapers featuring two articles on the strike to Boeing workers and soldiers. In addition, everybody got a copy of the new ICWP pamphlet on the key revolutionary role of the expanding industrial working class.

Sixty Boeing workers and Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers signed our solidarity letter, giving their email addresses for further information. Some were long-time friends in the plants; some were new Red Flag readers. A couple of dozen signers were first introduced to these politics by comrades outside the factories and fort.

Young Lions Roar

"In some ways I grew up like that," said a youth at her first summer project, after we saw a video on the situation in South Africa, at one of our nightly study groups. The living conditions of our South African comrades are horrendous, even worse than she experienced.

"It touched my heart," she said. "It shows the opportunities [to mobilize the masses for communism]".

As if on cue, a 16-year old who was here for the second time described her struggle with a Boeing worker outside an assembly plant. She explained what happened in her own words in the  letter entitled "Lesson: DON'T TAKE "NO" PERSONALLY! It only means "I don't understand what you are up to.". We can learn from her how to take advantage of these opportunities.

After this worker finally signed the solidarity letter and took all our literature she expressed her hope that "you get a chance to read all this."

"Don't worry! I'm going to read all this and then I'm going to write you guys."

The 16-year-old's friend was another first- time participant. When she arrived our politics were new to her. By Friday, she was able to convince a soldier to sign the letter in support of our South African brothers and sisters.

The door was also opening to a new collective of revolutionary leaders.

Putting Communist Ideas Into Practice

What explains this development of young comrades? For sure, it had an electric effect on Boeing workers and others who attended our meetings and socials; circulated Red Flag, the industrial pamphlet and our communist solidarity letter.

Part of the answer lies in how we immediately put into practice the ideas we learned each night in our Party study groups.

We spent the week explaining to industrial workers and soldiers why we fight for international communist solidarity, not trade union solidarity. Why we build for political strikes that help mobilize the masses for communism, not economic strikes limited to seeking reforms of capitalism. Why we fight directly for communism, not socialism.

One thirty-something Boeing worker attended our Thursday study group. After a two-hour discussion he proposed we concentrate on educating workers about what communism really is. Now that's how to seize the time!