Organize Workers to Fight Directly for Communism here ♦ Exposing Nationalism, Promoting Communism here ♦ Women and Migrants are Not Victims here ♦
Organize Workers to Fight Directly for Communism
“I work in a warehouse with about 20 people,” a young woman told me at the Cancel RIMPAC conference. “How can I organize against capitalism,” she asked, “when it’s hard to get them to talk about politics?”
It was after a workshop about labor. The leaders said they were for communism, but they used up all the time on reformist US labor history and labor law technicalities.
Earlier, I had made sure that everyone had copies of Red Flag. I ran out, but someone who came in late was happy to get the ICWP pamphlet on the communist fight against sexism instead. We exchanged contact information.
The organizers claimed that unionizing workers was a step toward building “mass organizations” (like Cancel RIMPAC) and eventually toward revolution. They asked about our experiences in unions.
I disagreed. I described how the union I belong to diverts members away from revolution. It bogs us down in supporting contract negotiations and electoral politics. It gives money to capitalist politicians, including our bosses. The organizers didn’t understand this (or pretended they didn’t) and claimed my example supported their point!
The workshop ended without any discussion time. I stood up and invited people to stay and talk about mobilizing workers and soldiers directly for communism. The warehouse worker came right over. Then another young woman joined us.
We talked about building solid relationships. About identifying key people. Finding out what they hated most about capitalism (possibly not even job-related). And not being afraid of sharp struggle. Of course we exchanged contact information. Within minutes, the second woman had sent me a happy-dance emoji.
Altogether that day, I met eleven people who wanted to receive Red Flag electronically. Some promised to share it with friends. Meanwhile, I sent the Mobilize the Masses for Communism document to several.
It was a day of great conversations about imperialism, Gaza, sexism, the working class, and organizing among soldiers and sailors. I look forward to being in touch with my new friends.
—An older comrade in Los Angeles (USA)
Exposing Nationalism, Promoting Communism
“It’s very inspiring seeing all of these young folks,” I said to three young people before the “Cancel RIMPAC” conference started. “But I worry about these ideas about national liberation and self-determination.”
“Worry about them, how?” one asked.
“It seems to me,” I continued, “that from Africa to Asia, and the Americas, wherever successful national liberation movements defeated imperialists from the United States, England, France or even Spain, if you look back at all of these liberated places, the masses live in worse conditions than they did before the revolution.”
“Why do you think that happened?” another asked.
“Well,” I responded, “after the successful national liberation revolutionary movements, social and economic capitalist relationships continued. Money, especially wages in exchange for labor, continued. Also, the market continued. As a result, just to name two examples, we can see the continuing misery of the Salvadoran as well as the South African masses.
“I don’t want to offend any of you if you consider yourself a nationalist,” I continued.
Quickly one interrupted: “You’re not, I consider myself a communist.” The other two chimed in: “We’re internationalists”.
I smiled. “Oh, great!” I continued, “Wherever and whenever we take power, we will immediately eliminate all forms of capitalist relationships and set up communist social relations. We’ll do away with money and the market, no more labor in exchange for wages but rather labor to meet the collective needs of the masses, no more borders anywhere.”
By this time the conference was ready to begin. We said to each other, “See you later!”
This exchange gave me confidence to speak throughout the conference and the workshops. And each time I got an opportunity to speak, the discourse got better.
In the last workshop “UC Divest – Lessons on Campus Organizing,” I said again, “It’s so inspiring to see all of these young people” and repeated some of the points mentioned earlier. And this time I emphasized that even though the past national liberation movements did not get rid of capitalist relations, they proved that “we can take power and whenever and wherever that happens we will right away set up communist relations so that we can say that all of the bloodshed and sacrifices that we have made was very well worth it.”
—Inspired Comrade in Los Angeles (USA)
“Women and Migrants are Not Victims”
“What you said was really important,” Ana (a young woman) said to an older comrade. We were leaving a workshop on international migration at the Cancel RIMPAC. “As women and as migrants we should never see ourselves as victims.”
This was at the close of a very rich conversation that included feedback from a mobilization at the US-Mexico border fence the previous day. Ana had talked eloquently about the construction of the 30-foot fence. It was designed to make those who climb it dizzy and fall, resulting in serious injuries. She talked about how this reflected the US’ deliberate attack on migrants and the need to organize against all borders.
Another workshop speaker, a Filipina migrant, spoke passionately about how international capitalism particularly victimizes women immigrants. How it forces them into dangerous situations, just to survive.
“Sister, comrade, we are never victims,” I responded. “They can attack us, and they do, but we are not helpless victims. Women and migrants have played key roles in the class struggle throughout the history of capitalism. We have an important role in bringing it to the end with communist revolution.”
Ana and I exchanged phone numbers. We’ll be in contact to build a movement that fights against capitalism’s sexism and xenophobia and builds for a communist revolution.
—Older Comrade in Los Angeles (USA)
More about Cancel RIMPAC here