Bringing Communist Ideas to Thousands
LOS ANGELES (USA), May 1â As we gathered at MacArthur Park, comrades old and new, there was a shared sense that this wasnât just tradition, but continuation. Continuation of struggle, of organization, of building towards mobilizing for Communism.
As we stepped into the march, stacks of Red Flag in hand, a newer comrade walked beside me, looking out at the crowd of maybe ten thousand people stretching down blocks.
âThereâs so much standing⊠is that normal?â they said, surprised and anxious.
I nodded. âYeah. But weâre gonna get started soon,â I said as we distributed Red Flag to the workers who were still pouring in. Our Communist speeches spoke profoundly about destroying capitalism and the need for workers to unite to fight for a communist world without bosses or borders. Workers listened attentively as they took Red Flag.
This yearâs march was noticeably filled with workers from many unions and all walks of life. Workers taking time off from their jobs, students marching with friends, older folks who had clearly been here beforeâ all reaching out, curious, open, sometimes eager.
Younger comrades stepped forward without hesitation, leading chants and coordinating movement. It wasnât forced; it was emerging. Leadership wasnât assignedâit was taken up.
New friends and old friends joined our contingent.
At one point, the same comrade turned to me again, more energized this time.
âI didnât expect to feel like this,â they said. âIt feels⊠real.â
âThatâs because it is!â I replied. âThis is what building looks like. Not perfect, not finishedâbut moving.â
There was pride in what we were doing. It came from clarity. From knowing that distributing our literature is intentional. Itâs part of preparing, organizing, and pushing beyond reform for revolution. Reform is inherently about making capitalism more palatable and preserving capitalism. Itâs the opposite of revolution. We enter into mass movements to win our class siblings to the revolutionary alternative.
As we marched through Los Angeles, our chants echoed off buildings. âEste puño sĂ se ve, los obreros al poderâ (âThis fist means power to the workersâ) rang out as our multigenerational and international party stood as a reflection of whatâs possible. Not just resistance, but direction. The only international party there.
We brought over 1300 papers and ran out halfway through the march. A comrade looked at the last few copies in their hand and smiled. âWe shouldâve brought more.â
Read the ICWP pamphlet Fight For the Day When No Worker Will be Called Foreigner here