Letters of June 20

PLP Helps Fight Sexism

A group of students in a school where PLP has a base decided to protest bullying in general, and bullying of homosexuals in particular. A student who has a CHALLENGE network of ten papers was part of the leadership of this protest. The students wore black tape over their mouths to symbolize the silence that exists around the discrimination that homosexual teens get.

The PL teacher saw this protest as an opportunity to engage his students in a struggle on sexism within his classroom. He discussed the social identities that exist under capitalism.  The PL teacher made sure to stress that we shouldn’t unite based on these identities, but unite based upon our identity as the working class.  He further discussed how capitalism uses racism and sexism to divide and conquer the working class.  He pointed out that sex is biological anatomy and gender is what society demands the individual conform to based upon that biology. 

Sexism is discrimination and oppression based upon the roles that capitalism demands human beings adhere to due to their sexual anatomy.  Since communism means the abolition of “race” and redefining gender roles after the revolution, many students came closer to understanding the need to abolish a system that brutalizes people based upon gender roles and their skin color.

A conversation on bullying also led to students discussing the fact that the U.S. acted like a bully to the whole world. This conversation on U.S. imperialism also touched on racism towards Muslims and dovetailed with the racist mass murderer who’s on trial in Norway.  Pointing out the intersections of systemic oppression in the classroom helped to clarify how capitalism affects us all. Many of those students who participated the most in the class discussion were already CHALLENGE readers, but those who aren’t yet will start getting the paper.

By clearly illustrating PLP’s line on sexism and fighting for a communist analysis of bullying, racism, sexism, and capitalism, opportunities to build the Party and organize for May Day were seized. Communists must help students as they fight back against all forms of oppression while clearly illustrating the interconnection of that struggle to capitalism as a whole.  

Communist Teacher

PLP School Unites Workers Across the Caribbean

During a communist school in the Caribbean, workers worldwide spoke about how to write for CHALLENGE in a collective manner. We discussed drug trafficking as one of the many evils capitalism generates, and how only workers united for communism in PLP can end it once and for all. We realized we have more similarities than differences and understood the need to build an international party. There is no difference in the way that capitalists use workers, regardless if you live in Pakistan, China, Japan or South America. 

Imagine that you are a single mother with three children; you receive government assistance. It isn’t enough to pay for rent, education, dress your kids, or buy food. An “opportunity” presents itself: transporting drugs. What do you do? Accept and take the risk of imprisonment or death? Or do you accept that your family will suffer for the rest of their lives? This is only a natural scene under  capitalism. The only options the working class is offered is oppression or more oppression. Drug trafficking has many levels, but the effects it has on the working class are devastating.

Drug Tracking in El Salvador manifests itself in many individual forms or by using distribution through neighborhood gangs. El Salvador is just a corridor where drugs pass through without control. Two years ago, two tons of cocaine from Colombia were discovered that were on their way to the United States. Drug lords use men, women and children as drug traffickers.  

In the Dominican Republic, drugs are a tool to keep the youth and working class away from class consciousness. Drugs are kept and distributed by capitalists through the corruption of governments. We must fight in this struggle. We cannot abandon our youth. For example, in the Dominican Republic during the 1970s, the youth fought for a better education system and for the lives of workers. They went out on the streets under communist flags. However, now the drug lords have put the youth to sleep with drugs and “easy money.” The reality is that they end up dead.  

In New Jersey, the government and the police depend a lot on the drug market in the poor neighborhoods. In Newark, unemployment and poverty for black and Latino youth is highest. Since the 1950s, factories have left Newark for cheaper and more controllable labor elsewhere. The youth have no future. That’s why they’ve fallen prey to drugs and crime.

Poor workers became involved in heroin and other drugs that began with the Vietnam War. Also, the capitalist music industry spreads drug use through their artists’ lyrics and they also help drug trafficking.

I’m a teacher and many of my students sell drugs to help their families survive. This is only an example on how capitalists use drugs to maintain inequalities and horror. That’s why the only solution for us is to fight for a system for the workers — communism. 

A comrade

Honored to Be Part of Brooklyn’s May Day

May Day 2012 painted the world red. The streets of Brooklyn were paved with workers sick and tired of this racist capitalist society. The day began with a rally to send a message to workers that we shall not quiver in fear of the police, to show that bosses may cut our benefits and paychecks but they can never cut worker’s spirits. Then a two-mile march of red glory down streets of Brooklyn as we try to rally up the dormant hearts of the exploited workers, followed with chants and CHALLENGEs. Workers young and old never yielded as they continued marching strong.

Afterwards, we celebrated this joyous occasion with dinner and a program. Comrades worked hard cooking delicious food, doing music presentations, and giving their thoughts about communism. It was awesome and an honor to be part of this year’s May Day.

Young Red