Brooklyn, October 19—About fifty comrades and friends of Progressive Labor Party (PLP) gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution and the accomplishments of the revolutionary giants whose shoulders we stand on. We started out by working collaboratively on art work intended to create designs for a new t-shirt. After a shared meal, we moved the tables to the sides of the room so that we could sit in circles to discuss a variety of questions related to what life might be like after a communist revolution based on reforms actually achieved in the Soviet Union, China and Cuba after their revolutions.
What would a world run by workers look like?
The topics engaged us with ideas about healthcare, education, work conditions, and collective living. Armed with markers, the groups annotated the questions with their ideas about what a communist world would look like. We rotated the questions, so that each group was able to discuss a variety of questions. For instance, some groups explored what would happen if apartment buildings or neighborhoods shared collective kitchens, resulting in less of a burden on each individual family, stronger community ties, less food waste, and more diversity in cuisine. We speculated on how much our society would improve if health care were separated from the profit system so that doctors could concentrate on patient well-being and research that would most benefit humanity rather than drug companies.
Everyone has a role in building the Party
A rousing speech encouraged us to follow the examples of the revolutionaries who have gone before us. We each received a check-list of contributions we could make in the coming weeks, from giving a CHALLENGE to a friend to joining the Party. After singing the Internationale in Spanish and English, we mingled with new and old friends, chatting about the questions which had been posted on the walls and admiring each other’s art projects. The group of young and older people who had planned the art activity made a commitment to meet regularly to plan more collective projects. Friends attending their first Party event came away with a new understanding of our revolutionary optimism. Experienced comrades left energized by the enthusiasm of new members who helped lead the event. In a climate of deep fear and pessimism, PLP is still fighting for a better future for the whole working class by crushing capitalism once and for all.
