LOS ANGELES, CA, MAY 2—In a pocket park in South Los Angeles, dozens of comrades and friends gathered to celebrate May Day as a playlist of militant songs filled the air. We decorated the space with red flags, banners, signs, and posters depicting the history of May Day. Everyone brought something for our potluck dinner but we began with a rousing march.

Workers are waking up

Together we marched to the local police station, the homebase of the KKKops who murdered Alex Flores in 2019. We hyped up the neighborhood for about a month before with Saturday rallies every other week leading up to May Day. This, along with our seven years of struggle alongside the Flores family, has built our reputation in the area. As we marched, cars honked, pedestrians and bus riders raised their fists, and a couple hundred CHALLENGEs were distributed. Chants of “Asian, Latin, Black, and white, workers of the world unite!” and “La migra, la policia, la misma porqueria” accompanied by cowbells echoed along the route with passersby joining in. At the police station, a new comrade gave a rousing speech about our ongoing struggles against police violence.

By the time we returned to the park, our ranks had grown to over 50. Before the rest of the program we participated in a “get to know you” activity. We discussed what we hated most about capitalism, why we came to May Day, and what roles we might play in the revolution. This led to lively discussions about how to combat mental illness, the emerging militancy of young people, and the importance of a long-term outlook on organizing.

Another highlight of the program was an updated rendition of “Masters of War” and a young comrade’s personal speech about their family’s connection to another song, “Deportees.” This bookended another speech on base building during growing fascism which was humorous but also emphasized the importance of Progressive Labor Party (PLP) and its line on discipline, commitment, and having confidence in yourself and the working class.

The keynote speaker led with a quote “When people talk about traveling to the past, they worry about radically changing the present by doing something small, but barely anyone in the present really thinks that they can change the future by doing something small.” They went on to talk about how small actions can add up and the importance of collective, organized actions to building a communist, revolutionary movement that can change the world. We ended the day singing “The International” in both Spanish and English. Our message was clear: we fight not just for reform, but for a communist world free of racism, sexism, exploitation, and borders.