April 17 marked the sixty-first anniversary of the founding of the Progressive Labor Party (PLP). From a meeting of barely two dozen members of the old U.S. communist movement, PLP has grown into an international party, now organized in 27 countries.

Over our first half-century, PLP has propelled the march to communism — first by leading an antiracist, working-class struggle, and through that struggle advancing communist ideas. This two-pronged strategy — practice and theory — is the basis for winning masses of workers to fight for communism.

Why communism? In our vision, the working class will determine the future of society. It will destroy the capitalist world and its brutal exploitation. It will smash a system that drives us into constant unemployment and poverty. It will stop the racism and sexism that drags down all workers. It will smash the racist cops who break our strikes and kill our Black, Latin, Asian and immigrant sisters and brothers. And it will put an end to the imperialist wars that send our youth to kill their class brothers and sisters worldwide, all for the bosses’ profits.

A communist world

Here is our vision for a communist world:

• A society run by workers and for workers. After all, the working class produces everything of value and should rightfully receive the benefits of our labor. Collectively, we can determine how to share what we produce, according to need.
• Abolition of the exploitative wage system and the money that runs it. We have no need for the parasitic bosses who steal most of the value of our labor through wage slavery.
• Multiracial unity with women and men workers and an end to the racism and sexism that divides the working class. Racism and sexism is rooted in capitalism; the bosses rely on it to steal trillions in super-profits worldwide.
• Elimination of all borders, artificial lines drawn by the bosses to make even more profits from workers they call “foreigners.” Nationalism is an anti-worker ideology that enables the imperialist rulers to exploit natural resources and cheap labor. It also enables them to make war on other workers. Communists are internationalists because the working class is one international class, with a common class interest, under one red flag.

This is the world the PLP has fought for from the start. We will continue to fight until our class prevails. We invite all workers to join this struggle — for ourselves, and for our children and grandchildren.

Struggle and Theory

From its earliest beginnings in the 1960s, PLP has fought tooth and nail against attacks by the ruling class. We have organized and supported Ford workers and striking teachers in Mexico; wildcatting miners in Hazard, Kentucky; longshore workers in New York City; jute workers in India; miners in Britain; garment workers in Los Angeles; bank workers in Colombia; transit workers in Washington, DC; Chrysler sit-down strikers at Detroit’s Mack Avenue plant; farm workers in California, and bakery workers at Stella D’Oro in the Bronx. We have stood with evicted workers in Palestine-Israel, earthquake victims in Pakistan, and hurricane victims in Haiti, New Orleans, and New York City. We have led anti-imperialist struggles against the UN in Haiti. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Antiracism is a hallmark of PLP. We backed Black workers and youth in the 1964 Harlem Rebellion, and fought off racist school segregationists in Boston in 1975. In 1976, we integrated Chicago’s Marquette Park. Throughout our existence, we have led more than a hundred thousand protesters against the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis across the United States. We have mobilized against racist killer cops from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles, to Chicago, to Ferguson, Missouri.

PLP has stood in the forefront of opposition to the bosses’ wars. In the 1960s, we were the first to organize mass demonstrations for the U.S. to “Get Out of Vietnam!” We formed the Worker-Student Alliance in the anti-war Students for A Democratic Society. PLP broke the U.S. travel ban to Cuba and undermined the rulers’ House Un-American Activities Committee to the point of collapse. More recently, working both within the military and on the streets, we exposed the U.S. rulers’ invasions of Iraq as a murderous oil grab.

None of these developments came out of thin air. They grew out of our party’s analysis of past class struggles and the achievements of millions of workers. PLP studied the strengths and weaknesses of the communist movement led by — among many others — Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong. In 1917, this movement created a revolution in Russia; In 1949, a revolution in China. It defeated the Nazis in Europe and the fascists in Japan in World War II. It reached its highest point in China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which attempted to push back a growing elitism in the party leadership and put the masses in charge of society.

PLP is the only group to point out what went wrong in the Soviet Union and China. We are the only organization to analyze how socialism in those countries led back to the unvarnished profit system, where all workers are now mired.

A communist society will have no bosses or profits. It will be led by the working class through its Progressive Labor Party.

Marxism: An evolving idea

The history of the Progressive Labor Party began in 1962. A small group of communists left the Communist Party USA and organized the Progressive Labor Movement (PLM). They rejected the CPUSA’s capitulation to capitalism and its abandonment of the open advocacy of communist revolution. The old communist movement proposed that the bosses would peacefully relinquish control of society and allow what the CP called “socialism” to be “voted into existence.” The communists who formed PLM refused to mislead workers and broke away from the old guard.

In the course of PLP’s history, we have rejected some traditional Marxist concepts and advanced a number of new ones, all based on our practice and our examination of world events and the decay of the old communist movement. These new principles are expressed in a series of documents, including Road to Revolution I, II, III and IV; Revolution Not Reform; and “Dark Night Shall Have Its End.” (These are all available on plp.org or in pamphlet form.)

Above all, Progressive Labor Party stands for the principle that the working class must fight directly for communism rather than moving first through a transitional phase of socialism. We reject this two-stage theory because events have shown that socialism inevitably leads back to full-blown capitalism. In both Russia and China, socialism preserved capitalist features such as money and the wage system, leading to inequalities that divided the working class. In both of these countries, the communist party became a new ruling class where privileges were attained through party membership. We believe the working class can and will be won before the revolution to fight directly for communism — to abolish the wage system, the cult of the individual and other capitalist relics.

PLP’s main principles are:

• Internationalism, under the slogan “Smash All Borders,” where workers’ class unity is represented by a single mass, international Party;
• The fight against racism, a strategic necessity in the struggle to overthrow capitalism;
• The fight against the special oppression of women — sexism — another critical component in uniting the working class, a prerequisite for revolution;
• A concentration among industrial workers, who produce the capitalists’ profits and the weapons for the bosses’ imperialist wars;
• Workers’ power through armed struggle, since the rulers constantly use their armed state power to violently suppress the working class.

Throughout its existence, PLP has fought for these principles in unceasing class struggle. We have learned that building the Party is the first order of business for communists. Capitalism cannot be reformed. Whatever gains workers make in reform struggles are limited and temporary; sooner or later, the bosses always use their state power to take them back. Communists strive to turn reform struggles into schools for communism, into vehicles for building the Party. Winning workers to the Progressive Labor Party is the one and only victory the ruling class can never take back. We therefore urge all workers and youth to join us now for the next half-century in this historic task: to organize a communist revolution.

BROOKLYN, March  20 — As ICE raids continue to hit working-class communities, educators, students, and families at our school are continuing to organize. Our latest step was an after-school rally aimed at bringing more students into the struggle and strengthening our collective fightback.

ICE out of our schools!

This work has been building over time. The anti-ICE rapid response committee, which includes Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members and other staff, has been organizing to defend students and families from immigration enforcement. What’s changed recently is a growing willingness among more teachers to step forward and take action. People are less willing to sit back and hope things get better.

In our meetings, we’ve been talking about what it means to actually build power. There was growing agreement that we can’t rely on politicians, no matter how they present themselves, to protect our students. If anything, recent events have made it clearer that we have to rely on each other. That led to a shift, putting more emphasis on getting out into the streets and organizing openly.

Holding the rally after school made a difference. Students who couldn’t make the morning rallies were able to join. As dismissal ended, students stopped, watched, and many decided to stay. Some jumped into chants right away. Others hung back at first but got pulled in. It felt like something was starting to open up.

We continued chants like “ICE means we gotta fight back,” but also added “Oil war means we gotta fight back,” bringing out the connection between what’s happening here and U.S. wars abroad. These aren’t separate issues. The same system behind deportations is behind imperialist wars, and students are beginning to see that more clearly.

Keeping the antiracist momentum going 

Another thing that came out of our discussions was the need to be consistent. One rally isn’t enough. We’re planning to hold rallies on the first Friday of every month, building toward May Day. The goal is to make this kind of action a regular part of school life, not something occasional.
The situation our students are facing hasn’t changed–ICE raids are still happening, families are still under pressure, and the system continues to rely on fear and division. But more people are starting to respond differently.

Each action brings in new people. Students start to recognize each other, to feel less alone, to see that something collective is possible. 

That’s what we’re trying to build, something steady, something that grows.

There’s still a lot of work to do, but this was a step forward.

BROOKLYN, March 8 — Led by the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), more than 130 people packed into a community space in Brooklyn to celebrate International Working Women’s Day, bringing together a multiracial, multigenerational crowd of workers, students, families, and comrades. The room was full—of conversation, laughter, political struggle, and a shared sense that this fight is growing.

We noshed on Palestinian and Dominican food, reflecting the international character of our class. Eating together, connecting across generations. It wasn’t just a celebration—it was a space to build relationships and strengthen the political clarity needed for the fights ahead.

At the center of the event was a speech grounding the day in its revolutionary roots. “We are here for a communist celebration of March 8th,” the speaker said, “where we recognize the crucial role that women have played in the fight against capitalism.” The message was clear: this is not a symbolic holiday, but part of a long history of working-class struggle led by women.

Women’s leadership is central to the fight

The speech highlighted how women have always been at the forefront of revolutionary change—from literacy campaigns in post-revolutionary Cuba to struggles led by women of color within PLP. “It will be leadership from women, specifically Black and brown women, that will liberate ourselves from capitalism’s chains,” the speaker said, drawing a direct line between past struggles and the fights we are building today.

That line carried through the event. A new comrade spoke about why she joined the Party, describing how she came to see individual success under capitalism as a dead end, and that only collective struggle offers a real future. She challenged others in the room to take that same step—not just to agree, but to organize.

Two comrades fresh from their recent participation in the general strike in Minnesota, where workers took action against growing ICE terror connected the local to the national, showing that the working-class is ready to defend their class sisters and brothers.

Fighting sexism means fighting capitalism

Throughout the event, there was sharp clarity about the roots of women’s oppression. As the main speech laid out, sexism is not accidental—it is built into capitalism itself. Women’s unpaid domestic labor, wage gaps, and vulnerability to violence all serve a system that depends on exploitation and division.

PLP’s politics were central here: that the fight against sexism cannot be separated from the fight against capitalism. A communist society, as described in the speech, would eliminate the profit motive that drives inequality and create the conditions to collectively confront and eliminate gender-based oppression.

That understanding shaped the tone of the day. This wasn’t about representation or reform—it was about revolution. About building a movement where women are not just included, but leading.

An international struggle with deep roots

The event also emphasized that this struggle is global. From organizing against ICE raids in Brooklyn to women forming committees against sexual violence in Sudan, from the Darien Gap to the West Bank, the fight against sexism and capitalism crosses every border.
“Our revolutionary struggle must be as ignorant to borders as sexism and racism are,” the speaker said.
That internationalism was reflected not just in the words, but in the room itself—in the mix of cultures, languages, and experiences brought together in one place. It’s a reminder that the working class is one, even as the system tries to divide us.

Growing something stronger

By the end of the event, it was clear that this wasn’t just a celebration—it was part of something building. People stayed after, exchanging numbers, talking politics, making plans. The connections felt real.

One idea from the speech stuck with many: that while capitalism may try to cut movements down, “our roots are alive and well, deepening with each action.” Every rally, every conversation, every new person stepping forward strengthens those roots. This event was one of those moments.

As we look ahead to May Day and beyond, the task is clear. Keep organizing. Keep building. Keep developing the leadership of women across our class.

The roots are there. And they’re growing.

International Working Women’s Day was marked across Pakistan with rallies, marches, meetings, and cultural activities organized by comrades and friends of Progressive Labor Party (PLP), various women’s groups, trade unions, students, and working-class organizers. From major cities to smaller towns, thousands took to the streets to protest exploitation, rising poverty, and violence against women. These demonstrations showed both the growing militancy of working women and the urgent need to build an international revolutionary communist movement capable of confronting the capitalist system that produces this oppression.

Fight sexism at the root!

Participants raised demands against workplace exploitation, inflation, unemployment, and the brutal conditions faced by millions of women workers. Protesters condemned harassment and violence against women while exposing how these abuses are tied to the economic system that relies on cheap, insecure labor to generate profits for the ruling class.

In Islamabad, women organizers, political workers, and students attempted to gather  for a rally marking the day. Participants planned to march with banners and placards demanding an end to workplace harassment, domestic violence, and discriminatory labor practices. But the Pakistani state once again showed whose interests it serves. After a reactionary religious group threatened violence if progressive women were allowed to demonstrate, authorities imposed the restrictions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Rather than protecting those exercising their “democratic” rights, the state sided with reactionary forces. Police blocked the rally and briefly detained several organizers and participants. This repression exposes the alliance between the capitalist state and reactionary religious forces that seek to keep women—and the entire working class—divided, intimidated, and powerless.

Despite these attempts at intimidation, organizers continued discussions and small protests to mark the day. Their determination reflects a growing understanding that real change will not come from the institutions of the capitalist state but from collective struggle by the working class.

Women workers show their power across Pakistan

In Lahore, larger demonstrations were held with the participation of students, trade union organizers, and working women. Comrades and friends associated with the PLP spoke about the need to link the fight against gender oppression with the broader struggle against capitalism and imperialism. Demonstrators carried placards demanding equal wages, protection from workplace harassment, and access to education and employment.

In Karachi, marches included large numbers of working-class women, laborers, fisherfolk, and community organizers. Many speakers focused on the crushing economic crisis facing workers, including soaring prices, unemployment, and the absence of basic labor protections. Women from coastal communities described how environmental destruction and land encroachment threaten their livelihoods.

Comrades made it clear that these conditions are not accidental. Pakistan’s capitalist ruling class—landlords, industrialists, and political elites—works closely with imperialist powers to maintain a system that enriches a tiny minority while condemning millions to poverty. Foreign investment projects backed by U.S. and Chinese capital are frequently promoted as “development,” but for working people they often mean land seizures, environmental destruction, and intensified exploitation.

Comrades and friends of the Progressive Labor Party, together with labor organizations and grassroots groups, played an important role in many of these events. Trade unions representing home-based workers, agricultural laborers, and fishermen have long organized working women around demands for better wages and legal protections.

Home-based women workers—who produce garments, handicrafts, and other goods from their homes—remain among the most exploited workers in Pakistan. Because they are pushed into the informal sector, they are often denied minimum wages, unionization, healthcare, and social security. Capitalists profit enormously from this arrangement, using women’s labor as a source of extremely cheap production.

Rural women and agricultural laborers face similar exploitation. Many have organized protests against land grabbing, displacement, and sexual harassment by landlords while demanding recognition as workers with equal rights. These struggles reveal the brutal class relations that continue to dominate Pakistan’s economy, where feudal landowners and capitalist elites maintain their power through economic control and political repression.

Comrades and friends of the PLP argued that International Working Class Women’s Day is rooted in the revolutionary struggles of working-class women who fought for dignity, equality, justice, and communism. The day emerged from militant labor organizing—not from symbolic celebrations or empty gestures by politicians.

Liberals and feminism will never stop sexism

Today, however, many March 8 events are increasingly shaped by liberal and NGO-based feminism that focuses on representation within the existing system. While calls for legal reforms or greater political representation may bring limited improvements, they do not challenge the capitalist system that produces inequality and exploitation.

Women’s oppression is inseparable from class exploitation under capitalism. Women workers are concentrated in the lowest-paid and most insecure jobs—garment factories, domestic work, agriculture, and informal employment. Employers rely on this inequality to maximize profits, paying women less and denying them stable working conditions.

PLP comrades also rejected the political approaches that portray men as the primary enemy of women. Such ideas divide the working class and weaken the struggle against the real enemy. The fundamental enemy of both male and female workers is the capitalist system that exploits their labor and concentrates wealth and power in the hands of a small ruling class.

The demonstrations held across Pakistan show that women are increasingly stepping forward to challenge injustice and exploitation. But these struggles must grow beyond protest and reform toward building an international revolutionary communist movement under the leadership of PLP capable of overthrowing the capitalist system. International Working Women’s Day should therefore be a day of working-class struggle and solidarity—not a symbolic celebration. The liberation of women cannot be separated from the liberation of the entire working class.

The path forward lies in building a mass international revolutionary movement under the red flag of the Progressive Labor Party.