BY M.J. RAHN AND PAUL YOUNG
GREENSBORO, North Carolina - The Dudley High School homecoming parade at the predominately Black eastside here September 27 featured a marching band, a homecoming queen, Democratic Party officials, and the Socialist Workers candidate for mayor Joan Paltrineri.
"Hey guys! I'm running for mayor. I'm the socialist," Paltrineri shouted out as she rode past and waved to some 2,000 people who lined the streets . "Working people need to stick together and fightback! Let's send a message to city hall!"
Signs saying "Defend affirmative action," "Full equality for women," "Defend workers' rights," "No to racism," "No cuts in Medicaid," "Jobs for all," "Stop police brutality," and "Joan Paltrineri, Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor" were plastered all over the candidate's parade car. In contrast, Democrats threw candy at the crowd as they passed.
The socialist campaign message was one that few expected to hear or see at the homecoming parade, but many welcomed it. "October 10, we'll remember!" one senior citizen yelled to Paltrineri.
October 10 is the date of the non-partisan primary election here. The two candidates with the highest vote face off in the general election in November.
"That's right honey!" beamed a woman responding to the demand for full equality for women. Several young women congregated nearby also agreed and cheered.
"I was struck by how many women, especially young women, responded to the demand for full equality," Paltrineri said after the parade. "It was especially noticeable because the parade came less than a week after a `1,000 Black Man March.'"
Black Man March
Several hundred people participated in the September 23
"1,000 Black Man March" despite bone-chilling rain. A
spirited contingent of more than 100 unionists from the
Kmart Distribution Center and their families took part.
Paltrineri marched with her coworkers who chanted "No justice, no peace!" Kmart workers are currently engaged in a fight for their first union contract. It was the most racially integrated contingent in the march with as many women as men.
Together with campaign supporters, Paltrineri distributed hundreds of campaign flyers and sold several issues of the Militant to marchers.
The march was organized by a coalition of the Nation of Islam, the Peacemaker - the local Black newspaper, and the Poor People's Organization headed by Nelson Johnson, a minister and longtime political activist. No political demands were advanced by the action. Organizers said the march was needed to bring attention to the plight of Black men in the U.S.
In a statement distributed to marchers, Paltrineri pointed to solidarity and unity of Kmart workers as an example for all working people to follow.
"The company has attempted to convince us that wage increases are not justified because wages for most workers in this area are low," Paltrineri said. "Low wages are a legacy of Jim Crow segregation in the South which undermined the struggle of workers to organize unions. Kmart sees this legacy as money in the bank. But Kmart workers remain united and determined. They are showing how to fight by reaching out to other unions, churches, and the community."
Kmart unionists held a rally of their own October 5 to press their demand for a contract. Paltrineri spoke to 150 workers at the main entrance of the center.
The socialist candidate called for solidarity with immigrant workers, mostly Mexican, who have been hired by temporary agencies to work at Kmart. She explained how she assisted one Mexican worker in winning wages owed him because the temporary agency had cheated him on his paycheck, a practice apparently not uncommon.
Kmart supervisors reprimanded Paltrineri for interfering in a matter which they said should not have concerned her. Her call for solidarity with these coworkers was echoed by other unionists at the rally. Two coworkers distributed the socialist's campaign literature at the rally.
Candidate's socialist beliefs
One indication that the socialist campaign is having an
impact was a September 25 front-page photo and article in
the Greensboro News and Record. "Joan Paltrineri wears her
socialist beliefs like a badge of honor," the feature said.
Some people on the street recognize Paltrineri because of the coverage. During recent door-to-door campaigning, the candidate was invited into several homes for discussions about her program. One woman volunteered to help campaign.
In the last two weeks, Paltrineri has participated in many candidates' nights sponsored by community organizations and at college campuses in the area. Young activists from the Committee to save Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Greensboro Cuba Committee, and the Women's Leadership Coalition have accompanied Paltrineri to some of the events.
"I don't have all the solutions to the Nealtown Farms problem," Paltrineri told residents of a housing subdivision here October 4. "But I know a solution will be found, if you decide to take to the streets like students who fought tuition hikes and put demands on the government."
The socialist was the only mayoral candidate to show up to speak to the mostly Black residents of the subdivision. Residents had low-income homes built there recently but had not been informed that city officials plan to expand a landfill in the area. The scandal has enraged many. Toward the end of the forum, several residents began to air their anger at the city. One bought a subscription to the Militant.
Paltrineri's socialist views sharply polarized a candidates' meeting sponsored by student environmental activists, Young Republicans, and libertarians at the University of North Carolina. Her defense of Kmart workers, socialist Cuba, abortion rights, and opposition to the death penalty brought the loudest applause for any candidate, while Young Republicans signaled the chairperson to cut the candidate off.
The Young Republicans then attempted to counter Paltrineri's support by clapping for their candidate, David Philips, who said he was "the capitalist" in the race.
"Joan, you're too pugilistic!" said Sallie Clotfelter, a candidate for city council irked by Paltrineri's defense of working-class interests, after the meeting.
A group of students thought otherwise and gathered to thank her. An informal discussion with the socialist candidate continued at a pub nearby. By the end of the evening, several decided to join her on October 21 for a march in New York City against the U.S. economic war on Cuba.
M.J. Rahn is a member of the United Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) Local 2603 at Kmart Distribution Center in Greensboro.