BY DEBORAH LIATOS AND VALERHE JOHNSON
NEW YORK - From farm workers marching in Watsonville, California, to young feminists meeting in Washington, D.C. and demonstrators protesting racism and police brutality in New York and Philadelphia, the response to the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial shows that fighters who are looking for ways to respond to the deepening attacks on our rights and living standards are interested in a socialist analysis.

This is where the Militant Fund comes in. The fund drive is needed to continue the indispensable coverage that only the Militant and its Spanish-language sister magazine Perspectiva Mundial provide.

Some $10,000 came in to the Militant office over the last week; we now need to collect about $22,000 a week for the last two weeks of the drive to meet the international goal of $110,000. The challenge before all Militant readers and supporters is to redouble our efforts to ensure every area meets their Militant Fund goals and completes this drive in full and on time by the April 26 deadline. We can go well over this by collecting all outstanding pledges and continuing to reach out to workers, young rebels, and others who value the role of the Militant but have not yet made a contribution to the fund.

Over the last couple weeks, Militant supporters who work on the railroad have raised several new contributions on the job. These include donations of $25 in Seattle, $40 in Philadelphia, and $14 in New York. A textile worker in North Carolina who is a member of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees also gave $15, and a member of the same union in Atlanta kicked in $5, when asked by a co-worker who supports the fund.

Partisans of the socialist press in Boston sent a letter to potential contributors appealing for support to the Militant Fund. The letter was co-signed by Wendy Schwartz, a postal worker and member of the National Association of Letter Carriers; Carol Thomas, the coordinator of the July 26 Coalition in Solidarity with Cuba; Jarad Friedman of the Young Socialists; and Gary Cohen, director of the Militant Fund efforts in Boston.

An April 15 note from Tom Fiske in the Twin Cities reported on the success of a special fund meeting there. "Forty-five people attended the meeting, at which Militant reporter Argiris Malapanis was the featured speaker. The audience included seven students from the University of Minnesota, six of whom were new to attending events at the Pathfinder bookstore. They came as a result of the extensive tables that had been kept up at the University in order to build the event.

"We collected $1,240 - raising our total so far to $4,380. We raised $340 in new pledges, so that the amount pledged is $6,690 towards a local goal of $6,000. What made the meeting especially attractive was the eyewitness report by Malapanis of the rebellion in Albania. People in attendance were most interested in the fighting capacities of the working people of Albania and an accurate, first hand description of what they are fighting for."

The experience in the Twin Cities reaffirms that when supporters of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial organize a consistent campaign and reach out broadly, we will get an enthusiastic response and can meet and surpass the $110,000 goal.  
 
 
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