The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.63/No.18           May 10, 1999 
 
 
Linking Up With Fighting Workers Is The Aim Of Party Building Fund  

BY BRIAN TAYLOR
Steve Williams, who was recently on strike against Hertz car rental bosses at the Newark, New Jersey, airport, and rail worker Ellie García met up with rail worker Stu Singer in Newport News, Virginia, April 28 to participate in a rally of shipyard strikers and supporters and write an article for the Militant (see front page). During the march a member of the International Association of Machinists who turned up to show solidarity bought a Militant subscription from them.

After the action García, Williams, and Singer spent the afternoon getting to know two strikers, each with more than 20 years doing ship insulation. Both women, who recently subscribed to the Militant, discussed their difficult job tasks, the current stage of the strike, and broader politics, including the Black struggle and Malcolm X.

Responding to the growing opportunities to introduce class- struggle fighters to communist ideas and to the Socialist Workers Party and Young Socialists, friends, supporters, and members of the communist movement in cities across the United States have adopted quotas that well surpass the initial $75,000 Party-Building Fund goal.

Now the task is to collect - early and often. Setting up fund-raising dinners and political programs for potential contributors now gives them more time to start paying on their pledges.

Supporters have already begun planning meetings. In New York Argiris Malapanis, who is heading up the Militant's reporting team in Yugoslavia, will address a May 15 Party- Building Fund meeting. (The date was pushed back when the team decided to stay in the Balkans an extra week.) Although Malapanis will be available for a number of meetings, he can't speak in every city before the fund ends. Fund organizers in Miami aren't waiting. They are building a meeting for James Harris, an SWP leader from Atlanta who is in the thick of the battles of farmers for land and against Washington's racist discriminatory policies. There's plenty of other potential speakers among those who are joining workers and farmers as they transform themselves in the course of fighting against austerity measures and attacks on democratic rights dished out by capitalism.

In another example of the openings, socialists from San Francisco report, "Protesters in San Francisco at the April 24 march and rally in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal snapped up the Militant with the paper's eyewitness coverage of events in the Balkans. A total of 142 copies of the paper were sold at the demonstration. Participants also bought a dozen copies of the new Pathfinder title, Capitalism's World Disorder. A total of $570 in Pathfinder literature was sold at the demonstration. Supporters of the Militant staffed a large table with a big display of Pathfinder literature at the assembly site and at the Civic Center where the rally was held." Young Socialists members from Los Angeles and Santa Cruz helped lead smaller "guerrilla" tables that peppered the crowd.

Miners in western Kentucky bought 55 Militants and six copies of Coal Miners on Strike at one mine portal, bringing the team that is deepening work with coal miners across the Midwest - described in last week's article - back into the news (see front page.) Miners stopped to discuss the imperialist war in Yugoslavia, union solidarity, and socialism - sometimes for 10 minutes or more. One socialist worker on the team said, "At one point a miner who didn't bring any money that day walked over to another miner who was buying the paper and borrowed $1.50 to get his own."

Socialist workers and Young Socialists in several cites are beginning to plan socialist summer schools. The "classroom" for students of all ages will range from group readings and discussions at Pathfinder Bookstores to picket lines of embattled workers and demonstrations against cop brutality and for a woman's right to choose abortion.

These activities are what the Party-Building Fund aims to advance.

Contributions can be sent to 410 West Street, New York, NY 10014. Please make checks and money orders out to the Socialist Workers Party.

 
 
 
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