Socialist activists in Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, took the campaign to a November 20 rally of 2,000 workers in Mansfield, Ohio in support of members of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) who are locked out by AK Steel. "We sold 3 copies of Capitalism's World Disorder, 43 copies of the Militant, and 3 introductory Militant subscriptions to participants there," said Eva Braiman, a member of the United Auto Workers from Cleveland.

Below are reports of sales teams that spent several days promoting Capitalism's World Disorder, other Pathfinder titles, the Militant, and Perspectiva Mundial among workers in the coalfields of West Virginia and Pennsylvania and with shipyard workers at Newport News, Virginia.  
 

Coal team learns about miners' appeal to students for support

On the way to the coalfields we visited the plant gate at a garment shop, where two workers bought copies of the Militant. When we reached Indiana we sold three papers going door to door in the community.

Students at the college campus there bought nine papers and three Pathfinder pamphlets.

One student in a discussion on the attacks on working people today pointed to the attack on coal miners' lifetime health benefits. He said recently the UMWA had been on the campus to collect signatures to defend this union gain. We also got off to a good start on the placement of Capitalism's World Disorder; the labor archives section of the campus library ordered a copy of the book and six other Pathfinder titles.

Two professors we talked to decided to buy a copy of Capitalism's World Disorder and two other Pathfinder books. This could soon result in Pathfinder titles being used for classroom texts.  
 

Team sells to shipyard workers in Newport News, Virginia

In response to a Pathfinder literature table set up by the 50th Street gate during the shift change at the shipyard another worker made arrangements to buy a copy of Malcolm X on Afro-American History the following day.

The previous week a team of socialist workers had an extensive discussion about Capital-ism's World Disorder with Rick, a member of USWA local 8888, and sold him a subscription to the Militant.

Upon seeing the Pathfinder literature table set up at the 50th Street gate, Rick approached with us his $20 in hand, eager to get his copy of the book. Several other workers expressed interest in getting other Pathfinder books in the future. They encouraged us to set up tables on Thursdays or Fridays, the days that they get paid.

All totaled, the team sold three copies of Capitalism's World Disorder—including one to a student,—and placed two copies at a local bookstore that students visit. The manager there also placed an order for two copies of Malcolm X Talks to Young People, two copies of John Coltrane and the Jazz Revolution of the 1960s, and one copy of Black Music, White Business. He said he will order more books.

We met a friendly response in our visits to two libraries in the area. Librarians at both took a Pathfinder catalog, and promised to review and circulate it. Both librarians will be recontacted over the next couple of weeks to find out what orders they are planning to place.

We received an excellent response at the Old Dominion University campus where we set up a literature table for a couple of hours. We sold eight copies of the Militant along with two catalogs, and five students signed up for more information.  
 

Youth snap up book at protest against School of Americas

The books were sold by members of the Young Socialists, Socialist Workers Party and supporters who joined the protest from Atlanta, Birmingham, and Houston. The tables they set up swarmed with interested demonstrators throughout the two days of activities and well into the night. More than $1,000 in Pathfinder books and pamphlets were sold overall, with books about the Cuban revolution especially popular. The crowd, estimated as high as 10,000 people, was predominantly high-school and college-age youth who attended from cities across the United States.

"My experience is that people I sold the book to were very interested in Cuba," said Atlanta Young Socialists member Paul Cornish, "and how much of the book actually described the Cuban revolution, and where it fits into the world."

Cornish, a member of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE), sold three copies of Capitalism's World Disorder to protesters. "I told people about the strike by 2,000 truck drivers against the Overnite Transportation Company and pointed to several articles in the Militant newspaper and how the book deals with workers' resistance such as this national strike, as well as strikes and struggles of workers in the past. The book describes what is happening today as a 'sea change' in working-class resistance."

The discussions around the book have "deepened the political work the Young Socialist is doing," Cornish added. "Many young people that we talked to have a more clear idea of who we are and what our organization is all about."

Sixty copies of the Militant, two Militant subscriptions, and 1 Perspectiva Mundial subscription were also sold. Many young people were interested in the Militant's coverage of the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle and protests planned in response. A number said they planned to participate in these protests. Discussion and debate on that was frequent at the socialists' literature tables. Some of these discussions, particularly on ultrarightist Patrick Buchanan's connection to the Seattle actions, helped convince demonstrators to buy Capitalism's World Disorder.  
 
 
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