Vol. 72/No. 5      February 4, 2008

BY EDDIE BECK  
CARROLLTON, Georgia, January 21—“We’re not about voting our way to change. We’re about working people fighting our way to change,” said Loretta VanPelt at a January 11 campaign event here to announce the statewide Socialist Workers Party ticket. VanPelt, 27, is running for U.S. Congress in Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District. She is active in Young Socialists for Calero and Kennedy.

“Our campaign supports all struggles by workers to unionize,” said VanPelt. “Unions are the main tool workers have to defend ourselves against the bosses’ attacks on our working and living conditions.” She explained that above all, “working people need our own political party—a labor party based on fighting unions, to contest in the political arena against the Democrats, Republicans, and all other capitalist parties.”

The Young Socialists for Calero and Kennedy in Georgia has joined the SWP candidates at actions to present a working-class alternative to the twin parties of capitalism. They are using the socialist election platform to engage working people and youth in discussions on the major issues being debated by all the presidential candidates in the 2008 election campaign, from the economy to immigration to Washington’s war policies.

They are explaining the need to build a mass revolutionary movement in this country to take power from the capitalists and establish a workers and farmers government.

Over the past weekend, young campaigners for the SWP ticket participated with hundreds of others in the Georgia Progressive Summit held in Atlanta. Supporters of the socialist campaign joined in discussions on the fight to abolish the death penalty, opposition to the imperialist wars, building a fighting labor movement, and more.

“Workers can show their power when we organize to use union power and take ownership of our struggles, and extend solidarity to other working people engaged in struggle,” said Eddie Beck, who is active in Young Socialists for Calero and Kennedy, at a workshop on the labor movement today.

Beck pointed to the massive demonstrations over the past two years for the immediate legalization of all undocumented workers as an example of workers organizing independently of the capitalists and showing their collective power in the face of assaults from the employer class.

Young socialists for the SWP ticket participated with hundreds of others in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade here today. They campaigned for the perspective of forging a labor party. They argued for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and “coalition” troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, and all other theaters in Washington’s “war on terror.”

They also joined the candidates in calling for defending and extending affirmative action in employment, education, and housing, won through decades of struggle by working people.

On January 20, at a restaurant where socialist campaigners were meeting to make signs for the Martin Luther King Day march, one worker told the SWP campaigners “That’s right!” and took campaign literature to distribute to his coworkers.

If you want to get involved with other young supporters of the Socialist Workers candidates to bring the socialist campaign to working people and youth, join us! See the contact information above or the directory on page 6 or contact the Young Socialists for Calero and Kennedy at ys4calerokennedy@mac.com.
 
 
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