BY SAMANTHA KERN
This column is written and edited by the Young Socialists
(YS), an international organization of young workers,
students, and other youth fighting for socialism. For more
information about the YS write to: Young Socialists, 3284
23rd St., San Francisco, California, 94110. Tel: (415) 824-
1429.
E-mail: 105162.605@compuserve.com
NEW YORK - Some 100 members of the Socialist Workers Party, Young Socialists, and workers and youth interested in joining the communist movement participated for one or more days in a week-long volunteer brigade at the Pathfinder Building, August 9-16. Twenty-one members of the Young Socialists from all over the world volunteered their time and labor. Workers who had taken part in previous projects and had some of the needed skills took extra time off work or vacation to join the crew, for the whole week or even a day. Brigadistas hailed from Australia, France, Iceland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada, and all over the United States.
Almost all of the volunteers had just participated in the Active Workers Conference in Oberlin, Ohio, the previous weekend (see article on page 8), and many had signed up there to join the brigade and then hopped on a bus to New York City where the Pathfinder Building is located. Some of them had participated in the socialist summer schools organized by the Socialist Workers Party and Young Socialists around the United States, and decided to join the caravans that met and picked up young fighters, vanguard workers and farmers across the country, participate in the Active Workers Conference, and then head for New York for the Red Week.
Maya Anderson, a student at the University of California- Santa Cruz, had heard about the Red Week last spring when she met members of the YS at a baseball game in Baltimore, Maryland, between the Cuban National Team and the Baltimore Orioles. Anderson participated in the socialist summer school in San Francisco and joined the West Coast caravan, during which she sold the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial at a meat- packing plant in Nebraska and a steel mill in Indiana for the first time. She then participated in her first Active Workers Conference, and went on to the Red Week. "I really liked having the chance to discuss politics with people from all over the world while we worked," said Anderson. "It was a great wrap-up where we could share all our experiences during the summer schools."
The brigade's goal was to repaint the walls, ceilings and trim on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of the Pathfinder Building, which include the editorial offices of Pathfinder Press, the Militant, and Perspectiva Mundial. With hard work and discipline, the brigadistas were able to meet this goal by the end of the week, and take on other projects to improve and maintain the building. These include repairing and painting damaged areas on the front of the building, the bathrooms in the bindery, the roof, a meeting room and hallway on the third floor, and the outside of Pathfinder's Charles Street bookstore.
Most of the brigade members had little or no experience painting at the beginning of the week, but with training from more experienced crew members, everyone gained new skills such as scraping, masonry and caulking, using paint rollers, and brushes for detailed trim. Developing these skills were all necessary in order to complete the project, and to make sure the work met professional standards. Brigadistas came out of the week with more confidence, ready to lead future renovation projects.
"I definitely learned how to paint" said a member of the Young Socialists from Vancouver who spent the last couple of months in Birmingham for the socialist summer school there, and volunteered for the entire Red Week. "All of these skills will be a big help when we begin painting the new Pathfinder Bookstore in Vancouver."
The crew met every morning at eight to discuss the goals and assignments for the day and safety, and ended the work day at six with a wrap-up meeting to discuss what the brigade had accomplished.
Romina Green, the newest member of the Young Socialists on the brigade, said, "Young Socialists on the brigade learned a lot about discipline. It was important to be there on time and not take longer breaks. It relates a lot to the class we had about voluntary work brigades in Cuba. By improving the Pathfinder Building, we benefited the Party, the YS, and got to meet comrades assigned to work in the printshop, and see how the books and the Militant are produced."
Green and two other brigadistas who helped lead with their disciplined work and punctuality were added to the steering committee for the project midway through the week.
Members and supporters of the communist movement in the New York area housed all the volunteers and organized a couple of dinners. Many brigade participants took part in classes sponsored by the New York and Newark SWP and YS after work, and a Militant Labor Forum on Friday night on the Irish freedom struggle. "I really liked the forum on the Irish struggle" said Maya Anderson. "It put us all in a good fighting spirit, then we went out to see the city, and were ready to work again at eight the next morning."
Many of the brigadistas agreed that the Red Week wasn't only a success because of all the work done on the building. It was also an opportunity for members of the YS from around the world to get a chance to work together politically and get to know each other. Migdalia Jiménez, a member of the Young Socialists in Chicago who spent the summer in Los Angeles and a caravanista on the West Coast caravan, said, "The YS gained cohesiveness. Normally we only get to see each other at conferences, maybe a couple of times a year. Working together during the Red Week gave us a chance to discuss politics, how we're building YS chapters in our cities, and we had fun too."
The Red Week ended with a well-deserved party, sponsored by the Newark and New York branches and chapters, which was a real celebration of all the work the brigade accomplished. "We all felt a certain amount of satisfaction accomplishing this task because it helps strengthen the movement," said Nefta Pereda, a YS member from Los Angeles and caravanista. "At the end of the week, we wanted to celebrate because it couldn't have been done without us."