Representatives of the Young Socialists and the Socialist Workers Party here traveled to Cincinnati last weekend to learn about the struggle against police killings and to attend the funeral of Timothy Thomas, the young Black man shot down by the Cincinnati police. Many at the funeral and other actions protested against the Cincinnati police department and called for jailing the cop who killed Thomas. Many people were glad to find out about the Militant newspaper and its coverage of their rebellion from a working-class perspective.

While there we witnessed an unprovoked attack by the Cincinnati police on protesters. People there were angry about this latest assault and said such attacks were "normal" abuses of power by the city cops. We are planning a Militant Labor Forum April 20 to report back from our trip and discuss police brutality. Young Socialists members in Pittsburgh are helping build the forum in order to get as many youth to attend as possible. Participants will discuss the abuse of power by the police in every city, as well as the true role of the cops.

Members of the Young Socialists are also working to build a delegation to attend the Second Cuba-U.S. Youth Exchange this July 22–30. Quite a few young people have expressed interest in participating. The Pittsburgh YS will now focus on meeting more youth to inform them about the Cuban Revolution and the history of the working-class struggles.
 

One youth, Sam Wegner, first attended a Militant Labor Forum about the new Pathfinder book Fertile Ground: Che Guevara and Bolivia just before the tour started. He was soon helping to staff Pathfinder literature tables and selling the Militant newspaper along with YS members. Wegner said one important accomplishment of the tour is that "it dispelled a lot of the myths around Cuba."

Nate Paulsen, a student at the University of Minnesota who was a central organizer of the youth tour here, said hearing Martínez and Dueñas was "a great opportunity for students to get a better perspective of the Cuban Revolution today. It's an even better opportunity for U.S. students to think about how the political and economic struggles of working people in the United States relate to the Cuban Revolution." Paulsen said the youth exchange "offers us a chance to see for ourselves the country of Cuba; a chance for students to open their minds more to the revolution."

To take further advantage of the success of the Cuban youth tour, the growing number of those involved in building the youth exchange, and the interest in learning more about a revolutionary youth organization in the United States, we have scheduled a class series beginning April 15 to discuss three of the latest Pathfinder books on the Cuban Revolution: Playa Girón/Bay of Pigs: Washington's First Military Defeat in the Americas, Che Guevara Talks to Young People, and Making History: Interviews with Four Generals of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces.
 

Following an event to hear the two Cuban youth leaders at the University of Hartford (U of H), several students organized a follow-up meeting to discuss building a delegation for the Second Cuba-U.S. Youth Exchange taking place in Havana July 22–30. The meeting included four students who are members of the Progressive Students Alliance (PSA) at U of H, one from Hofstra College, a young worker from the area, and a member of the Young Socialists. The PSA is supporting the fight by campus cafeteria workers on the campus. The workers, who work for a subcontractor, are denied free tuition for their children to attend the university, unlike the rest of the campus employees.

Rachel Fischer, a student from U of H and a member of the PSA, said her reason for building the Exchange is that she is "interested in an alternative form of government other than capitalism." In the meeting they discussed how to broaden the delegation to the Youth Exchange and ideas on raising funds for the trip. These include going to campus organizations and departments to sending donation buckets around the dorm rooms. They also discussed obtaining journalist credentials for their trip from campus and local newspapers as well as from radio and television stations in order to report on the Exchange upon their return.

In New York City Young Socialists members have begun working with several students and young workers to start organizing a delegation to the youth exchange. These youth are also interested in the Young Socialists and want to start studying the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. Phidias Ahipeaud, a 22-year-old student from Medgar Evers College, is working on building the tour at his campus. When asked why he thought it important to intertwine studying communist literature and organizing the tour, he said, "Because it is not a tourist trip. It will help me understand the situation of the people living [in Cuba]."

Two young people came to a Militant Labor Forum held at the Pathfinder bookstore in the Garment District on the Chinese revolution and Washington's military threats against China today. In addition to wanting to learn more about the Young Socialists, they expressed interest in building the youth exchange.

Bill Schmitt and Jason Alessio, members of the Young Socialists, contributed to this article.
 
 
Related articles:
'In Cuba the people are involved in making the decisions'
Cuban leader reports on 1961 Bay of Pigs victory
Unionists in Cuba discuss how to tackle social needs
 
 
 
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