The Militant and Perspectiva Mundial thank everybody who contributed to the recent international fund drive. They also salute those who took responsibility for organizing the public meetings, phone calling, and other activities that went into making this a successful effort.
With the loose ends tied up and the remaining pledges collected, the final tally stands at $71,865--more than 40 percent over the $50,000 goal set when the drive was launched on May 1. Among the 32 areas in the United States and seven other countries where supporters combined their efforts and set a collective goal, only two didn’t make or overshoot their mark. In both cases, they reached 99 percent!
The money raised was only one of the successes of the drive. Public meetings in almost every local area were well attended and provided an opportunity for lively political discussions on questions of world importance for working people. Many of the reports indicate that the workers and youth coming to the meetings are among those who are reading the socialist press and are interested in the communist movement. It is a good sign for the future and reinforces the importance of the fund.
Such fund appeals are part of a proud tradition of the revolutionary working-class movement. As one of the Militant’s weekly reports on the drive puts it, "the revolutionary press does not benefit from the backing of wealthy capitalists, any more than it dances to their political tune. The working people who write for, read, and distribute these periodicals are also the main source of the funds that are needed to make up the large gap between sales income and publication expenses."
For anyone who either missed making a contribution, or for those who can dig a little deeper to give more, we encourage you to donate to the travel fund that will help finance a remarkable trio of reporting trips over the next month. Teams of socialist workers and young socialists will head to Venezuela, Paraguay, and Argentina, where--in different ways--the capitalist economic crisis is generating broad struggles by workers, peasants, and youth. Those struggles are unfolding alongside increased social tensions and class polarization, including the growing threat of another attempt at a military coup in Venezuela. As well, another team will be reporting on some of the economic and political developments in Cuba (see below.)
The victory in this public fund-raising effort should encourage those partisans of the socialist press who are participating in the drive to increase the subscriber base of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial, and the sales of Pathfinder’s Cuba and the Coming American Revolution by Jack Barnes. They are geared up for a final push in this international campaign, which has less than two weeks left to run.
*** Argiris Malapanis, a longtime Militant reporter from Miami, and Olympia Newton, a leader of the Young Socialists from Los Angeles, will go to Venezuela, where workers and farmers massed in the streets in April to foil a pro-imperialist coup against the Hugo Chávez government.
*** Martín Koppel, editor of Perspectiva Mundial, and Romina Green, a leader of the Young Socialists, are heading to Argentina and Paraguay. They will interview peasants who have led recent mass actions in Paraguay and follow up from their January reporting trip to Argentina.
*** Mary-Alice Waters, Mike Taber, and Róger Calero will also be reporting from Havana, Cuba.
These reporting trips are part of the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial’s efforts to provide firsthand coverage of important developments in the class-struggle, and is an additional reason for new readers to subscribe to the socialist press.
Militant readers are encouraged to send in contributions to help offset the high costs of these reporting teams. This special appeal will build on the success of our recent fund drive and help the paper continue its proud traditions.
Please make contributions to the Militant and send to: 410 West St., New York, N.Y. 10014.
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