Dear Friend,

We are appealing to supporters around the world to help us in raising the more than $150,000 that will be necessary to construct the premises in the heart of the New York City’s Garment District, where a new Pathfinder bookstore and showroom distribution center will be located. We urge you to contribute generously to the campaign, which concludes January 31.

We have had a strong initial response to this special one-time January 2004 Headquarters Building Appeal, which was launched at a public meeting in New York on December 14. To date, nearly $125,000 has been pledged with $53,000 collected.

Those who are contributing to the appeal know what it will mean to have an attractive and well-stocked bookstore in the center of New York. This bookstore address, 306 West 37th Street, 10th Floor North, New York, NY 10018 is now the address for Pathfinder Press that appears in each one of its books and pamphlets.

Over time this address will become a magnet for those in the New York area—and who travel to New York from across the United States and other countries—who are looking for books with a scientific explanation of the contradictions of class society and a road forward for those opposed to U.S. imperialism’s unceasing wars, bloody plunder, and domination of the working people of the world.

It will have a kitchen that will serve as a place where workers and young people who come in after a day’s work or those coming out of the offices at the headquarters during a break in their political work can sit down, relax, and talk politics and have a meal and refreshments along with it, as they prepare for political activity.

Arrin Hawkins and I are honored to have been invited to join Martín Koppel and Janice Prescott as directors of this nationwide effort.

Funds are being spent right now to purchase the sheetrock, studs, glass, paint, lights, and many other materials needed for work already under way. Some $10,000 has already been spent on materials, and another $25,000 is projected to be spent over the next two weeks.

To help defray construction costs George Bryant, a cabinetmaker in Ontario, Canada, has offered the use of a cabinet shop and will donate his labor to build custom cabinets for the new kitchen as well as bookshelves for the New York bookstore and hall.

The construction crew took advantage of a local Internet company going out of business to make a bulk purchase of lights, kitchen equipment, blinds, a new work table, and other needed items for a total of $1,500—a big savings over the previously budgeted amount of $7,500.

Construction began in earnest on January 3. Fifteen volunteers framed the new Pathfinder bookstore and hall. On the crew were volunteers from California, Georgia, Texas, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and Washington. A volunteer who is a general contractor in New York spent two days helping put up walls and teaching others. He plans to come back in the evenings to work on hanging doors and spackling walls for painting.

The crew includes half a dozen young volunteers, some with little construction experience but plenty of desire to learn. Several skilled workers have anchored teams to do framing, sheetrocking, electrical work, and other tasks. In the coming weeks the crew will start on plumbing, hanging lights, and finishing work on walls and floors. More volunteers are needed, especially those with these skills, as well as others willing to learn and put in some hard days of work.

To accomplish this work, we must collect as much as possible of the $125,000 pledged over the next few weeks and get the total pledges well above the $150,000 goal.

We have had initial successes in several cities. In Los Angeles, a supporter who works as a nurse has pledged $1,500 and another, an airline ramp worker, is giving $1,250, including $1,000 he will receive as a company bonus in January.

An oil refinery worker sent in $1,000 and a longshore worker did likewise following a discussion on the plans for a political center in New York and the urgent need for early payment on pledges.

With Southern California pledges topping $7,000 and with many more friends and supporters of the communist movement yet to approach—including in San Diego, where a house meeting is being organized—supporters of the fund in that area have taken a $15,000 goal.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, 15 supporters of the Socialist Workers Party gathered January 3 at the home of one of them to hear reports by SWP leader Dennis Richter and me on the successful Red Saturday and large public meeting in New York in mid-December. Pledges to the fund appeal exceeded $9,000 by January 4. Among the pacesetters were rail, steel, and airline workers, who gave between $1,000 and $2,300.

Many more meetings will be held in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Diego over the next 10 days.

A similar effort in Atlanta, over the January 4-6 weekend resulted in $6,000 in new pledges.

Two supporters in Hawaii kicked in a couple thousand after a phone discussion with fund co-director Janice Prescott.

Supporters of the fund in every area will be making it a top priority to meet with everyone in their area who is a potential contributor. They will get a receptive response from many working people engaged in union-building activities, young people involved in fights for social justice, militant farmers, opponents of Washington’s aggressive policies abroad, and many more.

Contributions of every size are important and are necessary to reach the goal. Many contributors will be in a position to give a few thousand dollars if asked. It will make a big difference to contribute as much as possible on the spot, and then pay the rest of the pledge as rapidly as possible. This is essential so that we avoid literally halting construction and sitting a crew down. The funds must all be received by January 31.

Checks should be made out to the 2004 Headquarters Building Appeal and sent to the January 2004 Headquarters Building Appeal, c/o SWP National Office, 306 West 37th Street, 10th Floor North, New York, NY 10018.

Please send news updates to the Militant on how the campaign is being carried out in your area. The weekly chart will list the total payments from local areas that are received by Saturday of each week.

Fraternally,
Joel Britton

Click here for .doc file of this appeal