Militant supporters must now build on this success and step up the pace of collection of pledges along with finding additional contributors to meet or exceed every local quota. In the remaining three weeks of the drive, $19,000 needs to be collected each week to meet the international goal by the May 22 deadline.

Another indication of the momentum that began to build last week was that partisans of the socialist publications in three U.S. cities—Craig, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; and Los Angeles—were on schedule.

Militant readers in Boston and Miami report that they have begun to organize teams of volunteers to call subscribers to the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial in their area to appeal to them for contributions. In New York, partisans of the two socialist publications have sent a letter to readers on the fund and are following up with calls as well. This approach has been at the heart of the success in Los Angeles, where $6,000 of the $9,000 quota has been collected.

Juan, an over-the-road truck driver who picks up the Militant off and on when he stops in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed $100, reported Joe Swanson. Juan was angered by all the overtime his boss has forced him to work and saw contributing to the Militant fund drive as a way to fight back, Swanson said.

Workers like Juan and other readers are the only ones the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial depend on to help pay rent, electricity, and printing and shipping expenses. Income from single copies and subscriptions falls short of covering such weekly or monthly expenses. This is what the $90,000 fund is for.

All readers are encouraged to send in accounts of progress they are making each week in the fund drive that can be reported in this column. Checks or money orders should be made out to the Militant, earmarked “Spring Fund Drive,” and sent to the Militant at 306 W. 37th Street, 10th floor, New York, NY 10018.

Click here to see the fund chart