Vol. 71/No. 28      July 23, 2007

About 50 supporters of the Militant promoted the paper in workshops and through literature tables at half a dozen locations throughout the five days of the conference. The effort went well into the night each day. As this issue goes to press, 237 people had subscribed to the Militant and 500 bought copies of the paper. Militant supporters also sold 93 copies of the two most recent issues of the New International, and $3,000 worth of Pathfinder books.

While subscribing to the Militant and buying issues no. 12 and 13 of New International, the young woman from Kenya explained she had tried to set up a library in her country to take advantage of political space opened up there after the collapse of a repressive government. "People all over Africa are looking for revolutionary ideas that can move us forward," she said.

Four copies of the New International were sold at the conclusion of a workshop on the destruction of the environment around U.S. military bases worldwide. Emily Paul, a Young Socialist and a garment worker from New York, spoke during the discussion. The impact of U.S. militarism on working people around the world demonstrates the priorities of U.S. imperialism to protect and boost capitalist profits, she said. Paul encouraged participants to pick up issue no. 12 of New International, featuring the article “Capitalism's Long Hot Winter Has Begun,” which provides an explanation of why the U.S. rulers are transforming their military to prepare for decades of wars under the banner of “fighting terrorism.” She also pointed to the opportunities described in the magazine to build a revolutionary working-class movement to fight imperialism.

New International no. 13 features "Our Politics Start with the World" and "Farming, Science, and the Working Classes." These materials explain how protecting the earth is inextricably linked to defense of labor. They describe how to make working conditions safer and how the working class can extend such protections for all, Paul noted.

After the discussion, a woman from Puerto Rico told Paul how much she appreciated her remarks and bought the last two issues of the New International. She also purchased The First and Second Declarations of Havana, Puerto Rico: Independence Is a Necessity, and a subscription to the Militant. A panelist from Okinawa also purchased these New Internationals.

Yadira, a young Afro-Colombian woman who lives in Washington, D.C., recently subscribed to the Militant. While here, she urged people she met to subscribe too. Several bought subscriptions or books. Yadira described how a young woman asked her for “more information” after she spoke in a workshop on politics in Latin America. “I said we had to move beyond just talking and ask, 'What are we going to do?' This woman said she wanted to know the answer to that question too, so I told her to read the Militant, like I do, because I have learned a lot.”

In a workshop on immigrant rights, Arthur Andrianopoulos, a Young Socialist from the United Kingdom, said the YS uses the Militant to explain how the migration of workers from the semicolonial world to the imperialist centers, and their integration into the proletariat of these countries, is strengthening the working classes. In response, the workshop moderator asked him to pass the Militant around the room and two participants subscribed.
 
 
Related articles:
‘We met people involved in the same struggle’
Thousands, many from U.S. South, share ideas, experiences at Social Forum in Atlanta
‘We salute your struggles from behind prison walls’
Young Socialists join issues, make gains at Social Forum
Puerto Rican independence fighter speaks at U.S. Social Forum  
 
 
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