Vol. 74/No. 6      February 15, 2010

Johnson, who is Black, has been laid off since mid-2008 from her job of 25 years at a local hospital. She said many of her neighbors have lost their homes through foreclosure. Now studying accounting at DeVry University, she uses the Militant as a source for her economics class because it “has the facts” about how the crisis is impacting working people.

Two African American women and a Haitian worker also bought the new book here along with introductory subscriptions to the Militant at meetings to discuss the earthquake in Haiti.

Laura Anderson, who works at Quantum Foods, a meatpacking plant near Chicago, reports four coworkers have decided to renew their subscription and get the new book.

Arnulfo Rodriguez said his experiences of how the bosses try to divide workers who are Black and Latino made him want to read Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power. Rodriguez said a boss at another plant had pointed to one of his Black coworkers and said, “Watch him.” Rodriguez would not, and he and his coworker went to the office to make this clear to the boss. Rodriguez explained, as he told the story, “He was Black and I am Latino, we should be on the same side.”

Anderson also said that one of the African American workers in the plant has decided to subscribe to the Militant for the first time. After looking at the supplement, which includes the introduction to the new book, and having a discussion on the reconstruction governments that existed after the Civil War (when Black freed slaves and white farmers fought together to advance their living conditions), he said, “The one thing those in power can’t stand is when Black and white get together.” We are following up with him to make sure he gets the book the next time we talk.

—Alyson Kennedy

LONDON  
Within days of receiving Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power here campaigners sold 10 copies of the book along with subscriptions to the Militant.

The first two books and several subscriptions were sold at a Stop the War protest held in front of the government-organized London Conference on Afghanistan January 28. Later that day a book and a subscription were bought at a weekly sale outside the School of Oriental and African Studies in the city center. Four participants at the Progressive London conference snatched up the book and five Militant subscriptions were sold.

Campaigners sold two copies of the book and three subscriptions from a book table in the workers’ district of Dalston. A young Ghanaian woman was keen to get the book but didn’t have the funds on hand. She met up with us the following day to get the book and sign up for a subscription to the Militant.

In five sales visits in London and Manchester, 27 copies of Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers’ Power have been purchased by commercial bookshops so far. Three of the shops are putting up displays to draw customers’ attention to the book.

—Ólöf Andra Proppé

DES MOINES  
“It just blows me away,” said one participant at the 12th annual “I’ll Make Me a World in Iowa” celebration as he pulled out his wallet to purchase a copy of Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power and an introductory subscription to the Militant.

In all, 15 people bought 16 copies of the book after discussions about the Black liberation struggle and the road to workers power. One participant, who works at the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, bought a copy for himself and one for the museum.

The celebration is attended by thousands of African Americans and others from all over Iowa each year. It includes musical performances; a health fair; a food court with soul food and other delicacies; and a large area of exhibitors, including banks, businesses, churches, clubs, fraternities, sororities, and others. The Socialist Workers Party had a table there. It was busy all day. The large display of Pathfinder’s new book, Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power, attracted people’s attention, along with a broad selection of other books by Pathfinder.

—Maggie Trowe