Vol. 78/No. 35      October 6, 2014

Jane Harris, a retired railroad worker from New Jersey, spoke with a wide range of people and sold three subscriptions. “I met a group called Moms Clean Air Force,” she said. “They explained that since the expansion of the Panama Canal, bigger cargo ships are coming into the port of Newark and more trucks are driving through the surrounding working-class communities. This has led to a significant rise in asthma rates.”

Construction worker Rufus Britton, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3, saw the photo of Malcolm X on the cover of New International no. 14 that Ellen Brickley was holding, and asked, “How can I get that book?” She showed him the article on Malcolm and another titled “The Stewardship of Nature Also Falls to the Working Class,” explaining, “The big question is how long will the capitalists be in power exploiting workers and destroying the air, water and soil.” Britton bought the book and subscribed to the Militant, saying, “I’d like to get together and talk more about this soon.”

“The Ebola article was the issue that grabbed people,” said James Harris, a Militant supporter from Washington, D.C. “I asked them, ‘What country has sent the most doctors to Africa to combat the spread of the virus?’ Most thought it was the U.S. When I told them it was Cuba, they got interested in reading the paper.”

At the sister climate march in Oakland, California, Betsey Stone reported, “many were drawn to a large poster of the satellite photo of ‘The Earth at Night,’ which is on the back cover of New International no. 13, and shows how the bosses in the imperialist countries, because they see no profit in it, have felt no need to extend electrification in large parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.”

“I’m here because I care about the earth, but not just the environment, also the humans,” Angeline Marsland, a student at the College of San Mateo who got a subscription and copy of New International at the Oakland march, told Militant supporter Joel Britton. She said she was interested in coverage on the fight against the police killing of 18-year-old Yanira Serrano in Half Moon Bay.

Roberto Maldonado, a construction worker from Martinez, California, and member of the Laborers Union, bought a subscription and New International no. 14, saying, “It’s big money, big business that’s running the whole world — that’s where the problems come from.” Ten copies of New International were sold at the Bay Area action, along with 22 subscriptions and more than 100 single copies of the Militant.

Brooklyn Book Fair
The Brooklyn Book Fair took place the same day. Workers who staffed a Pathfinder bookstand, including Shirelynn George — who came to volunteer after marching with her union, Service Employees International Union Local 1199, in the climate march — and Tony Lane, sold eight New Internationals and 18 other books as well as 20 subscriptions to the Militant and 50 single copies. Nine of Pathfinder’s titles are available at discounted prices with a subscription (See ad on this page).

“You’ve got my attention,” Koli Fumaki told Militant supporter Annalucia Vermunt in Auckland, New Zealand, Sept. 10, when she knocked on his door and showed him the paper. Fumaki, a call center worker of Tongan descent, said he has been reading about the Cuban Revolution. “I read My Life, the interview with Fidel Castro, and it woke something within me.” Fumaki signed up for a subscription.

Militant readers in London, Atlanta, Seattle and other cities joined worldwide actions protesting Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine, in solidarity with protests in Moscow and other Russian cities. (See photobox on page 2.)

With about 400 subscriptions coming in last week, we have sold 861 subscriptions toward the international quota of 2,400. We are ahead of schedule and, given the growing working-class resistance, we can both increase the number of readers participating in the effort and go over the top.

If you’d like to join in expanding the Militant’s circulation or want to let us know about opportunities in your area, get in touch with supporters of the paper listed on page 8.
 
 
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