The Bronx, NY–The newly formed Common Ground student club at one Bronx CUNY (City University of New York) campus took the lead in mid-March and called for a Rally Against Genocide in Gaza on the steps of our community college. A multiracial, multigenerational group of about twenty people including students and staff held a spirited picket line and rally – it included student leaders from a Parents Club, students, professors from a nearby community college, and union members. Short speeches were given as different people stepped up to the mic. One speaker pointed out how the Democrats and the Republicans are all the same and that voting will never put an end to the genocide. Another student spoke about the need for us to get more students involved and to see this struggle as our struggle. Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members linked the racist austerity we are facing on our campuses and the bosses’ imperialist wars in other countries— that we are also in a war with CUNY as classes are cut, adjuncts are fired, our cafeterias are closed, etc.
We chanted “Arab, Jewish, Black, Latin, white—to smash genocide we must unite! We were warmly received and greeted by students and over 50 CHALLENGEs were distributed. This was the first public action on campus against the genocide in Gaza, inspiring others to plan more rallies and events.
Fight racist gentrification & displacement!
Early April saw a different type of event on a neighboring campus. Community organizers from the South Bronx and Chinatown joined in a conversation about what is happening in New York City (NYC) with displacement and gentrification. About 35 students and staff joined the discussion, followed by a delicious meal of Oaxacan food. The two speakers focused on sharing their experiences in the movement. We heard first-hand about the sharp struggles that have been going on for years in Chinatown. The first speaker laid out the falsehood of identity politics. He explained how growing up he learned the goal was for marginalized groups to get a “seat at the table.” But he quickly learned the truth while organizing against the Chinese American Planning Council (CPC), a non-profit that super-exploits thousands of immigrant Asian, Black, and Latin healthcare attendants, forcing them to work 24-hour shifts. This speaker also denounced Jonathan Chu, Chinatown’s biggest developer/landlord, who is the head of the board of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). Chu has accepted a $35 million deal in exchange for supporting a new mega jail in Chinatown. That’s not a “seat at the table” for workers. It’s just big profits for the capitalists. The speaker made a very clear case of why workers must reject nationalism and identity politics and fight all bosses, no matter what they look like.
The second speaker has been working directly with migrant families in shelters. It was vital to hear what is happening to migrant families in NYC and not believe the news stories that migrants “have it made” or are staying in luxury hotels. In fact, one of the students present worked as a security guard in the Roosevelt Hotel, one of the main locations where migrant families were placed. He joined the conversation to share what he learned from meeting and talking to people there and pointed out how even in the richest city in the world, capitalism and racism create the most inhumane conditions for workers. The speaker, who is a part of a mutual aid kitchen, engaged the students by asking them how they felt about paying tuition knowing that at one time tuition was free at CUNY. She encouraged them to see the connections between constantly hearing that there is no money when we know that money exists - it exists for war, but not for education.
As the discussion opened up, several key points were raised, all pointing to the understanding that migration and movement are always a result of imperialism and U.S. foreign policy. People began to speak about U.S. policies in Latin America, the “dirty wars” of the 1980s, the sanctions, etc. One person who grew up in Chile shared about the brutality she witnessed growing up under the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Another professor spoke about hosting a migrant family and seeing first-hand the very difficult reality these families face every day.
Members of the college progressive group, The Bronx Action Committee, also gave brief speeches about the need for students to challenge racist austerity, get involved with the city-wide strike movement that is growing, and find ways to reach out to newly arrived workers in solidarity. Students, staff, and professors were invited to join the PLP Mayday in Brooklyn. Since then, several students, faculty, and staff have signed up to march with us!
Lessons learned on our Bronx campuses
These two events were important learning experiences. At the Gaza rally, we relied on students to lead, organize, and step forward, and they did! We saw the power of the unity between education workers with different job titles as we all marched and chanted together. We realized the power of “showing up” to support a struggle on a different campus.
At the forum, which was a conversation, we learned the importance of putting May Day forward in a mass and open way. We were encouraged as students, staff, and faculty expressed interest in marching with us on May 4. PLP will continue to make friends, distribute CHALLENGE, build ties with students and education workers, and fight for communist ideas. As we engage in these struggles we help to lead and learn how to lead even better.
