CHICAGO, December 7 –"I recommend that everyone be involved in a study group, because we’re learning from each other. The Party works as a collective, and we have to build a society based on collectivity. Right now we are a small Party, but we are not all. And we have to grow.

This leads to the question: How do we see ourselves fighting back as a working class? We have to be in groups to motivate people – We know that the Party, we’re not as big as we’d like to be to affect change, but to win people to the Party we have to be where the masses are so we can work to think collectively and creatively on solutions… We need to talk to our co-workers, organize our workplaces and even our neighborhoods around class struggle.

We should be workers united, teacher, parent, child, helping each other, because we’re all workers, we’re all working class, we should be united, we should be protecting one another. We cannot permit the system to divide us. We can’t see each other as rivals.”

These were direct quotes from participants during the share-out portion of Progressive Labor Party’s (PLP) post-U.S. election forum today. A multiracial group of close to 30 workers and youth gathered to socialize and strategize on the most revolutionary and communist path for the working class as the capitalist system continues to slide into worsening racism, sexism, and wider war.

The second election of fascist Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency creates many dangers for our class, but also many opportunities. Although Trump represents a continuation of the deadly capitalist and imperialist policies of fellow fascists Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, his vile threats of mass deportations and alliances with white nationalists have shown to motivate the working class to fight back en masse. Interactive events like this forum help us better understand the politics of the moment and make our plans for how we approach them with the goal of building communist revolution!

Gallery walks and table talks

Directly inspired by the articles in CHALLENGE of our comrades in Los Angeles and New York having post-election events, our local collective knew we had to organize our own. We were especially excited about the idea of using a gallery walk of different articles, pictures, and memes to help us understand and discuss political ideas with other workers.

To this end, we designed four large poster boards, each focusing on a different key part of the Party’s political analysis. These included 1) fighting fascism; 2) class struggle being what creates social change and NOT voting; 3) liberal bosses being the main danger to our class; and 4) the need for the working class to violently take and wield state power. Each board had a PLP member acting as a “docent” or guide to help introduce the political messages and stimulate questions and discussion.

We then gathered into smaller groups for table discussions centered around specific questions to understand the moment and guide our actions. At the different tables, facilitators helped to strike a balance in the conversation about our visions of the egalitarian communist world that we want to build as well as how we practically build the mass movement in the present day. 

We then wrapped up by sharing our ideas and vision with the wider group. Drawing from the earlier presentation on the state (government, education, culture) and who it’s designed to serve (the capitalists or the workers), different speakers emphasized the need for workers to take power and run society. By building PLP for the goal of taking state power, we can defend our gains earned through the struggle and keep advancing towards an egalitarian world.

On the path to revolution

It was inspiring to see friends new to the Party and veteran members alike gaining a lot from the forum. The racist and sexist capitalist bosses work overtime to dull the anger and militancy of our class with their ridiculous elections. They push fear of other workers, and the belief that our future lies in the balance of choosing fascist candidate A or fascist candidate B.

But as communists and workers we know that the seeds of a world actually worth fighting are planted in rooms where we gathered today, sharing experiences and making plans with the interests of our class front and center. Onward to a future of fighting back on the path to revolution!