As President Donald Trump was preparing for his inauguration, workers and students from across the state of California headed to the middle of the state for our annual Progressive Labor Party retreat. This nearly was cancelled due to the climate change induced fires ravaging Southern California, but we were able to ensure that the fight for communism continued one way or the other. A committed group of veteran, new, and base members set aside their long weekend to discuss how to grow our Party.
What's in a revolution?
In our sessions, we took up the theme of Lenin’s conditions for revolution. Session one (the ruling class can’t rule in the old way) outlined the changes we see as a party that are driving the bosses to remove the liberal facade and replace it with fascism. We discussed splits in the ruling class and how that’s impeding the maneuverability of the liberal, imperialist wing of the ruling class. There were conversations about sharpening inter-imperialist rivalries and the impact that continues to have on how the bosses operate. Two new comrades also included presentations on voter turnout and spyware on social media as signs that a functioning democracy is less and less a part of the face of capitalism.
Session two went on to look at the second condition for revolution- the working class can’t live in the old way. Presenters included everything from changes in wealth and income disparities, to health care costs, to climate change to emphasize the despair facing our class. No one there needed to be told this, but it helped to be able to connect these conditions back to the first session more clearly.
Session three brought out the third condition: the need for a party. We felt this was the most crucial session. Over the last five years, we have seen working class uprisings, from the George Floyd movement to the campus fightback against the war in Gaza. Although the level of class consciousness has improved as a result of these movements and others, as well as a deeper understanding of the system of capitalism as the problem, without convincing the working class of the need for a party, these new understandings of our class fall short of their revolutionary potential. So we really honed in on what is a party, why we need one and why a revolution can’t happen without one. What is democratic centralism and why do we need it? What are the key places where we organize, what holds workers back from joining a group, and what makes the Progressive Labor Party the best choice when someone does take the leap to join a party. Through activities and discussions, it became clear the necessity of our organization.
Taking over the bosses’ military is key
We further enhanced our understanding of one of the key places for organizing revolution through a film screening of Winter Soldier. We heard soldiers report on the horrors they saw and committed during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Their accounts identified the racist nature of the treatment and the connection to imperialism. It became clear through the discussion of the film the revolutionary potential that soldiers have and that we cannot win a revolution without organizing in this key area of work.
We rounded out the weekend with a planning session to kick off 2025 with a fight back roadmap. College students shared their plans for organizing on campuses across the state. Workers identified their job sites and mass organizations as tools for growing the Party. Between the fires and the ramifications of the inauguration, we have no lack of issues around which to organize.
Next steps
Everyone left with a plan and a new sense of purpose. One new comrade remarked that the weekend made her job as a Party member much clearer. Another highlight of the weekend was the collectivity of the event from start to finish. From planning the sessions to cooking and cleaning, all participants contributed in numerous ways. It presented a view of the potential of a future where our class leads society. A brand new base member also admired that our group was “more practice than talk.” A young college student remarked they felt more at home this weekend than they had in a long time and described the future as bright. Considering there have been six college students who have joined the Party since our February 2024 retreat, we have to agree that our growth provides a glimmer of hope for the upcoming period.
As we return back to the various cities, towns, and college campuses spread across a state that stretches the length of space from New Jersey to Georgia, we know that we will feel isolated. Yet, this weekend gave us the recharge and the tools needed to take on the daily grind of secluded work. We are more confident than ever that the working class desperately needs Progressive Labor Party, and we have our plan on how to bring it to them. The fight continues!
