BRONX, NY, March 12—Members and friends of the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) have been organizing on New York City university campuses in the Bronx, working with faculty, staff, and students in developing a militant fightback against ICE. We came together on March 12 to hear firsthand reports about the general strike in Minneapolis, the recent anti-ICE protests in Chinatown, as well as the community work we are doing here in the Bronx. CHALLENGEs and Mayday invites were at every table and PLP members spoke clearly about the fascism that we are seeing now, the need to fight back, and the need to fill the streets on May 2 in Brooklyn!
Over 60 people attended, coming from as far as New Jersey and Brooklyn, as well as all the Bronx campuses. We had some community members as well as a local high school teacher and a leader in one of the immigrants’ organizing networks. Even before the program started, we saw a glimpse of what a real communist society would look like- everyone pitched in, going to the office to carry cases of water, going across the street to pick up the food…everyone just helped to pull the event together. It was a dreary rainy day, but the room was filled with excitement and a feeling of camaraderie.
Over a dozen students, some of whom have never done public speaking before, and a few professors met for weeks planning and preparing for the teach-in. We tried to focus mainly on the politics and the ideas that we wanted to get over, but of course, we made sure the room was brightly decorated with fight back posters and that there was plenty of food. One community member brought sambusas, a Somali pastry that is an important part of Minneapolis history we would hear about. We also talked about “class work”—what workers and students could do next. We invited them to march on May Day, join a contingent in the upcoming No Kings March, and get involved in our union’s immigrant solidarity network.
Eyewitness Reports: “We are in a powerful moment”
The first speaker, a nurse from the Bronx, gave a riveting talk about what she saw and what was happening on the ground in Minneapolis. She was there the day that Alex Pretti was shot. She described the collectivity and the caring that she saw, how people helped each other deal with the tear gas that was used on the people and the racist terror that was being unleashed and talked about how it felt to be in the middle of it all. Interestingly, because she was a trauma nurse, she was used to getting in the middle of difficult and scary situations. She went on to describe how members of the Somali community welcomed her and others and insisted on giving them free food. “We are in a powerful moment,” she told us. She went on to describe how small businesses supported the protests- “no businesses would accept money. Money was useless. It was beautiful and wonderful.” She concluded by saying “we must look past electoral politics.” We also talked after about the need for general strikes and the need for workers to withhold their labor.
The second speaker participated in the Chinatown protest this past October and shared her experience becoming a community organizer in the immigrant rights movement. She shared resources about getting more involved, especially in the Bronx, in rapid response groups and community neighborhood walks, which some of us are already doing. When asked about how to deal with the fear that many are experiencing today, she answered “Fear is what they want us to feel. It’s their weapon. Courage is what we need.” Her talk was very inspirational and helped us all to frame the question of fear.
Boomerang Effect- One way imperialism harms U.S. workers
The last speaker, a CUNY professor, spoke about what has been called “the boomerang effect,” a term coined by Aime Cesaire, the author of Discourse on Colonialism. She talked about how the policies and practices of colonialism and imperialism, whether it’s Gaza or Venezuela, will also be used in the U.S. She concluded, “ In other words, the crimes America has been committing all over the world-it is now committing on its own soil and on workers in the U.S.” Although we ran out of time to talk about this more at the teach-in, we have talked in our meetings about the parallels between Gaza and Minnesota- how a doctor was prevented from aiding Renee Good when she was shot in Minnesota and how Israeli troops prevent doctors in Gaza from treating patients.
The takeaways- Keep organizing! Keep building PLP
The interest level was high at this event as students raised the question after the presentation- how can we keep organizing without our movement being smashed or defeated? We will continue to work with our student clubs. On two Bronx campuses we have regular People’s Pantry tables where we distribute snacks and literature. We meet many students who are food insecure but also hungry for a movement that will help explain what is happening in the world and how we can change the world. We are stepping up our CHALLENGE sales at our Bronx campuses and organizing study groups- Join us! We have a world to win!
