Boston students and workers were excited to join our New York and New Jersey comrades in Newark and Brooklyn for the Summer Project 2026! Three party members, two young study group members, and a friend of the Party came. We also brought young children and a LOT of spirit!
Having childcare was critical to our involvement. We were blown away by how well-organized it was, and we can’t emphasize enough how amazing it was to see other warm, loving adults take turns entertaining, feeding, listening to, and teaching our children. Parents of the world, we need communism!

First impressions

For most of us, this was the first time interacting with the Progressive Labor Party outside of the Boston area. We were impressed and inspired to see so many young workers leading the Project, including LGBTQ, Black and brown workers. They led the way in well-organized and well-executed political activity, political struggle, and political education. A key takeaway for us was the importance of building the next generation of young party leaders. 

One friend talked about how she loved making banners for the car caravan that ended up at Delaney Hall Detention Center and canvassing in some local housing complexes. Some of our comrades live in these complexes and are building a tenant’s union and promoting the Party at the same time. We were all impressed with the overwhelmingly positive response from the tenants, most of whom took CHALLENGE, and shared their concerns and contact information. 

Lessons from the summer project

We   learned     valuable   tools   from the many purposeful activities, such as practicing making impromptu speeches at rallies (“Speech in a Pocket”) based on a wide range of scenarios, such as place, level of security, attendance, and political situation. We plan to bring this back to improve the way we sell CHALLENGE in Boston.

One of the highlights for all of us was driving through Newark, NJ in cars decked out with signs saying, “Workers of the World Unite!” and “smash ICE”. Our caravan drove slowly through neighborhoods filled with workers who heard us chant over the bullhorn: “ICE, the courts, the Ku Klux Klan, all are part of the bosses plan!” It was inspiring and validating to see how receptive workers on the street were to our message. Workers took CHALLENGES from us through our car windows and one of our study group participants boldly hopped out of her car at stoplights to give CHALLENGES to workers at bus stops.

We were also really impressed with our young NY/NJ comrades leading us through a study group on Dialectical Materialism. They made the content easily accessible.

One Boston comrade noted how impressed he was by the work of a New Jersey comrade who was building the Party in a rural conservative area where Trump signs line the road.

We left NY looking forward to participating in and bringing our friends to Summer Project 2027!

The following are quotes from individual participants: 

I learned so much! One meaningful discussion I had with other participants was how it felt hard at times to be in community with others for such long periods of time. We talked about how capitalism makes us individualistic and isolated and how Summer Projects strengthen the muscle of working collectively, a crucial skill for communists.
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I learned a new way to think about voting during our study group on the PLP vs DSA’s political lines. An experienced comrade commented on how voting trains us to look “up” to the capitalist system for help instead of looking to fellow workers. For workers to unite we need to train ourselves to look to each other for our solutions, not to the system that creates the problems.
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I learned that reform and revolution aren’t mutually exclusive. While revolution needs to be the primary focus, we should fight for reforms along the way. Involving ourselves in reform struggles gives us the opportunity to grow our party, as we will be interacting with people who believe in collective action and who have identified a contradiction of capitalism—although they might not understand it in that way. Therefore, it’s important for us to be in those spaces so we can underscore the connection between capitalism and their reform struggle.
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I would say that the entire experience was very positive for me. I was forced to get out of my comfort zone and work with new people for an important cause. The women I stayed with in NJ and NY were very kind and welcoming.
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“Not only did I learn a lot, but I benefitted tremendously from the camaraderie: the shared meals, solving problems collectively, the exceptional childcare, and the ability to make myself at home in the homes of my comrades. I am proud to be a part of the Progressive Labor Party. Thank you to my NJ and NYC comrades for all of your hard work and leadership!”