Jim Crow Biden wants border wall
   NBC News, 7/28–The Biden administration on Thursday authorized completion of the Trump-funded U.S.-Mexico border wall in an open area of southern Arizona near Yuma, where four wide gaps make it among the busiest corridors for illegal crossings…Completion of the wall was at the top of former President Donald Trump’s agenda, and border security remains a potent issue for candidates of both parties going into this year’s primary elections. President Joe Biden halted new wall construction after he took office, but he has since made closing the gaps just south of Yuma a priority. It was unclear when construction would begin. The statement said officials will move “as expeditiously as possible, while still maintaining environmental stewardship” by consulting affected parties.

War and drought threaten to kill many workers in Somalia
    The Economist, 7/28–Somalia faces a famine. The worst drought in 40 years is killing livestock and causing crops to shrivel.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the crisis by raising grain prices, meaning that farmers and herders cannot afford to supplement their diets. Roughly 7 million people, or 40% of Somalia’s population, are struggling to find enough food to eat. Around 1.4 million children are severely malnourished. Experts say that, unless urgent action is taken, this famine may be even deadlier than the one that claimed more than 250,000 Somalis in 2011.

Haiti: assassinations & gangs  point to U.S.-China rivalry
     Nikkei Asia, 8/7/2021–The assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise … has potential repercussions as far away as China, which has played a diplomatic chess game with the U.S. over the impoverished Caribbean nation. Beijing has dangled coronavirus vaccines and other aid as it seeks to persuade Haiti, one of the 15 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, to cut those ties, critics say…Republican lawmakers Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry of the U.S. House Taiwan Caucus recently sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken a letter warning of the "potential ripple effects this assassination may have on stability, both within Haiti and across the wider region -- as well as the doors it may open to political interference by the People's Republic of China."The Chinese Communist Party "will most certainly seek to take advantage of the political turmoil in Haiti to further marginalize U.S. and Taiwanese interests," the lawmakers wrote. Haiti is not the only focus in the region of Beijing's attempts to isolate Taipei. Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic all severed ties with Taiwan in favor of China between 2017 and 2018. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has taken pains to try holding on to Taipei's remaining partners. She visited Haiti in 2019 to shore up their relationship, and Taiwan donated masks there last year to help with the country's coronavirus response.

Pelosi visit to Taiwan threatens military escalation by China
     Foreign Affairs, 7/29–“The military thinks it’s not a good idea right now.” That was U.S. President Joe Biden’s observation in late July about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned trip to Taiwan, which is reportedly scheduled for next month [August]. It would be wrong to think…that Pelosi’s travel plans will determine whether a showdown materializes in the Taiwan Strait. In reality, the United States and China are barreling toward such a crisis—and it will be far riskier than previous standoffs. China, possessing significant military capabilities and less concerned about preserving its relations with the United States, is now far more willing to respond to a perceived provocation with escalation than it was during previous crises….To send a message, China will now have to do something that rises significantly above that kind of baiting, which means its options are increasingly escalatory…As CIA Director William J. Burns recently said, “I wouldn’t underestimate President Xi’s determination to assert China’s control—the People’s Republic of China’s control—over Taiwan. I think the risks of that become higher, it seems to us, the further into this decade that you get.”

Public healthcare worker unites with transit strikers
Today I joined the striking Metro Access transit workers on their picket line (see page 3). They are the “essential workers” who the bosses pretend to thank but then attack when it comes to wages, benefits, and safety. They have “served the people,” especially elderly and disabled residents during the pandemic. Their shop steward estimated that 50 percent of them have had at least one episode of Covid-19, most likely due to transmission on the job.
     The CDC initially required they stay home 10 days following a  Covid-19 infection but now has decided it is ok to return to work after five days, an unsafe practice with the Ba.5 variant sweeping the country. The change in CDC guidelines show that their capitalist bosses are happy to have workers get sick and die in the name of profit and “the economy.” Worse, the workers get only two sick days per year, so they have had to go without pay for the other days (unless they get workers’ compensation, which only a couple have managed to do).
     The bosses don’t require testing in order to return to work and there is no contact tracing or informing workers of exposures even though the bosses have data to do so, further threatening workers’ health. The drivers are issued N95 masks every morning, but riders – many of whom are going to doctor’s visits – are not required to wear them in the Metro Access vans. The bosses frequently require “ride sharing” – multiple riders in the van – which increases the risks of transmission. When I showed the strikers how easy it is to measure carbon dioxide levels in the van (which correlates with airborne risk of Covid-19 transmission), they were interested in doing it themselves. Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members are fighting for masking, ventilation, testing and treatment. Bringing more public health workers into the fight into the fight will also strengthen our Party and sharpen the struggle for workers’ power, which is Communism.
*****
Workers are hungry for communism
At the recent Marxist Literary Group conference, I had the opportunity to talk with several food service workers in the building.
     On two occasions I offered a copy of CHALLENGE to the worker. One said: “I need this!” The other said: “Great! I’m going to read this at home.”
     CHALLENGE is an excellent way to bring communist ideas to workers hungry to understand their reality.
     Thanks to all of our comrades whose work produces the paper.
*****
Remembering Camacho’s words
I attended a summer project in the 1980s where I remember Epifanio Camacho. He was grounded, patient, wise and didn’t waste words (see obituary, page 8).   
     He was a striking man who commanded respect without talking, dimmed the lights on any youthful “know-it-all” chatter among summer project youth.  He carried his earned status with a gentle, kind air. He calmly talked about the inequalities & injustices in the San Joaquin Valley. He explained what fundamental problems would still exist for farmworkers if sellout Cesar Chavez only bargained for acceptable reforms instead of revolutionary change.
     Chavez was making a bargain that would result in trusting the very people that were literally pouring pesticides all over all of them from planes, obviously giving them cancer en masse and effectively treating the farmworkers as wage slaves. Whether they lived in labor camps or not, the farmworkers lived at the poverty line while working to the bone in Central California, the San Joaquin Valley, where 25 percent of U.S. food, including 40 percent fruits and nuts, is grown.
*****
NYC bosses worried about nuclear attacks
Here’s a link to their ridiculous message. https://youtu.be/N-5d7V4Sbqk
     Here’s the wording in case they’re smart enough to take it down.
It starts off with a siren. Then a young person, all in black, talks in front of a city residential building.

    “So there’s been a nuclear attack. Don’t ask me how or why, just know that the big one has hit.”
    “Ok, so what do we do? There are three important steps that I want you to remember.”
    “Step one, get inside, fast. You, your friends, your family … get inside. And no, staying in the car is not an option. You need to get into a building and move away from the windows.”
    “Step two: Stay inside. Shut all doors and windows. Have a basement? Head there. If you don’t have one, get as far into the middle of the building as possible. If you were outside after the blast, get clean immediately. Remove and bag all outer clothing to keep radioactive dust or ash away from your body.”
    “Step three: stay tuned. Follow the media for more information. Don’t forget to sign up for Notify NYC for official alerts and updates. And don’t go outside, until officials say it’s safe. Alright? You’ve got this.”

They forgot to say take your “radiation pill.” You’re right; there isn’t any.
     One friend of mine told me about this and I was sure they were kidding and had made it up. This is obviously the result of the war in the Ukraine.
     In 1961, I was involved in a mass organization in my high school fighting against nuclear war when the U.S. attempted to invade Cuba. The U.S. government used Cuban refugees as cannon fodder. I realized then that the biggest danger of nuclear war was not proliferation of weapons but imperialism (the last and current stage of capitalism). That’s also when I decided to join a real communist party.
     Although already moving fast towards capitalism, the then Soviet Union put nuclear missiles into Cuba. In October, 1963, the threat of nuclear war seemed imminent. Back then we had “fallout shelter” signs on many buildings.
     The mass organization I’m currently working in has been debating this war. Many people are trying to figure out who to blame so they can pick a side.
     (A) The corrupt capitalist government of Ukraine which allies with fascist militias?
     (B) The imperialist capitalist governments of Europe and the U.S. which have been trying to build their N.A.T.O. alliance against Russia and China?
    (C) The imperialist capitalist fascist government of Russia?
  (D) None of the above!

We are the side of “ none of the above.” We don’t take the side of any of these ruling classes. Our side is the international working class in every country. Today inter-imperialist rivalry has caused the war in the Ukraine.
     The international working class are the ones who suffer the most from these wars. This is not history repeating itself as farce, but on the brink of tragedy.
     We have been having success in our local group raising these ideas. Our local group came together on a statement that doesn’t take the side of any of these governments. Unfortunately the state and national leadership of this organization, just as in the 1960s, sees itself as an arm of the Democratic party and has hardly had any demonstrations against this dangerous war.
     The ruling class thinks they can survive in their bunkers. We know where they are, because the working class built these bunkers!
*****
New NYT editor signals heating concerns of China
In April, the New York Times announced the appointment of a new executive editor of their paper, Joseph F. Kahn. Part of a very privileged, upper-class family, Kahn cut his journalistic teeth on reporting from China. At one time he was expelled from China. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his highly critical reporting on China.
     His appointment as executive editor of the leading mouthpiece of the main wing of the ruling class, the Big Fascist liberals, is significant. Many of the leading ruling class intellectuals who have been highly critical of the U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine have been pushing for U.S.imperialism to shift its attention to what they view as the main enemy, Chinese expansionism. They are upset that the war in Ukraine is cementing the alliance of Russia and China. The conflict within the main wing of the U.S. ruling class between those who emphasize the goal of isolating Russia and have been leading the charge of NATO towards the east and those who want a shift to China and the Pacific is serious. The appointment of Kahn suggests that the ruling class is beginning to realize that they miscalculated when they pushed the Ukrainians into a war in which the Russians had no choice but to intervene. This war is accelerating the decline of U.S. military and dollar hegemony in the world.
     The U.S. ruling class is not as strong as it appears. There are too many divisions and they do not have a unified leadership as contrasted with Russia and China. Several of their important European allies are also deeply divided internally, France and Germany in particular.
The opportunities for the Party to grow are increasing daily. Let’s do it!
*****
‘Thanks for book review!’
I especially liked the book review about the Chinese Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (GPCR) in the July 20, CHALLENGE.  I was a student in London during this early period and although we didn’t have too much information about it, I was impressed by the GPCR having its start in cultural spheres. The Peking Opera, generally a stronghold of tradition and feudalism, with plenty of characterizations of women warriors who had died in battle and come back as angels, was a major venue for the class struggle.
The Legend Of The Red Lantern was such a revolutionary opera.  It is the fascinating, true story of an underground, communist woman railroad worker fighting the Japanese invaders.  Its revolutionary theme, in what was once the provenance of the capitalist roaders, became a victory for the workers with each performance.  
     As the  review points out,  the book gives“...clear signals that communist politics and principles were not leading China - capitalist politics were.” 
*****

The U.S. is an imperialist superpower in steep decline. A recent case in point: At the G20, a conference of the world’s largest economies, the Big Fascist liberals—the multinational banks and energy companies that control the Democratic Party—utterly failed in their attempts to isolate rival imperialist Russia. From the New York Times (7/8): "[I]n a reflection of why Russia’s economy continues to function, [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov did meet directly with…major nations that have declined to join the Western-led coalition against his country.”
As the U.S.-European alliance behind Ukraine seems exhausted, Russia has strengthened its economic ties with regional powers from Iran and India to Brazil and Mexico. Imperialist China, the greatest threat to U.S. dominance, dismissed an appeal from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to join the anti-Russia coalition. U.S. sanctions be damned, Russia is raking in record revenues from fossil fuels (NYT, 6/13). (The ruble is up nearly 30 percent against the U.S. dollar this year.) All the while, millions of workers worldwide are starved and impoverished by droughts, floods, and an inflationary spiral with no end in sight.
Despite unequaled wealth and the world’s largest armed forces, the U.S. seems powerless to stop the Chinese imperialists from expanding their economic influence. Despite billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, it can’t stop Russia from grabbing more territory. As diplomacy and threats fail, the bosses will settle their disagreements with bullets and bombs. Regardless of who wins, workers will pay the price with their blood. It is up to the working class of the world to turn this imperialist war into class war for communism–workers’ power.
U.S. rulers’ split points to fascism
To fight off a life-and-death challenge from the Small Fascists, the gutter racists and sexists who control the Republican Party and the U.S. Supreme Court [see Glossary, p. 6], the Big Fascists of finance capital can’t keep running things in the old way. Liberal democracy—the lipstick on the pig of capitalist dictatorship—never served the interests of the working class. Now it’s not even working for the liberal bosses. Full-blown fascism—with wholesale state terror—is on the horizon. It’s the only way for the liberals to stop the Small Fascists. It’s the only way they’ll be able to enlist workers into the U.S. military, facing its worst recruiting crisis since the draft ended in 1973 (foxnews.com, 7/6). The U.S. bosses know they’ll need that military to fight, sooner than later. In China and Russia, without the constraints of liberal democracy, the rulers are more unified, more efficient fascists at this stage of the game. They have a head start toward World War III.
The world’s rising instability is a great danger for the international working class—but also a huge opportunity to smash the profit system once and for all. Workers are enraged by the capitalist status quo, as attested by the thousands in Sri Lanka who stormed their war criminal president’s residence. Their fury and courage are unquestioned—but to change the world, they need communist leadership.
Progressive Labor Party is small today. So were the Bolsheviks before World War I and the Chinese communists before World War II. Like them, we have the potential to grow quickly. Our historic task is to organize millions to turn the next world war into communist revolution.
Europe: U.S. friends in shambles
In February, at the start of the current conflict in Ukraine, the U.S. bosses trumpeted the rebirth of NATO and the unity of the West. Five months later, their most important partners are in turmoil. Small Fascist parties are surging throughout Europe. In June, French President Emmanuel Macron lost his parliamentary majority—due mainly to the breakout success of the National Rally, the gang of nazis that opposes the war in Ukraine (Politico, 6/22). In Italy, the government collapsed when the anti-Ukraine war Five Star Party withdrew its support (Guardian, 7/14). In Britain, the war effort’s staunchest backer, Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned in a sea of scandal.
 All the while, Russia has been paying for the war with profits from gas and oil sales to the United States’ most trusted partners. As the New York Times noted (7/12), “Ukraine’s steadfast NATO allies are tired. This war has already contributed to a huge spike in natural gas, gasoline and food prices in Europe — and if it drags into the winter, many families in the European Union (E.U.) may have to choose between heating and eating.” In Germany, the EU’s alpha dog, whole industries could collapse if Russia cuts natural gas exports (businessinsider.com, 7/4).
As economies in Europe go from bad to worse, the competition between capitalist factions will intensify. Both sides are disasters for our class. But it’s the liberal misleaders—with their track record for mass slaughter and their strategy to pacify militant fightback—who are the main danger. They’re the express train to fascism. Workers have but two real choices: to fight in the bosses’ next global war for profit, or to join the historic struggle for communist revolution.
U.S. runs into a BRICS wall
Since Richard Nixon went to China 50 years ago, the U.S. ruling class has played Russia, China, and India against one another. But today, in the face of U.S. weakness, these longtime adversaries are growing closer. India needs cheap fuel for its growing economy and huge population; since the Ukraine war began, it has spent five times as much on Russian oil as in all of 2021 (Forbes, 7/13). China, whose own economy is in a nosedive, flouts U.S. sanctions by buying record amounts of Russian crude (oilprice.com, 7/6).
Now the alliance known as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) is expanding, with Iran and Argentina set to join in 2023. In May, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, and Nigeria attended the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting for the first time (The Diplomat, 7/13). As capitalism in crisis heads toward world war, it is impossible to predict how these countries will align. But what seems certain is that the situation is volatile—and is heading toward a boiling point.
The new Russia-Iran axis
Besides enriching Moscow’s treasury, the United States’ moves to punish Russia have backfired by uniting two of its arch-enemies, Russia and Iran. The Big Fascists hoped to delay Iran’s development of nuclear weapons by reviving the nuclear deal engineered by Barack Obama—until Russia torpedoed the strategy by persuading Iran to insist on a lifting of sanctions against Russia (NYT, 7/14). On July 19, Vladimir Putin met with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s top leader, who proclaimed that Russia was justified in invading Ukraine. According to a Kremlin spokesman, a “strategic cooperation” treaty with Iran is on the table (NYT, 7/19). U.S. bosses’ immediate fear is that Iran will sell Russia state-of-the-art battlefield drones, which could tip the balance in artillery warfare in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia and India are pursuing a land-and-sea trade route through Iran, avoiding Europe and any potential obstructions. It’s a big boost for Russia, and a sign that Iran is open to new transnational commerce—independent of the U.S. dollar—that would render U.S. sanctions almost useless (Bloomberg, 7/14).
The only solution
As the U.S. empire falters, China and Russia are growing bolder in challenging the U.S. bosses’ dominance. All of these imperialist powers spell death and destruction for the international working class. All of them use the rotten ideas of nationalism and patriotism to try to deceive us into killing our class sisters and brothers.
This deadly equation won’t change by removing Putin or electing a new U.S. president or threatening the Chinese bosses. Reforms can’t stop the capitalist rulers’ from slaughtering millions in their ruthless drive for maximum profits. Only a mass communist movement can turn the guns against the bosses and end inter-imperialist war for good. Fight for communism! Join Progressive Labor Party!

This summer project centered around two major events: 1) a march in protest of the murder of Shantel Davis by police detective Phil Atkins in 2012 and 2) the imprisonment of Justin Rodwell and the legal attacks on him and his brothers for resisting police terror. These two struggles encapsulated what the party is all about and were an opportunity to demonstrate our politics in practice to everyone at the SP.
The march was a powerful experience; it connected the murder of Kyam Livingston to Alex Flores (LA) to Shantel Davis. Families of all three spoke about losing their loved ones is something no one should ever have to experience. But under capitalism these racist killings are the order of the day. We took the streets! It was a show of resistance against the bosses and their enforcers and also an unapologetic expression of the party’s politics. Many gave speeches about how we need to unite to fight this capitalist system that creates these police who kill us. This had a profound effect not only on the PL’ers and friends present but also on the workers who marched, chanted, and raised their fists with us.
Smash racist housing conditions
The SP also centered around the housing struggle in Newark, NJ.  In multiracial groups, we trekked to Stephen Crane Village where for the past two years, a comrade who resides there is trying to organize neighbors against the inhumane conditions and privatization of the complex. PL’ers went door to door to show residents CHALLENGE and invite to a PL-authored skit in the courtyard.
The skit addressed the issues surrounding public housing such as rent increases, vermin, cynicism, and the importance of organizing—all with a dose of humour. At the performance, one resident recognized the comrade and was enthusiastic about growing this struggle.
Courts & cops, all part of bosses’ plan
The SP culminated with a discussion on why nationalism is always the enemy. We identified how nationalism and revisionism disguises itself as radicalism, but is really reactionary and how it destoyed revolutionary states like China and working class movements around the world. We also identified present day examples of nationalism: whether it takes the form of reformist Black mayors like Ras Baraka who promotes voting as the solution to ending racism, but uses his state police force to terrorize Black workers, or fake-revolutionary, revisionist groups who call for multicultural capitalism that ultimately would keep capitalists of all identities on top and workers on the bottom.
With all this in mind PLP held a protest at the Essex County Courthouse with Justin Rodwell’s family on the day of his latest court hearing. Justin continues to languish in jail more than a year after he and his brothers were attacked by Newark Police. During the hearing the fascist judge noticed our numbers and threatened us to keep silent, but when PL’ers held our fists up in solidarity with an imprisoned worker, Justin put up his fist in response. Later his family told us how they were now even more committed to fighting back against this racist, fascist system.
Confidence in our potential
This project provided us with some assignments for the future, inspiring all those involved. Next year, we need to sharpen the struggle with students and workers around us to participate in these events. After a comrade spoke to a student about the Shantel Davis march, the student said, “I really wish I took care of my chores on Friday so I could have been there.”
We are already making plans for a recap for all of our friends who weren’t able to make it. PLP has a strong potential for growth. At our closing event, one participant joined!
Another comrade spoke about writing a pamphlet. As they looked around at the other comrades working with him he said, “You’re not alone. Something about being in this space that makes it feel possible.”
Despite the attacks on our class, we know that a communist world is possible. This project gave us a small glimpse of that world we want to create through the power of collectivity.

*****

Letters from youth participants

This was my first summer project experience with the Progressive Labor Party. I had met several members over the years and joined a study group. It was inspiring to see PLP converge for concentrated class struggle. The party is diverse, grounded and led by the working class, as well as intergenerational. That was obvious to see just from the welcome barbecue.
I read about the police assault against the Rodwell-Spivey family in CHALLENGE, and I met the family after the court case. The police are predators, and they are patrolling workers’ neighborhoods to terrorize and intimidate wholesale just like the slave patrols that are their forebearers.
I volunteered for childcare during the hearing, but I heard from the family and the comrades about the struggle in the courtroom. The judge patronizingly instructed the witnesses in the gallery to respect the hall of criminal injustice and slavery, and in response many comrades raised their fists as a silent protest. Melodramatically the judge put his hand over his heart in response. They use patriotism and nationalism in order to rationalize and hide from their own role as enforcers of the bosses’ dictatorship.
I was glad to be a part of the team, and I was inspired to join the party at the end!
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During the Summer project, I, along with my comrades, had an important experience in Newark. June 1st marked the one year anniversary of the Rodwell-Spivey family being attacked by the kkkops. Undercover kkkops targeted two of the Rodwell-Spivey brothers claiming they were looking for a Black man wearing a white t-shirt with dreads. On July 12th, a hearing for four of the brothers took place to set a trial date. One of the brothers had been waiting for this trial for a year in jail, rotting away on misdemeanor charges of “resisting arrest.”
Before the hearing, the Progressive Labor Party and Rodwell-Spivey Defense Team held a rally outside of the courthouse. Then we stepped into a building named after Martin Luther King, the same building that ironically locked up Black men. We waited outside of the kkkourtroom for what seemed like hours before a kkkourt guard told us to conduct ourselves well and hold our thoughts and grievances for after the hearing or we would be removed.
As the hearing began I could see the cracks in the system showing themselves through a callous prosecutor and unprepared city attorneys. On a zoom call the prosecutors showed no concern, mixing up the plea bargain dates of 18 months to 3 years. One city attorney needed three more weeks to prepare for the trial. Two chose not to speak on behalf of their clients. One attorney and family friend of the Rodwell-Spivey family pushed for the full body cam footage from the day of the arrest. However, the prosecutor did not send the film nor contacts to retrieve it. As the hearing began to end, the trial was once again pushed back.
After showing no emotion during the hearing the judge flips out, berating the antiracist supporters in the gallery. He tells us that he has treated us with respect and dignity and he expected the same. He grew louder and told us a group before had disrespected him and he would not stand for it. What the capitalist with current authority was referring to was a hearing when PLP, the Rodwell-Spivery family, and friends of the family said “We Miss You Justin.” We left the courtroom silent and with fists up. Outside the doors, we started chanting, “Free Justin.” Within seconds, multiple cops came ready to pounce.
Previously I had only been to a courtroom on a school trip. But this experience was completely different. I’ve learned that there might be fancy language and specific rules to represent capitalist law. However, the people ruling do not have the interest of the working class at heart.
The judge told us to respect his courtroom and to respect him. But how are we supposed to respect people who allow Black men to rot away in prison when they have the power to take them out? How are we supposed to respect the same courts that give kkkops a slap on the wrist when they murder our Black and Latin brothers and sisters? How are we supposed to respect the courts when they are only made to put the working class “in their place?” If we are not receiving justice in the courts, we as workers must shut them down!
H
My takeaway from this year’s summer project was that leadership comes from the entire working class. As someone who has been on many projects, it’s always uplifting and motivating to draw from the experience and knowledge from so many comrades and workers. We collectively organize to achieve goals, get to know each other better, and just have fun. As always, my participation this past week has provided me with a sharpened optimism and energy to build the Party in my area.
*
My first PLP summer project deepened my sense of urgency and pride for the fight for working-class power. Spending several days with PLP  members and like-minded folks normalized open discussion of the very particular ways the capitalist system fails us all. There were several educators like myself from across the country dealing with similar things like being scolded for being open with students about having recently tested positive for Covid, being excluded in decisions to implement initiatives and strategies that require extra time and energy but so often get thrown out, and trying to safely navigate discussions about reproductive rights in schools where sex education leaves a lot to the imagination. One educator even lost his job for giving students food and allowing them to enter the building to keep them from the cold before the approved time (See CHALLENGE, 7/20). He got his job back when parents, students and PLP raised enough of a noise to embarrass school bosses for their foolishness.
It was impressive that some teachers invited students! With them, we watched a leader of the NAACP take a nap in a Newark kkkourtroom where Justin Spivey was given additional jail time without any conviction, due to the repeat instance of absentee lawyers and a judge who claimed there was “not much else I can do.”
We heard a healthcare worker discuss single handedly organizing a walkout due to lack of personal protective equipment(PPE).Another PL’er ushered us into their experience of deplorable housing conditions and gentrification, as we knocked on residents doors to invite them to a Party written and performed play about just that!  We also witnessed a couple roast each other on the topic of Stalin's militancy sparked from the decision of where a group of us should go for ice cream!
Hearing so many intense struggles told by the people who experienced them as well as participating in a few as a multiracial, multigenerational collective, for me, ate away at the sense of isolation that makes these problems seem unrelated.

*