Andrew W, Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia, like much of America, the fighting traditions of International Workers’ Day have been lost. Recent years saw pitifully small May Day marches and rallies. Sometimes they didn’t happen at all!
Revolutionary communists in Philly set out to rectify this, building a grassroots campaign to make May Day communist again. For two months leading up to May 1, we took the message of communism into neighborhoods, workplaces, campuses, subways, and struggles across the city. Through this sweeping effort, the RCA spoke with thousands of workers and youth. Tens of thousands of stickers and posters advertising May Day reached untold numbers of others.
We argued that May Day isn’t merely a working-class holiday; it’s a weapon in the class war. Around 250 people responded to the call, gathering in the heart of Philadelphia for a determined and militant demonstration. This was the largest openly communist demonstration in Philly for decades and a portent of revolutionary upheavals to come.
The event began with a speak-out on the steps of City Hall, during which dozens of workers and young people denounced capitalism and the inhuman conditions it imposes on us. After this, the main rally commenced. RCA speakers addressed the history of May Day and the struggles of the working class in the USA and around the world. Amid a sea of red flags, the crowd responded raucously to indictments of the imperialist slaughter in Gaza and denunciations of the two capitalist parties. Other speakers highlighted the plight of political prisoners in Pennsylvania, including Mumia Abu-Jamal and Ant Smith, and argued for the necessity of building the revolutionary, working-class press to counter the lies of the capitalist media.
The tent selling The Communist and other Marxist literature saw a steady crowd throughout the day, and the RCA recruitment table kept busy as dozens signed up to join their party.
After the rally, hundreds marched down Market Street shouting slogans like, “Hey hey! Ho ho! ‘Genocide’ Joe has got to go!” and “The workers united will never be defeated!” The march ended at Independence Hall, cradle of the First American Revolution, where the crowd sang rousing renditions of revolutionary anthems including “The Internationale” and “Bandiera Rossa.” The concluding rally featured speeches on the American revolutionary tradition and, most important of all, how to organize the next American Revolution—the communist revolution.