June 28-30, New York City Communist Party clubs: Organizing centers of grassroots struggle

Grave dangers face our country and the world. The Bush administration has declared unending war, and insists on the right of the U.S. to act militarily wherever and whenever it chooses, including with nuclear weapons.

With Bush at the helm, the ultra right has declared open season on the working class, on women, on racially and nationally oppressed people, on immigrants, on young people and senior citizens, on gays and lesbians. It has in its sights every measure that protects workers on the job, every law that guarantees women’s reproductive rights, every regulation that protects our air, water and land against corporate polluters.

But despite the difficult political atmosphere created by the September 11th terrorist attacks, struggles are taking place across our land on a wide range of issues. From local union organizing drives to nationally coordinated campaigns against Bush nominations and legislation, people are in motion. The fight against the Bush administration’s obscene ‘guns- not-butter budget’ is heating up. Most important is the fight to take control of the Congress away from the ultra right in the November elections.

At a time of great struggle and activity, we are taking a ‘pause for the cause,’ and calling a special conference on building the grassroots structures of our organization.

Communists help to build the breadth, size and unity of the people’s movements. We contribute good politics, strategic vision, commitment to unity and practical organizing skills — all essential elements in this politically complex moment.

Key to winning fights is mobilizing masses of people into action, and moving public opinion to the side of the working class, to the defense of civil rights, to the cause of peace.

Our Party must be an agent for change, a mover and organizer of people, and builder of the strength and depth of the working class’ capacity to fight. We have a big contribution to make — but to make it, we have to grow, and we have to grow at the grass roots, in our clubs.

The clubs is where most people meet the Party and become Communists. Stronger clubs will attract fighters and activists; stronger clubs will mean stronger local components to national coalitions and campaigns.

Strengthening the clubs is fundamental to the grassroots coalition-building that is the basis for, and the only path towards pro-people, anti-corporate change.

And only a Party with a strong grassroots organization will be able to play its unique role in building the democratic, majority movement that will bring about the revolutionary transformation to a socialist society. We are calling a national conference on the Party clubs in order to re-focus our collective energy and attention on grassroots organizing and political activity.

How do the clubs do their part to fight the ultra-right offensive, against the policies of the Bush administration, in the critical electoral battles this fall?

How do Party clubs help build left-center unity and the labor-led, people’s coalition? What do we mean by broad, mass tactics at the grass roots? How do we build more Communist Party clubs that are organizing centers? How can we better utilize our press?

What steps will transform our Party into a bigger, stronger organization of many active clubs engaged in building the workingclass movement, and in the main class struggle battles of our day?

It’s a new century and in many ways a new world. The kind of Communist Party that’s needed today includes many elements: mass politics, workingclass ideology, broad initiative and involvement, and finally, importantly, necessarily, strong grassroots organization. The conference will be an opportunity for a wide exchange of ideas about how the clubs — each with different circumstances — can grow and flourish.

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