The Philadelphia Young Communist League is committed to advancing working-class power in the workplace, in our schools, and in the halls of government. We meet working-class people where they’re at, and in a presidential election year, working people are building power on the campaign trail, especially in our commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Our members are connecting with neighbors about the stakes of this election, cutting turf for canvassing operations with partners like the Working Families Party, and are organizing contingents of Communist Party members and YCLers from across the Northeast to build power with us. Young people who join our organization and walk the path of democratic struggle with us are more than capable of being political leaders in their communities.

The Philadelphia YCL is by no means alone in this work: we are joined by an intergenerational and multiracial coalition of trade unionists, prison abolitionists, immigrant rights activists, and elected officials like PA State Rep. Chris Rabb and Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicholas O’Rourke.

The 2024 elections, from the presidency down to municipal ballot initiatives, will be a critical juncture for young people to press their thumb on the scales and shift power away from anti-democratic billionaires like Jefferey Yass and Elon Musk. These tax-avoiding and union-busting bosses are betting they can convince young people that there is no hope for change. Trump is a threat to democracy precisely because his policies keep working people under the boot of unrestrained, profit-seeking bosses and landlords. When we see Franklin & Marshall students in Lancaster being told lies by Republican officials to discourage them from voting, we must dig under the surface and ask: whose interests are promoted by demobilizing young voters?

Further, we must confront a strain of nihilism among U.S. progressives, which our government’s continued support for Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people has sowed. Unfortunately, the international peace movement has not been able to meaningfully influence U.S. foreign policy for generations. After all, anyone below the age of 30 has lived nearly their whole life under the “global war on terror.” While the Biden administration formally ended operations in Afghanistan, we stand today on the brink of a dangerous New Cold War with China. A boom in manufacturing predicated on building more warships, nuclear missiles, and new killer robots is not in the interests of our working-class here in the U.S., or internationally.

As Marxist-Lenninists, we grapple with these contradictions head-on. When the fascist Israeli government openly signals their preference for a second Trump administration, we cannot delude ourselves that “punishing the Democrats” will result in greater power for the peace movement, nor for the Palestinian solidarity movement — not to mention the precious time we would lose to make meaningful progress on slowing down climate change. It is objectively true that the terrain of struggle for our collective liberation will be easier under an imperfect coalition of progressives and neoliberals than with the fascists uniting under Trump in government, wielding the banner of the Republican party.

Philadelphia youth, the time is now to place our mark on the future of this country and indeed the whole world. On November 5th, vote for our futures. And on November 6th, and every day after, continue to agitate, struggle, and organize! Never be complacent! The Philadelphia Young Communist League will march in lockstep with you.

Image: “More than anything, I want the future of Philadelphia’s Youth to be S.E.C.U.R.E.” by PA Youth Vote (Twitter/X)

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