On May 4 and 5, across the country, the Revcom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity stepped out for Revolutionary Internationalist May Day to declare:

We Need and We Demand:

Revolution For A Whole New Way To Live, A Fundamentally Different System

Stop the U.S./Israeli Genocide of Palestinians NOW!

Stop Capitalism-Imperialism from Stealing Our Future!

The May Day rallies this year were not that large in numbers, but very large in revolutionary spirit and confidence. In New York City, the joyous and defiant march went through Harlem picking up a couple dozen people on the way. In the Bay Area, comrades rallied in the Mission District in San Francisco. In Chicago and Texas, revcoms connected with marches and protests to demand an end to the genocidal slaughter of Palestinians—with members of the Revcom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity in Chicago getting arrested for standing with students at the School of the Art Institute and forging ties in a night spent together in lockup. In Los Angeles, the march went through a South Central neighborhood, with a revolutionary rally in a park before and after. In both NY and LA, people ate meals together—with food donated by vendors, restaurants and supporters from all over the world.

There’s more to learn about the impact of these May Day marches, and the work across the country that went into building for them, but there are two things I want to appreciate about what we began:

1. A highlight of the event in LA was when a group of people just stepping into the Revcom Corps stood on stage and led the crowd with a call and response of the Points of Attention for the Revolution. As the participants and the crowd began, there was some shyness... but as they went on, they got louder, speaking with more conviction, pride and determination. This was infectious and inspiring and impacted the audience.

These Points of Attention (POA) represent an alternate code to the degrading and oppressive ways this system has people thinking and acting. These POA go up against all that—with an incredibly uplifting vision of the world we’re fighting for and contributing to forging a force for the revolution needed to bring that world into being.

In the days leading up to May Day, people who were part of this had been wrangling collectively with these POA and struggling with each other about not falling into bullshit and petty divides among the people. People were grappling with, and even agonizing over, how to break with the ideology of this system—being in something for oneself or one’s ego in opposition to “represent(ing) the highest interests of humanity: revolution and communism.” And why it matters to struggle with the masses of people to transform themselves as a decisive part of preparing the force and the people for a real revolution. This was collective—with people struggling with each other, and going through changes themselves, over “for whom and for what:” for oneself? Or for the emancipation of all humanity and the revolution needed for that emancipation?

In LA, where people came on stage to recite them, the conviction coming from the stage grew the whole way through and it found an echo in a growing enthusiastic following and participation from the crowd. The leaders of the Revcom Corps led the call and response with seriousness and passion moving their Corps members, who collectively inspired the crowd. When recited call and response, in a group, the effect can be magnetic. In New York, where the POA were done in English and Spanish, there was a similar powerful effect.

Spoken out loud, together, in the face of all the degrading, competitive, and narrow ways that people are conditioned to go through the world, these Points of Attention resonate in a profound way for the members of the Corps and for all who see and hear them. They are forging the conscious conviction and determination to become leaders—to be part of the Revcom (a revolutionary new communist) Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity.

2. One of the powerful aspects of May Day nationally were the banners that the Revcom Corps brought to various protests that were signed by hundreds of people in the neighborhoods of the oppressed. In LA, members of the Revcom Corps held the banners—in Spanish and English—which read: From South Central to Palestine: We Need REVOLUTION—Nothing Less! Hands off the brave students. Hands off Gaza.

When we marched through a South Central neighborhood chanting, “one side is right, one side is wrong, stand up for Gaza, take this system down!” some people from the neighborhood joined and many others put their heads out their windows cheering and chanting along. We tapped into an outrage among people about what the U.S. is doing to the people of Gaza, and real inspiration about what the students at these elite colleges are standing up for and sacrificing. This needs to be learned from and taken further—with connections made among different strata, which this system tries to keep apart.

In New York, people came who had been inspired by the spirit of the students but who also saw the need to “bring more” to this struggle, in different ways. People who had been getting to know the revcoms over the past months came out, as did some who were “coming back into things.”

In Chicago, students flooding into political life welcomed the revcoms into their defiant stand and when they were arrested, many joined in discussion in jail that night, struggling over all kinds of questions.

This week, if there are any universities or colleges in session in your area: organize people from these neighborhoods to go out with the revcoms to the campuses! Take the stand of the college students and the revcoms out to high schools.

What I’m writing here isn’t complete. I’ve also heard about people being provoked by this to want to go deeper into what this revolution is about. Off of watching the clip we played from The Bob Avakian Interviews on The RNL Show, one person said they wanted to know more about how Bob Avakian came to be the revolutionary leader that he is. Another person was inspired by the new communism and the role it can play in the world—breaking through the high-tech imperialism up against Dark Ages Islamic fundamentalism. I’m eager to learn more about what else happened, and what else there is to learn. If there are more lessons to sum up from your experience around May Day, please write to us at getorganizedforrevolutiontour@gmail.com