Learning from the Harlem-Bronx Bake Sale—and Involving People from the Community in BA Everywhere
March 3, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From readers:
Inspired by the all-around success of the Harlem‑Bronx Bake Sale, supporters of BA Everywhere fundraising efforts made plans for a similar event in our city. This was a way to involve people in the community who struggle daily just to pay their bills in the movement for revolution and in particular the campaign to raise big funds to get BA Everywhere. The plan was to have the sale in an area we have been working in for some time, building the movement for revolution. We raised $170, brought to the surface a breadth of support that we were not previously aware of, and deepened people's connection to the movement for revolution and the leadership of BA.
One person studied the statement by the woman in New York and wrote her own piece to be included in the flier for our event. At the same time we took the proposal to other supporters and over several weeks people came on board. The whole process brought some of these folks to see themselves more consciously as a part of the BA Everywhere campaign. One person came up with a bunch of new ideas to involve artists in fundraising for BA Everywhere while whipping up a chocolate chip pound cake for the sale. An older Black woman first listened attentively to BA's New Year's message, A Call to Revolution, and responded, "That is a very fine speech. Like he says, battering women and the gay bashing has to stop. And young people need to join with others to change this system." She sees that her cooking is "my contribution to the movement for revolution," and was delighted to hear how much money was raised.
We also picked up new contributors along the way. In the course of getting out word for the bake sale we ran into someone studying to be a vegan pastry chef. This person's initial curiosity about a group with the goal of emancipating humanity turned to doubt while looking at the new brochure, "Contribute to BA Everywhere! The World Needs to Be Radically Changed. Here's One Step," and began to talk about how the system has been here forever and that we should try to reform it. Our response focused on quotes from the brochure about the capitalist system and BA's new synthesis of communism. We also brought out the special issue on You Don't Know What You Think You "Know" About... The Communist Revolution and the REAL Path to Emancipation: Its History and Our Future. "This is too big!" the person said. We went through many of their questions about the history and current reality of this system, why capitalism leads to anarchy and suffering and why we "can't just make a law" to limit their power. The person also had big doubts about communism, but knew we were bringing something very different than the horror stories that they had been fed. We persisted and so did the person. In the end they packaged up slices of rich vegan chocolate cake for the sale, and gave us a way to stay in touch.
A local activist who had watched BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! from start to finish allowed us to stage the sale outside a well‑known community center. On the day of the event, our banner for BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! let people know what we stood for. Clips of the speech were played as well. Inside and outside the center we created a stir as people took brochures or got copies of Revolution, and then threw in for cookies or pie in support of a movement that was about radical change. It was also impressive to these folks that the baked goods were made by people in the community. "This is great!" said one woman as she made a $3 donation. "It's what I tell people all the time—we need to stand together and stand up!" We had varying degrees of success in connecting with people around how this fundraising project and BA Everywhere is "the leading edge of a whole strategic process through which the movement for revolution gets built." But we found the brochure is a very good tool to use in digging into that important point.
Our activities also caught the attention of young community service workers at the center. Several of them are immigrants from oppressed countries where armed struggle had only brought a new version of capitalist‑imperialist domination. There was sharp debate with them over the possibility of setting up a system that was not based on domination. We broke out BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! and played the section titled "A Radically Different and Far Better World Is Possible." A young Black man who had not yet joined the conversation listened very intently and stayed to talk for another 15 minutes. He really grappled with the contradictions that he could see would arise as people were free to debate the big questions and put out their own ideas, and gave his name to be part of future discussions.
These same questions turned out to be a common thread of commentary and debate throughout the day among people who contributed their thinking as well as funds. There are so many different views and perspectives among individuals and groups. How would this work without turning into another oppressive dictatorship? Another question that people had was whether BA will really continue to represent for the people, both today and in the new socialist society.
After spending several hours at our table, we decided to take our fundraising into the community with a kinda "rolling bake sale." Good thinking! We turned up a whole new layer of support from people in this area, and over the next day sold out of all the goodies people had cooked up. Especially impressive was the support coming from Black men in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Some mentioned that they had seen us around—at the Trayvon Martin protests and such. Several donated and then challenged their friends to give too. "Show them some love" hollered a young guy as he pulled out of the car wash, after throwing in for a slice of pie. A good number of them contributed after carefully going over the new brochure. And there was particular interest in finding out who BA is.
We also found important support and got contributions from people who had donated in the past. Several corner men at a local convenience store got some sweets and encouraged us to come back soon. A young mother supporting a pair of feisty two-year-olds and her mother called us to order three pieces of cake before taking off for work. She continues to look for ways to fit into the movement for revolution though her time is as short as her money. A Latino youth who knew us from Occupy days yelled out, "Viva la revolucion!" when he saw us on the street. He contributed $10 for cookies, saying there should be a lot more people like us, and then proceeded to talk up revolution at his register where he works in the local dollar store.
The next day we headed out with the leftovers and sold the rest while making further contacts in an area we had not visited for a while. We were immediately swarmed by little kids. Some just wanted cookies and pooled their quarters, or got their parents involved. Then an eight-year-old girl started reading parts of BA's New Year's "A Call to Revolution," inspired by his opening statement: "We need a new world, a radically different world." Some of her friends listened intently. She struggled through the first paragraph, and then ran to her house to get some money to donate. A mother came over to buy the last four pieces of cake for all the kids to share. She turned out to be someone we had lost contact with a few years back, and she made sure she had a way to hook back into the movement.
In the midst of all this activity, there was serious talk about the need for revolution. A postman on his route stopped to express his thinking about how intense things are getting—so many racists getting away with murder—and how that is an indication to him of a revolution in the wind. He got the current issue of Revolution along with the special issue, The Communist Revolution and the REAL Path to Emancipation... to find out more about us. Similar sentiments came from two women who were challenged to contribute to and to join this movement by getting them to talk about why they thought a revolution was necessary. They spoke a torrent of bitterness about the racism and repression that was everywhere, along with the hopelessness and lack of unity. When one of them said their son was thinking of joining the police to "make them do what they are supposed to," we read them BAsics 1:24 which talks about the real role of the police being to serve and protect the system that rules over the people. The person immediately wanted BAsics. All these people were very impressed to hear that we would soon be showing the section of REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! on "Could we really win... Really" at a local venue, and took materials to promote it.
More to come...!
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