Revolution #157, February 22, 2009
New Year’s Fund Drive Party
Inspired by “Give a Gift that Really Matters” on New Year’s Day a few supporters of Revolution threw a party on New Year’s Day. We invited readers and distributors of the paper. About a dozen people came—most of whom are regular readers.
Altogether $480 was raised at the party. Part of this was raised from “exchanging gifts.” A gift certificate from a relative was bought by someone else at the party who needed it. One person who came found that he only had $7 in his pocket which wasn’t enough, since he is considering a sizeable donation. There are plans to discuss sustaining with him.
We socialized and ate—but kept it simple with pot luck appetizers, a couple of displays and a newspaper table. People did a lot of one on one chatting, but we also had two group discussions. One was on the expansion plan for Revolution. One person spoke about the role the newspaper can play internationally. They put it in the context of the Manifesto—how the world is now and how it could be. Part of the discussion focused on how communism is hanging by a thread, and the role the newspaper can play in transforming the dynamic particularly in how it promotes Bob Avakian’s new synthesis in its pages.
There was a lot of discussion of the “two outmodeds.” One person who relates a lot to struggles in the Middle East said that in this new outbreak around Palestine, forces like Hamas are fighting imperialism. Two other people who are from that region spoke about the reactionary nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran and how there is no liberating alternative for humanity in this. One of them exposed how the Islamic fundamentalist forces are not really anti-imperialist but just vying for a better position as exploiters. He said only the Party, its Chairman and newspaper are really fighting for the emancipation of all humanity by telling the truth about both capitalism/imperialism and Islamic fundamentalism, the two contending outmoded systems, and the need to bring forward another way, communist revolution. They pointed out where tailing these forces would lead the masse. A veteran of the Black Liberation struggle of the ’60s pointed out the oppressive and reactionary role Islam has played in subjugating Africa.
This was kind of a “kick-off” party and the second discussion we had was on fundraising ideas. There were several good ideas. And a synergy developed between people who don’t usually work together. Out of all this came more plans: to talk to those who couldn’t make it to the party and ask them to contribute, selling the Wanted t-shirts on Craig’s list as well as other things like used computers. A professional photographer is going to donate some prints of the ’60s and New Orleans after Katrina, to be sold online and at university cultural events.
We will be throwing another fundraising party soon. It will be around evolution and Darwin followed by a discussion on the impact of a scientific vs. a religious approach to understanding reality. We will make good use of the pages of the newspaper in the discussion.
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