Revolution #245, September 11, 2011
Take BAsics Into the Communities and High Schools of the Oppressed
In the past few weeks, nearly 100,000 copies of the special issue #244 on the book BAsics, from the Talks and Writings and Bob Avakian have gone out on college campuses. Hundreds of copies of the book have been sold. Hundreds of e-subs to REVOLUTION have been garnered off this effort. New people have engaged with the work of Bob Avakian and the movement for revolution, and some have gotten actively involved. And, as the accompanying article says, we are doubling down on this effort on the campuses in the week of September 14-20.
In October, we aim to do something similar in the communities of the oppressed. But we thought it would be important to make an opening foray during the week of September 14-20—and to involve some of the new students that we're meeting in this effort. So, as people are mainly taking the paper out on campus during this week, we want to set aside two of those days to take this special issue to the people in the communities and neighborhoods of the oppressed...
Saturday, September 17: a day of a special effort to take the special issue 244 into the communities of the oppressed. Fan out on the streets, the bodegas and small shops, the barbershops and beauty parlors, the community centers and churches, the supermarkets and mini-malls, the soup kitchens and shelters, the subways and bus stops... everywhere people are. Go to neighborhoods where people know about the revolution, and where they don't. Get a pickup or truck or van—rent a cheap one for a day if you don't have it—and festoon it with posters and make a "Revolution-mobile" to take the special issue, along with BAsics, the image cards and T-shirts, the statement on the strategy for revolution from the Party, and other literature—including the newspaper—and get this out very widely. Bring copies of the DVD of Bob Avakian's talk Revolution: Why It's Necessary, Why It's Possible, What It's All About and show it on portable DVD players. Play "All Played Out" loudly—create a scene and get this out. In your city, there may be major September 16 Mexican Independence Day festivals, and in some places independence celebrations by Central Americans. Go out to these celebrations and spread the special issue and Lo BAsico. Make this fun... and definitely, definitely let the new students who've given you their e-mail addresses know that this is happening and that they are invited.
Monday, September 19: a day to get BAsics out to high schools of the oppressed. Really get this into the hands of the students on the way to school (on the subways and busses and hanging out at the little restaurants nearby the school) and at school itself—and if you know friendly high school teachers see if you can get invited into class.
Again, these will be initial efforts—more will be done in October. But not only will these efforts have value in themselves, they will prepare the ground for a more major "saturation push" in October.
Again: be SURE to raise money as you go... to put the book in people's hands and SELL it to them... to get people to sign up for e-subs and see if they want to be involved and how they want to be involved... Develop a rhythm where saturation alternates with getting to know people—who they are and what they think.
Take the revolution to the people.
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