A Bold Initiative for the July 4th Weekend
June 29, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
There is the potential for something of unprecedented beauty to arise out of unspeakable ugliness: Black people playing a crucial role in putting an end, at long last, to this system which has, for so long, not just exploited but dehumanized, terrorized and tormented them in a thousand ways—putting an end to this in the only way it can be done—by fighting to emancipate humanity, to put an end to the long night in which human society has been divided into masters and slaves, and the masses of humanity have been lashed, beaten, raped, slaughtered, shackled and shrouded in ignorance and misery.
—Bob Avakian, Chairman, Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
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Los Angeles, California
In the wake of unspeakable brutality in Charleston, in the face of the white supremacist system that, in and out of uniform, continues to murder our youth and people... for all those who have stepped into the streets and raised their fists in defiant protest, or all those who are questioning why does this keep happening, and what will it take to stop it... in the midst of all of the calls for healing, forgiveness, faith, and the democratic process... think of the clarity and leadership this statement by Bob Avakian (BA) brings... a radically different way to look at and act in the world... for a radically different and far better world.
Imagine the Difference... if this statement got out in the tens of thousands the weekend of July 4th... and as we do this, we raise big money to get this and other works by BA out further into all corners of society, winning people to see what a difference it will make—provoking discussion and debate at family picnics and barbecues, in movie lines and jazz concerts, at farmer’s markets and open-air concerts, in the courtyards and hallways of housing projects, at basketball courts and community swimming pools, on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
If you are moved or inspired by this statement—or want to see this heard by people because it is a radically different viewpoint that needs to be out in society—the BA Everywhere campaign (see box on this page) invites your contribution to making this happen—by joining us in the July 4th weekend mass outings, organizing a fundraising pie/bake and sale, hosting friends to discuss the statement, spreading it through social media, or in other ways you can raise funds and spread the word.
A Basic Vision for the July 4th Mass Outings
* Fundraising with mass distribution of tens of thousands of two palm cards. (Both cards are available online along with other promotional materials for the Dialogue film.) The first card has the statement above, with a provocation and encouragement on the other side for people to get into BA. The second palm card publicizes the film of REVOLUTION AND RELIGION: The Fight for Emancipation and the Role of Religion; A Dialogue Between CORNEL WEST & BOB AVAKIAN. This is the title and theme of the historic Dialogue between the revolutionary Christian Cornel West and the revolutionary communist Bob Avakian that took place at the Riverside Church in New York City last November, and also the title of the film of the Dialogue—now available online at revcom.us and on DVD.This is a moment when this theme is very much “in the air” in the wake of Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charleston. We aim to have at least a thousand people preparing to and watching the Dialogue the July 4th weekend, individually and collectively, measured in the increase in online viewings and actual DVD sales (which we will carry for immediate sale and which is also available on Amazon).
* The mass fundraising includes buckets, pie sales, and penny jars on the street and in the neighborhoods of the oppressed, in the ghettos and barrios—and pledge cards and follow-up sit- down appointments to raise tens of thousands of dollars over the summer... reaching out to the doctors and nurses, the teachers and artists, the professors and philanthropists, giving them a chance to contribute to this process of radically changing the world. To do this, fundraising outings with the palm cards should include forays to the wealthy and middle-strata progressive people—theater and films, author readings and jazz performances, progressive churches, artist retreats, and resort areas. If you have ideas of places or events to go to, please write us or contact your local BA Everywhere committee.
![Revolution Club in Baltimore](../../i/392/RS132_Oakland-06-20-15-78_sm-lpr-800.jpg)
Oakland, California
* Crews rolling with the REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! T-shirts with revolutionary élan, even as many wearing the shirts are in the process of grappling with what this revolution is all about. We will reach out to and involve those we have met in this last intense year, and those from years ago... alive and attuned to the stirrings and inchoate yearnings for something radically different. We will have hundreds of extra shirts so that people who are inspired by this can step in and be part of representing on the spot, with concrete goals of fundraising for and selling hundreds of T-shirts through this weekend. Within this broader mix, we have the Revolution Club leading growing, and cohered crews rolling with these T-shirts. “Every where we go... people want to know... who we are... we are the revcoms, the mighty mighty revcoms”... and everywhere we go, people ask for the T-shirts! Let’s start to get thousands out through the summer, fundraising as we go.
Everyone who wants to contribute to and enhance this basic vision is welcome and should be invited, with your participation, your thinking, and your ideas. We will find a role and place for you. What is needed is YOU!
Volunteers Needed... for revcom.us and Revolution
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