We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Together Let Us Build Working Class Power in our Communities

Click here to access article from Solidarity Economy. It is a transcript of a speech by SACP (South African Communist Party) General Secretary Blade Nzimande at the Launch of the Red October Campaign, October 2 2011 
The major lessons from our Red October Campaign include the fact that we must not just satisfy ourselves by becoming professional critics, permanent protestors and lamentors in the face of the many challenges facing our country. But that [it] is essential for the working class to take the lead on concretely what is to be done, through concrete actions and campaigns!
Although there are some different issues confronting working people in South Africa than here in the US, there are also many common ones. We must compare notes with activists all over the world in order to raise our level of political consciousness and improve our knowledge about effective strategies and tactics as we engage in our own class war which is a part of a global class war. And, we must not be deterred from using some sources of information simply because the political operatives of the governing class disapprove of them.

It is probably premature to consider any campaigns here in the US. We are presently building our political consciousness, our political structures, and our political power. Once we have accomplished that, we can move on to campaigns. However, to prepare for the future some people who are further along in their political development can benefit by looking at the experiences of activists in other countries.