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

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.

BA Everywhere is a multi-faceted fundraising campaign to make Bob Avakian (BA) a household name, and his body of work and leadership a reference point in society.

Bob Avakian is the architect of a new framework for human emancipation, the new synthesis of communism. His body of work is the product of decades of work, of scientifically re-examining and sifting through the whole of communist and revolutionary theory and practice and developments in other fields of human endeavor like science, history, and art—and the actual leadership of the revolution in the U.S., as part of the world revolutionary process.

The campaign to get BA and this vision out with broad societal impact has to do with the plain scientific fact that the world does NOT need to be this way, with all these horrors and this madness, of police terror, of the degradation of women, of wars and torture, of global environmental catastrophe, of the criminalization of immigrants—and a radically different world is possible through communist revolution. This is what is fundamentally represented by BA, Bob Avakian—his leadership and his vision, based on a scientific approach to what underlies all these horrors, the problem, the capitalist-imperialist system, and what it will take to get beyond it, and how to get there, the solution. This raises sights and changes how people look at what is tolerable, and what is needed right now, including whether they righteously and defiantly stand up, rebel, and organize in various ways to fight the power.

If you don’t know about BA, the most scientific and radical of thinker and leader, learn more. Start with 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, attended by 1,900+ people from all walks of life, and also the title of the film of this Dialogue—now available online at revcom.us, and on DVD. We also recommend the film BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS!and BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian. Many other works and talks of Bob Avakian can be found online at revcom.us/avakian.

Even as you are learning, and thinking about this, agreeing, disagreeing, provoked, and challenged by what BA says, if you feel BA and his vision need to be out there, sparking discussion and debate about revolution and a radically different world, JOIN US, and get with the BA Everywhere committees.

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.

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!

To the organizers of the July 4th mass outings and revolutionaries in the house: we need to let people know, and we need to be oriented and prepared ourselves, to make it real that there is a place for them right now in this movement and in this effort―it’s part of getting organized for an actual revolution.

To do this, along with critical aspects of the “BA toolkit” in our backpack that people can get into right away to learn more, we should bring the entire ensemble of revolution to the people, the whole strategy of Fight the Power, and Transform the People, for Revolution, including the mass initiatives to stop police terror and end pornography and patriarchy. July is a month of focus for both initiatives to kick-start summer plans, including and especially mass publicity for the October 22-24 convergence in New York, posing a radically simple moral and political challenge to people on the question of police terror: Which Side Are You On?, a challenge which also broadly applies to the 5 Stops, which we should continue publicizing widely with posters and cards.

If you are someone who has been with the revolution for a long time, don’t be limited in your imagination by what has seemed possible in the past—be alive and attuned to all the stirrings and deep desire coming alive in people to really see all this end... if you have been checking out this revolution or only now are hearing about it, don’t keep this to yourself... be part of opening this up to others even as you are learning more... go out in groups, representing in the T-shirts, letting people know that there is a force—and that this force is growing—with dedicated revolutionaries at the core and waves of new people waking up and throwing in... forge community and hang out afterwards, getting into the biggest questions of the revolution, why it’s necessary, why it’s possible and what it’s all about, watch excerpts of the Dialogue or REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! with people... and, of course, take pictures and share your experiences here at revcom.us, because every single person you reach out to, every new person who takes part in any way big or small, every donation that is given, every poster that is hung, is part of a nationwide movement, is part of something bigger that is going somewhere... and it is in on this site and in these pages that we can share that, that we can learn from that, that we can build on that—towards preparing for and hastening the moment that we can get rid of this system once and for all...

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