Fund-raising Appeal by Revolution Books in Harlem

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Revolution Books.

This past Tuesday, a special meeting was held at Revolution Books. The topic was “Making Revolution Books Known Everywhere: The Political, Intellectual, and Cultural Center of a Movement for an Actual Revolution.” About 20 people, many new to the store, showed up to hear a presentation from RB spokesperson Andy Zee, and to join in developing plans to spread the word about RB and to raise funds for the book store.

Revolution Books at a Time the World is Being Torn Asunder: Andy began by posing two, essentially existential, challenges before us. First, fascism has come to power in the U.S. The Trump/Pence regime threatens the “fire and fury” of nuclear war; it is ripping children away from immigrant families seeking asylum; supporting and arming a regime in Yemen carrying out genocide; and hell-bent on carrying forward its hateful and repressive agenda. This regime threatens humanity—and is ramping up the destruction of the planet itself, which already was on a disastrous, possibly irreversible, environmental course.

Andy pointed to the second related question and challenge: What kind of future will there be for humanity? What is not so obvious, he went to explain, is that within the horrors and contradictions of the capitalist-imperialist system, in what it is doing to people and forcing them to confront, lies the potential for radical change. The key to unlocking that is the revolutionary leadership and scientific theory in the new synthesis of communism developed by Bob Avakian whose work is at the heart of Revolution Books. Recognizing this poses a challenge: what kind of lives people will live, whether or not there will be a future has everything to do with you, with us, with Revolution Books.

People don’t know that the world doesn’t have to be this way that the capitalist-imperialist system is the cause of these horrors and that there is a method, a vision, a plan and strategy to get beyond a world of exploitation and oppression. At RB people find the books and discussion about why we’re in the situation we are in and the way out of the madness.

At the heart of Revolution Books is the movement for an actual revolution. The new communism gives new, more radical and emancipatory, meaning to “revolution”—it provides the method and approach to understand and change the world, and to make the revolution to emancipate all of humanity.
Andy explained that we really do mean revolution, and directed people to the pamphlet to learn more about why bringing a whole new, liberatory economic, political, and social system requires overthrowing the system.

Andy put the problem facing Revolution Books on the table. In these times when the world is being torn asunder, when this cruel attack on immigrants is jolting more people awake, RB is needed more than ever. But RB is not known by the tens and hundreds of thousands who should know about it.

And even those who have heard of RB do not really know why it matters: that RB is the political, intellectual and cultural center of a movement for an actual revolution. If more people get the message that Revolution Books is a beacon and national center of revolution and a radically new system and world we can actually attract more people of diverse perspectives to the store, to engage and learn about the vision and strategy for revolution—and to support RB, especially in these acute times.

So at the meeting we began working on solving this problem. We broke into two groups. One discussed fundraising. We took up the idea of holding fundraising salons –discussions– hosted by supporters of the store at their apartments or homes. An RB staff person could lead a discussion–let’s say on whether you could do away with the oppression of women under this system, or can only achieve that audacious goal through revolution. Someone volunteered to be part of getting a salon going; another person offered to help with mass phone outreach to raise funds for the store.

The second group discussed spreading word of RB: canvassing the neighborhoods of Harlem, getting palm cards and posters out about the store and its mission. A beginning plan was developed to blanket certain areas–where people live, shop, and cultural institutions as well—and to get out to summer festivals.

A Controversy about the Profile of RB: At the meeting, a few people expressed concern that it’s a problem that white people are representing for a bookstore based in Harlem.

Andy responded emphatically–after pointing out that the staff is multinational: “I don’t come to you as a white person but as a revolutionary communist fighting for the emancipation of all humanity. And given the whole history of white supremacy in this country, and the continuing and intensifying horror of white supremacy, there cannot be, as Bob Avakian underscores, a revolution worth making in this country that does not make the liberation of Black people from centuries of oppression a central question; and revolution cannot be made in this country without unleashing the hatred of the system, the defiance, and determination of Black people… not just to end their oppression but to put an end to all oppression.”

This question was dug into by the whole room.

It was great to see new faces at this meeting. But we want to hear from longstanding sustainers, friends, and customers of RB, and also other new friends. We invite you to join the fundraising and outreach teams to help with programming and book selection at the store…and to contribute to the RB Newsletter resuming soon.

Get in touch; and especially in light of Trump’s vicious assault on immigrant children and families, come out to the Tuesday night showing at 7pm of the film of Bob Avakian’s talk: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go! In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America. A Better World IS Possible

Revolution Books
437 Malcolm X Blvd (at 132nd St) – #2/3 to 135th
212-691-3345 www.revolutionbooksnyc.org
[email protected]

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