Large turnout for West Coast socialist conference
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OAKLAND—Some 200 radical thinkers came to the historic Niebyl Proctor Marx ist Library here on April 26-28 to attend the 2013 West Coast Educational Confer ence, hosted by the Bay Area branch of Socialist Action (SA).
The event was one of several SA edu cational conferences across the United States. Participants complimented the quality of presentations and the inclusiv ity seen throughout the conference, mak ing it one of the most successful educa tional and party-building events the Bay Area branch has seen in over a decade.
With the theme “Socialism v. Capital ism,” the conference aimed to engage activists in a weekend of revolutionary strategizing in the face of an intensi fied assault on the working class. Par ticipants represented a wide variety of workers’ struggles, including the labor, student, antiwar, immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, Black liberation, and LGBT movements.
Some SA members traveled from as far as Portland and Los Angeles to join in chairing conference sessions and leading workshops.
The opening session on Friday evening, entitled “Challenging Capitalism’s Inher ent Evils,” began with heartfelt greetings Below are major excerpts from Social ist Action member Daniel Vos’s presen tation on April 27 at the SA West Coast Educational Conference.
In 2003, it was George Bush’s face we saw on TV in the lead up to the in vasion of Iraq. The worldwide inter national protests that followed were some of the largest in history. In 2003, George Bush announced on TV that he was going to invade Iraq, while in 2013 Obama invaded Libya but didn’t even have to go on TV to lie to us.
Even George Bush had to get permis sion from the Democrats in the Con gress before he could invade Iraq. But Obama asked no one.
And now Obama is overseeing the U.S.
military’s takeover of Africa through AFRICOM (United States Africa Com mand), which is arming and training African militias that will protect U.S. from Jerralyn Blueford, mother of Alan Blueford and leader of the Justice for Alan Blueford Coalition. Special guest Glen Ford, executive editor of the Black Agenda Report, gave his first of two key note speeches, asserting that the unend ing offensive against Black Americans should be met with nothing less than revolutionary acts.
Following his remarks were updates from the prison abolition and anti-Islam ophobia movements, by Sky Keyes.
Co-chair of the SEIU Lavender Cau cus in Oregon Ann Montague closed the session, speaking on the way forward for women and LGBT people given this administration’s dismal reproductive rights and marriage equality records.
Spread over three sessions, Saturday’s workshops dealt with a range of topics, including the current global economic crises, the attack on public education, environmental disaster, police brutality, drone warfare, and U.S. imperialism.
The culminating moment came in the evening session, when student activist (Left) Marie Manley speaking at SA’s West Coast conference. To her right is Black Agenda Report editor Glen Ford.
and party member Daniel Vos received a roaring ovation after his impassioned plea for the Black community to return to its radical heritage. In an equally rous ing speech, Glen Ford focused on AFRI COM and its role in the re-colonization of Africa. Featured speakers included pro fessor of political economy Jack Rasmus; Bruce Pardoll, member of the SA Nation al Education Committee; environmental activist NightSnow Vogt; Ann Weils of the National Lawyers Guild; Marc Rome of SA and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee; and Youth for Socialist Ac tion member Anthony Blackmon.
The final of five sessions, held on Sun day and presented by SA National Secre tary, Jeff Mackler, was an in-depth work shop on Leninist organizing and the con struction of a mass revolutionary party.
The event ended with an uplifting so cial gathering, where participants came together over food and beverages, lively political discussion, and to celebrate the conclusion of a successful conference.
More than a dozen signed up for up coming activities and made purchases from Socialist Action’s table of revolu tionary literature. n