WWP leader denounces racist Tea Party

LeiLani Dowell WW photo: Bryan G. Pfeifer

LeiLani Dowell, Workers World Party leader and WW managing editor, visited Wisconsin Jan. 20-22 to participate in the ongoing people’s uprising sparked by the state capitol occupation in February 2011 and Occupy Wall Street.

“We realize the occupation in Madison was a spark for Occupy Wall Street and many of the occupations that have happened, and we’ve been inspired by all of the struggles since then. It was great to meet some of the amazing activists, amazing women who are doing things, and other people in the communities who are really fighting back,” Dowell told WW.

Dowell first participated in a women’s meeting in Milwaukee’s African-American community, meeting many women fighters. From there she met numerous activists and leaders engaged in many anti-capitalist, anti-racist forms of struggle. She also met leaders from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

On Jan. 21, Dowell was the featured speaker at a Milwaukee Workers World Party Forum, “Occupy For Socialist Revolution,” at the Center Street Library, an African-American community institution. Later on, a robust discussion took place with the multinational crowd focusing on socialism and the need for oppressed people to have their self-determination respected by progressive and revolutionary movements. Many Workers World Party newspapers and literature were distributed and sold.

“The meeting was a great success. It is really exciting that socialism was raised in the title of the event and reflects that people are interested in socialism now in the United States, including in Wisconsin,” said Dowell.

After the Jan. 21 meeting a delegation, including Dowell, went to Wauwatosa, just west of Milwaukee, to join a labor-community-student counterprotest of a Tea Party/Republican Party rally of a few thousand. The right-wing racist recruitment rally was in opposition to the Recall Walker movement in Wisconsin. This movement announced on Jan. 17 that it had gathered 1 million petition signatures to recall the union-busting Wisconsin governor.

After participating in the counterprotest, a member of the Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement and a member of Workers World Party waded into the crowd to the front of the stage and unfurled a banner that read: “Stop Racist Anti-Worker Assaults, Recall Walker/Jobs Now, Make Banks Pay!” that completely disrupted the right-wing rally.

The progressive activists were surrounded by the racists, who tried to rip the banner and assault them, but the activists held their ground for a few moments longer before departing. They made the point that right-wing racists of any stripe will be directly confronted wherever they are. While on the sidewalk counterprotesting, Dowell and another sister of African-American descent resisted racist slurs by Tea Party-types.

Dowell and the rest of the delegation returned to Milwaukee to visit members of Occupy Milwaukee, Decolonize The Hood and Occupy Riverwest, among others.

“I’m so impressed by the people. There is a high interest in socialism, which is great, but also a real level of openness around struggle, raising issues such as self-determination, and particularly the women of color we met raising their issues. I’m really impressed by the dialogue that’s going on in Wisconsin toward building real, true solidarity. We thank Wisconsin for the struggle. It’s so important, and it really motivates all of us in New York, around the country and around the world,” Dowell concluded.

Contact Milwaukee Workers World at [email protected].