COMMUNIST MANIFESTO IN ATLANTA
'The most important book on my shelf'
By Diane Mathiowetz
Atlanta
A meeting here Oct. 4 demonstrated a leap forward in popular
interest in Marxism and communism at this time of drastic
contraction in the world capitalist economy.
Workers World Managing Editor Leslie Feinberg, nationally
known in the lesbian/gay/bi/transgender communities as an
author and activist, spoke on "The Most Important Book on my
Bookshelf," the Communist Manifesto.
Organizers of the meeting expected at most a dozen people,
given the experience of the last decade. But 50 came to hear
what this pamphlet, which Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote
in 1848, means to a leading spokesperson for the transgender
community.
The speaker had grown up in Buffalo, N.Y., barely making
ends meet through factory work. The concepts of proletarian, or
working class, and bourgeoisie, or ruling class, as defined in
the Communist Manifesto, clarified the oppressive realities
s/he experienced at that time, Feinberg said.
The audience of Black, Latin, Asian and white, young and
old, lesbians, gay men and trans people, contained few people
already convinced of socialism. Yet they intently followed
Feinberg's summary of the key aspect of the Communist
Manifesto: How the working class is the only revolutionary
class that can end exploitation and build society on the
principle of "from each according to their ability, to each
according to their need."
A long, thoughtful and politically exhilarating discussion
period followed this presentation. Their questions showed that
the audience came not to refute the Marxist world view but to
clarify it for themselves and others.
Some commented on the economic crisis sinking the capitalist
system, others on the fight for health care. One gay man active
in the AIDS movement remarked how the issue of class struggle
had been missing in strategy sessions about dealing with the
crisis.
When Feinberg described the upcoming Dec. 4-6 New York
conference, "The Communist Manifesto in the Age of
Imperialism," sponsored by Workers World Party, eight people
said they would come. Dozens more signed up to be contacted for
future WWP activities in Atlanta.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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