PSL socialism forum in Chicago

Women’s Power is People’s Power socialism forum in Chicago, Ill.

“Women’s Power Is People’s Power,” loudly proclaimed the title of the highly successful March 29 Chicago forum put on by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The meeting was held at the Chicago office of the PSL in the working-class neighborhood of Albany Park. The meeting room was filled to capacity with a mostly young, multi-national crowd.

Suzanne Saba, a Palestinian activist and PSL member, chaired the meeting. Heather Benno, the PSL candidate for Illinois State Assembly in the 40th District, spoke about imperialism and the struggle of immigrant women. Stefanie Fisher, PSL Chicago election campaign coordinator, talked about women’s rights and the 2008 elections.

Beth Massey, a 40–year veteran of the women’s struggle for justice, equality and liberation, talked about the history of women’s struggle against oppression and the need for socialism.

“The capitalist, patriarchal system is rotten,” Massey said. “They can bail out Bear Stearns and the banks with billions of dollars in loans, but when a working single mother from an African–American neighborhood needs a job or a place to live or food to feed her children, they act as if her needs are criminal. We definitely need a different system.”