On May 18, an impressive number of workers and students attended a Party for Socialism and Liberation conference in Washington, D.C., titled “We Need a New System.” Three panels focused on the many reasons to join in the struggle to build a socialist society. The conference was held in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, a community with many Latino immigrants despite having seen considerable gentrification in recent years.
Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, attorney and executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, was a guest speaker on the opening panel, “Rhetoric vs. Reality: The Obama Administration Laid Bare.” Verheyden-Hilliard has been active in cases involving the Occupy movement, the Obama administration’s limiting of access to the “morning-after pill,” and many other issues. Eugene Puryear, PSL’s 2008 vice presidential candidate, and Brian Becker, national coordinator for the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) joined her on the panel.
The panelists examined the extraordinary disconnect between the Obama administration’s rhetoric and the facts on the ground that severely impact working-class people. Puryear noted, “You see the Obama administration trying to present a sunny picture, but when you look at the economic indicators, you see that that is not true at all.” He continued with a theme that was repeated throughout the day: “The problem with capitalism is capitalism. … Rich people—the capitalist class—aren’t the ones that suffer. It’s the working class.”
FDA overruled on morning-after pill
Verheyden-Hilliard condemned the Obama administration’s politically driven efforts to limit access to the morning-after pill, noting that the Food and Drug Administration had approved access to it, and that for the first time in history, the Department of Health and Human Services had overruled the FDA. This contrasted sharply with the president’s political rhetoric.
A second panel, with PSL members Heather Benno, Karina Garcia, Radhika Miller and guest speaker Zachary Wolfe, an attorney and professor at George Washington University, examined different aspects of bigotry that are such an essential part of capitalist strategies to divide and conquer the working class, including sexism and anti-immigrant and anti-LGBT bigotry.
Audience members joined in lively question-and-answer sessions following the presentations, giving speakers opportunities to provide additional information and clarify their remarks.
A final panel, “Another World Is Possible,” looked to where the ongoing struggles are headed. Among the presentations was one by Rose Daraz, a Temple University student and PSL candidate member from the Philadelphia branch, who described how she met the party through her involvement with the struggle for justice in Palestine, and why she joined.
Conference attendees came from as far away as Connecticut and Wisconsin, adding additional regional flavor to the diverse crowd that included a group of Filipino domestic workers from New York City.
The day began with a musical performance by tenor saxophonist Carl Cornwell and drummer Tony Green, musicians with extensive performing credits that include work with such giants as Pharoah Sanders, Gil Scott-Heron and Roy Haynes.
The conference date coincided with a demonstration at the White House, called by MASFreedom, the ANSWER Coalition and others, demanding the closure of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Putting words into action, PSL organizers led attendees to the demonstration site immediately following the final panel.
