Learning from the National Revolution Tour:

“Time to Put My Heart into the Revolution"

August 27, 2019 | revcom.us

 

I’m writing to share my appreciation of the August 25th Facebook live video from the Revolution Tour in Chicago and share some of my reflections.

I’ve been mainly following the tour and watching the videos privately, but this time I got to drive a few hours to Houston to watch this live stream with others, a mix of people who were longtime veterans of the revolution, people like myself who’d been on the sidelines for a while, or very new and just finding out what it’s about. This internationalist dinner to raise funds for the tour was already scheduled before the livestream was announced, but it was great that the dinner turned into a viewing party. I felt proud that someone from Houston had offered up the first matching challenge and got a shout-out from Andy. Besides that, there was a lot of excellent food, donated by various people, and wonderful conversation about a range of topics. Walking into this room and seeing all of these friendly faces turned toward the revolution felt truly remarkable and special.

As we watched the livestream, it was exciting to hear Andy, Luann, Kiki, and Tala talk about all the wrangling that was going on behind the scenes—on how to be a truly revolutionary force, to act in a way that was commensurate with what had happened in El Paso and Dayton, to apply principle when it is difficult, and really apply the science of new communism that BA has developed. I kept thinking how lucky we are that we have a leader like Bob Avakian and we have a party that is taking responsibility to turn millions into emancipators of humanity and put an end to these horrors... that we have the beginnings of what a real revolution should look like.

I have had my eyes on the revolution for a long time, but on Sunday I came to realize that it was time for me to put my heart into it. When Tala posed the idea of imagining now what could be possible if we got rid of this system and brought a whole new world into being—imagining what architecture would look like, for example—I felt a burning desire for this system and all its ugliness and cruelty to be gone today. I just can’t stand it anymore, not only the reality of what’s happening to the planet and humanity but all of the ways that people have been conditioned to accept that reality and give up on changing it. All of the fatalism, the narcissism—all of these ways that people’s sights are pulled down, the ways that even good people are stopping themselves and others from dreaming of and imagining a whole new world, let alone digging into the science that could actually bring something much better into being.

We had to start cleaning up before the end of the livestream, but as we were putting away food and stacking chairs, I said to someone, “It’s up to all of us in this room to spread this throughout Texas.” I started with Texas because of how much of the white supremacy and Christian fascism is concentrated here, but of course I meant as far and wide as we can. This was a beginning grouping of people who could make a big impact, especially if we learn from the “Revolution School” that the tour is bringing to us.

Finally, I want to give my own special shout-out to the Houston crew who put together the international dinner. When I first encountered them two and a half years ago at the Women’s March in Austin, I didn't know how much they would change my life. I’ve learned so much from the examples they have set for me with their courage, persistence, consistency and love of humanity. It was an honor to be a part of this gathering. I am looking forward to the future we create together.

 

 

Watch the August 25 Facebook Live from the Revolution Tour in Chicago