BA Everywhere Through the Holidays and into the New Year
Raising big funds and forging a community
November 18, 2012 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
In this issue of Revolution newspaper: a special pullout section on BA Everywhere... Imagine the Difference It Could Make!
Over the next seven weeks be part of getting this to many, many others—share it with family and friends over the holiday season, mail it with a request for donations with your holiday cards, get it to all kinds of people one on one. These last seven weeks of the year are a major opportunity to raise big funds and forge a community of people working together to project Bob Avakian's works and vision into all corners of society.
In the aftermath of an election that will change nothing about the workings of this system, with millions of people suffering in a world of staggering horror... in the aftermath of a hurricane where this system's brutal nature was laid bare—with its priorities of profit, its inability to call forth the masses of people to act in their interests, and the rapid-paced climate change which cannot be dealt with or even fully approached within the confines of this system... RIGHT NOW: people need to know there is an alternative. A radically different way the world can be, and a strategy for revolution to get there concentrated in the new synthesis of communism developed by Bob Avakian. Making this known and debated throughout society, radically challenging those who argue this is the best of all possible worlds, and inspiring millions—including those who suffer most under this system—with the viable vision and strategy for an emancipatory world. This is what the mass fundraising campaign BA Everywhere... Imagine the Difference It Could Make is all about.
As the pullout describes, the past year has seen inspiring and significant beginnings in this campaign. This needs to go much further in 2013. Introducing this to new people, pulling together the thousands who've been involved thus far, acting together as a national movement and raising funds and building community in all that we do... all this can go very far in kicking 2013 off right.
Ideas and plans for the next seven weeks:
- This is the period of the year when people often have more opportunities to spend time with family and friends. Take some time during those gatherings (and encourage others to do so, too) to show the BAsics Bus Tour, From Atlanta to Sanford, FL…and Beyond video or other clips on the BA Everywhere DVD, including the video of BA speaking over the years (clips from '69, '79, '03). (The BA Everywhere videos can be found at youtube.com/knowthebasics1 or by searching "Bob Avakian" on YouTube.) Learn from people's responses and ask for financial contributions, while getting people's ideas about what else BA Everywhere should aim to do.
Some people might want to host special potlucks or open houses where the topic of conversation is how people are treated under this system—and how the new synthesis of communism brought forward by BA can raise people's sights on how a better world is possible. There are different ways to spark off the discussion—for example, playing the audio clip "Why There Is No ‘Right to Eat' Under Capitalism" from BA's Revolution talk, or the Cornel West interview with BA. Imagine these gatherings happening with all kinds of people over the next weeks... people in the projects and among those with greater means. - Thanksgiving is an "all-American" holiday that celebrates the genocide of Native people. Imagine in the week leading up to and through Thanksgiving, anti-Thanksgiving dinners being held all across the country as part of BA Everywhere. People can get into the real history of this country—a good place to start might be the first two quotes in BAsics, starting with BAsics 1:1, "There would be no United States as we now know it today without slavery. That is a simple and basic truth."—and celebrate the movement for revolution that is aiming to bring into being a whole different society based on radically different principles. These anti-Thanksgiving get-togethers would be a good way to introduce people to the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America (Draft Proposal)—a sweeping and concrete framework for a revolutionary socialist society, flowing from the new synthesis of communism. There are different ways that people can be part of making these dinners happen: maybe someone wants to open up their home, or host it at Revolution Books, a church or community center. Restaurants might contribute food, and individuals might want to cook their special dish. And there are different ways to raise funds through this—raffles, craft sales, direct contributions, etc.
The anti-Thanksgiving celebrations should also provide ways people can pick up stacks of palm cards with the BAsics quote for November, BAsics 3:2 (see back page) to spread around where they work and live and to bring home for family Thanksgiving dinners. After the elections and Hurricane Sandy, this quote takes on even greater relevance. Getting the BAsics quote palm cards out all over and reporting back to the BA Everywhere website is an important and basic form of participation in this campaign. Something everyone can do... and something that can make a big difference in society. - ANNOUNCING: A new BA Everywhere webstore at zazzle.com/baeverywhere. There are some simple items up now, with more coming soon. Give a gift that matters…shirts, mugs, hats and more with challenging and inspiring quotes from BAsics; greeting cards with graphics from Revolution; BA Everywhere-themed tote bags, notebooks, calendars, etc. And at revcom.us, people can purchase a copy of BAsics for a friend and simultaneously buy one for a prisoner.
- Looking towards December, we encourage people to go all out towards major New Year's Eve parties and holiday open houses the week before that to bring people together and raise money. Or the other way around—have a big holiday party the week before Christmas and an open house on New Year's Day. Again, these can involve people in many different ways—for example, bands, musicians, and DJs donating their talents, or artists donating works that can be auctioned off. The earlier you start planning these, the more time you'll have to involve a whole range of people.
Through all this, in different creative ways, much-needed funds can and should be raised to make a big impact with BA Everywhere…and community—and a national movement—be further forged as we work together in different ways and with people from different places, and invite many others to take part, to change the world.
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