Most people I know are upset by the reelection of a convicted felon who scapegoats immigrants to further enrich himself and the billionaire class while pretending to represent working-class people. Sadness, fear, and anger are natural reactions to the crises we are facing, which include imperialist wars and impending climate catastrophe. Agonizing over the Democrats’ failures or struggling alone is not the answer; organizing is.
What does it mean to get organized? Simple: join organizations you believe in that are doing the work to fight back against Trump’s bigotry. The ruling class is organized with its two parties and corporate media which constantly tries to divide us. To fight back, we need to recognize, for example, that U.S.-born and immigrant workers have more in common with each other than they do with billionaires. In addition to getting more involved with my union, I am a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), an organization which fights for reforms while advancing a socialist vision. To resist Trump’s agenda, we must fight back against the system that made him a billionaire and put him in power. This means consuming independent media, joining unions, and joining progressive organizations.
If the PSL isn’t for you, there are numerous other organizations doing fantastic work locally: JVP, RVDSA, Demilitarize WMass, SNOL, WMSURJ, and MAPA, to name a few. We are living in difficult times, but history has shown that we can’t accomplish much alone, and we can’t win if we don’t try.
Michael Kowalchuk
Northampton