Genuine socialist activists have often been the strongest and most consistent fighters against oppression and exploitation. Socialists have been at the forefront of the greatest class battles in history, including the Civil Rights movement and the struggles that built the labor movement. But under capitalism, any gain that workers win in a moment of strength is liable to be revoked by the ruling class when the movement weakens. Trump and the billionaires smell blood in the water and are hell-bent on undoing the gains of a generation of struggle, including basic anti-discrimination protections, Social Security, and even the right of public sector unions to exist.
Socialist Alternative has been fighting alongside working people, students, and activists to build the type of struggles necessary to defeat Trump and overthrow capitalism—the source of all oppression.
What Were We Up To Last Month?
When neo-Nazis took over a freeway in Cincinnati, Socialist Alternative members were there, fighting back alongside hundreds of working people from both immigrant and native-born backgrounds. Ian Rivero, an SA member and Amazon worker, spoke powerfully at a protest the same day about building working-class movements to defeat the right and fight for a socialist world. In Milwaukee, our members took the lead in building a campaign alongside immigrant rights groups to defend Alondra Garcia, a teacher and immigrant rights activist, from right-wing school officials. We helped stop the deportation of Yesenia Ruano, an immigrant educator, by organizing protests against ICE. Our members working at Amazon’s KCVG Airhub are fighting to kick ICE out of their workplace as part of their battle to unionize with the Teamsters.
In New York and Seattle, our members took part in protests against hospital executives to defend gender-affirming care. Marie O’Toole, a trans activist and SA member, spoke at a protest at Stonewall against the brutal attacks on trans people and about what will be necessary to fight back. Our members in Minneapolis tabled outside a women’s hockey game to talk to working people about stopping attacks on trans people in sports. We also joined a successful protest to defend a trans hockey player against a right-wing petition to bar her from the sport. In New York, we took part in protests of thousands, organized by Act Up and the Gender Liberation Movement, where we met many young people furious at Trump and the entire capitalist system—people looking for a way to get organized.
Across the country, we’ve joined public sector union members taking their first steps in fighting back against mass layoffs and cuts. We took part in protests in Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and more, organized by the Federal Unionists Network, against Elon Musk’s attacks on government workers. We joined the AFT in New Haven and academic workers in Seattle to demand that Trump take his hands off public education. Our members in the NALC, the letter carriers’ union, led the fight to reject a poverty-wage contract and are gearing up for a struggle against Trump’s impending takeover of the postal service and the threat of privatization. Our members in North Carolina stood with Amazon workers in Garner fighting for a union with CAUSE. Josh Crowell, a leading Amazon worker and SA member, spoke at their rally about the need to build united, multiracial organizing drives to win unions at Amazon and beyond.
Back The Socialists Fighting Back
We are fighting to build the struggle against Trump, but we’re not stopping there. Our goal is to build a revolutionary party of youth and workers that will become the tip of the spear in the hands of the working class in its fight to overthrow capitalism once and for all. Our task is audacious, but so are we.
All the forces of the capitalist state stand between us and our goal. The only resources we have in this fight are those that our members can contribute or that other working-class people donate to our cause. We rely on our coworkers, classmates, and community members to support our work. That could mean giving solidarity donations for our newspaper and other materials or even recurring donations to allow us to have full-time Marxist organizers.
Last month, we attended scores of protests—large and small—fighting back against Trump and the entire capitalist system. Hundreds of working people bought a copy of our newspaper (just like this one!) for a donation, because they are thirsty for a working-class analysis and a plan to take action. We even ran out of papers at a trans rights protest in New York after selling over 100! But at the same time, we run a deficit of thousands of dollars every month to produce, print, and ship our paper to all corners of the country because we know that a working-class alternative to the corporate press is absolutely necessary.
Ultimately, the working class only has so much to give, and it won’t be possible to pay for everything we need by turning out our own pockets. We need to wage a militant struggle against the bosses to do that—including by taxing the rich and investing in society to create millions of well-paying union jobs.
