Intro

In both our writing and our outreach to individual workers and organizations, the question we are most often asked is: “What do you do?” Usually this question carries an implied belief that our organization exists solely to criticize other groups. While this impression is understandable, it is not accurate. Much of our early work has focused on criticism of various non-Communist organizations and ideas, but this has only been a necessary first step to distinguish our methodology and ultimate goals from those groups. This is not our organization’s only focus.

We acknowledge that up to now we have mostly mentioned our purpose and aspirations in bits and pieces across other texts. We write this document to clarify what we do as an organization, what we aim to do, and what actions we believe readers should take if they share our commitment to building a revolutionary force under capitalism.

What we Do

Four months ago, our founding members created this organization to fill a niche that did not exist in Southern Arizona. That being, a theoretically grounded revolutionary organization. Our principal task is to further the intellectual understanding and development of the class struggle within the class, and to organize towards the realization of Communism as a class. 

To this end, our primary method has been the writing of a monthly publication in which we analyze the trends in our local area and connect them to the global class conflict through a materialist lens. Such writing is important not just because of the finished articles we have released, but for the development of our own theoretical understanding of the capitalist world through the collaborative writing process itself. 

Connected to this is our hosting of group readings and discussions of Communist theory and the history of the class struggle. While reading a book will not overthrow Capitalism, the understanding and unity we have developed through such activities is the tantamount first step towards the realization of the movements of Capital towards its own destruction.

Further, we have (albeit to a small capacity) intervened in local demonstrations to be the militant presence at these events. Contrary to the false binary of showing critical support to non-communist movements or being completely absent, we believe that an active presence outside and counter to such movements is a key task of militants.

To put it succinctly, our primary purpose is to provide a resolute analysis of the past, present, and future of the class struggle. We succeed when we help someone deepen their existing class consciousness, of their position within the global class struggle, and of the long history of proletarian victories and defeats.

What we Aim to Do

In the few months of our existence our membership has grown alongside our understanding of numerous topics, providing us with both more organizational capacity and greater clarity, enabling us to expand our work.

Alongside our reading groups, writing sessions, and discussions with comrades from around the world, we will soon start hosting regular in person meetings, which we will announce on our website and Instagram.

Lastly, we aim to intervene at more events where discontented workers are likely to be present, particularly those seeking an alternative to the capitalist system. This will help us build connections, better clarify our positions, and encourage further learning and militancy.

We realize that our viewpoint is not palatable to most workers at this time, because (given historical patterns) the working class can only be radicalized in great numbers by the inevitable intensification of capitalist crisis. For this reason, we do not “meet the class where they are at.” Rather, we prepare for the moment when more and more of the class can meet us, and hopefully even surpass us.

At a time when the contradictions of the capitalist system are increasingly undeniable, and so interest in an alternative to the current social model is growing, clarifying what communism is and is not must be understood as active work. When “Communism” is constantly misidentified as Mamdani’s idea of municipal grocery stores, Chinese state capitalism, or as any of the other countless distortions put forward by capital, fighting to develop and defend theoretical clarity is not merely an academic exercise, it is a necessary and material form of intervention.

Our goal is to help ensure that the future revolutionary moment becomes a genuine transformation of society from capitalism to Communism, rather than another reorganization of capital, as has happened in the past. This will be achieved by helping to develop a coherent Communist program and by advocating for its implementation by the larger working class. We see ourselves as simply the local contingent of the global revolutionary movement of the working class.

It is worth restating that while the theoretical defense of Communism is our primary purpose, it is not our only purpose.  While the crisis that radicalizes workers is made by capitalism, the movement that turns this crisis into a revolution is not an automatic process that will complete itself without any work. 

For now, since we are only just starting in person events, we cannot provide a full picture of everything our work will entail yet. However, we can say this: it will no doubt involve skill sharing, presentations, continued engagement with local struggles, further exploration of the class history of our region, and other group activities that align with the purpose of our organization. By steadily cultivating and renewing our revolutionary consciousness, we ensure that our actions remain effective, advance our development, and strengthen the class movement in our area.

What Should You DO?

We consider all people and organizations who share our key positions to be in the “proletarian camp”, that is, part of the Communist movement, of which we are only a small part. This movement consists of the minority of workers who recognize themselves as part of the larger working class and genuinely advocate for it to achieve its ultimate goal: the creation of a Communist society through an international proletarian revolution. The establishment of such a society represents the liberation of all life on Earth from our irrational and uncaring system. 

Communist revolutionaries have the task of helping point the larger class in the direction towards Communism. Anyone who wants to see human history advance towards a free, Communist world, should become organized with those who share that vision of our collective future. We formed this organization out of that conviction, and we are now confident that we provide a space for this necessary work.

To those who share our commitment to rebuilding and advancing the international organization of the working class, we invite you to reach out to us (or any other Communist organizations listed in our External Links page) with any questions, comments, ideas, criticisms, or requests to get involved.

Socialism or Barbarism, Communism or Extinction, there is no third way!