VACPUSA

On April 5th, people all over the country hit the streets in the AFL-CIO-endorsed Hands Off! marches. VACPUSA attended three of these across the state to protest DOGE, the persecution of free speech, the mass deportations, and more.

In Viginia, we attended marches in the northwest (Leesburg), the capital (Richmond) and south east (Norfolk). Norfolk, over 2,000 people joined in the protest. In Leesburg, we counted at least 1,000 people at the height of the event. Their cheers drowned out the few counter protesters in attendance. In Richmond, over 3,000 people lined the streets. Everwhere, we saw powerful symbols of resistance: Palestinian flags, keffiyehs, Pride flags, Trans Pride flags, and home-made signs like “Make Racists Scared Again”, “Hands off schools”, “End DOGE”, “Hands off our postal service”. We all noticed the youth were out in full force, and in greater numbers than the previous marches against the current regime.

This is the third type of march in as many months of the Trump presidency. It is clear that there is a large majority of people who disagree with what’s happening just a few miles away in DC… and who want to stand up against it. Billionaires and bosses want us to feel alone, and helpless. Marches allow us to see that we are not alone, they help encourage and empower us. They are also great places for recruiting and finding organizations to join.

As scientific socialists, we always document and reflect on our experiments in hopes of gleaning all the lessons we can from each experience. We do not participate in these marches because we think a big march wll soften the hearts in the GOP political machine. We march because expressions of solidarity are revolutionary. We march because people need to see that the CPUSA is here, we are active, and we care about the same things you care about. But we also recognize these marches are not enough, and to make real, lasting change we must turn this energy into recruitment to the day-to-day struggle.

A march will not change the minds of the powerful, but thousands of people, united, can stifle their influence. We can petition and we can strike. We can push our legislatiors to codify the independent status of the Postal Service (HR70) and other limits on the executive’s power. If that does not work, we can support strikes to make it work: like port workers striking instead of shipping military supplies for genocide, or federal workers striking for independent postal service. But strikes need money, food, and community support. They need volunteers to help educate members to authorize the strike and they need strike fund donations. They need us to support them between marches.

If we want ICE to stop kidnapping our neighbors, we can protect them by showing up to local decision making meetings and demanding the end to cop coordination with ICE. We can fight mass surveilence bills, like those we recently defeated in VA. We can record them. We can be legal observers. We can circulate good information to our friends and neighbors.

Together, any and all of these things are possible… if people show up to the events in between marches. There is a roadmap to liberation, and it requires us to “always bring a crowd”. Joining an org is the first step… and it’s intoxicating. Getting things done collectively toward your goals is an incredible experience, and we hope many of those marching with us at these recent events can find a local org they want to suppot and join. Of course, we have our favorites, but there is almost always a group working in your area on the thing you care about. We’ve listed several below in hopes of helping folks get started.

• VACPUSA
• SURJ – Showing Up for Racial Justice
• CASA– an immigration-focused national group active in VA
• LaCollectiVA a Latinx-led group focused mostly on immigration
• VAARPR, a branch of National Alliance against Racial and Political Repression
• Justice Forward Virginia lobbies for criminal justice reform
• Divest VIAB (there are many other groups like “X for Palestine”: Fairfax for Palestine, Loudon for Palestine, Roanoke for Palestine…)
• NAACP National Alliance for the Advancement of Colored People (co-founded by CPUSA member W.E.B. Du Bois!)
• Advocating for rights of houseless folks is, like the Palestine work, more regional. Google “help homeless <your city here>. We work with Reston Strong in NoVA
• Leftist library project