The example in New York helps point the way forward in closing the gap between the $99,149 pledged so far and our international goal of $125,000 to be collected by December 15.

As Washington intensifies its imperialist war against the people of Afghanistan and steps up its assaults on workers' rights in this country, workers and youth opposing imperialism rely on the books and pamphlets produced by Pathfinder Press. They not only provide a scientific understanding and a working-class explanation of these world events, but are essential in helping to advance struggles by working people and build a revolutionary leadership.

"Pathfinder is important to me, as you can see from the stack of books I bought tonight," said Maria Packman, a high school senior from Los Altos, California, at a Pathfinder Fund event in the Bay area, November 17. "It was a revelation to read about revolution," she told the audience.

"Speakers brought to life the place of Pathfinder Press in the working-class campaign against imperialism and its war," reported Katy LeRougetel about a fund-raising meeting in Toronto. Among those speaking were Osborne Hart, member of the United Food and Commercial Workers and recent Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor of Detroit, and Michel Prairie, Pathfinder's French-language editor and leader of the Communist League. Participants in the meeting contributed $1,863 towards their $2,790 local goal.

The meeting was also a celebration of the efforts of volunteers in the city to place Pathfinder titles in a greater number of commercial bookstores across the country. This has resulted in a 250 percent increase in sales of Pathfinder books and pamphlets in Canada over the past year.

In addition to paying detailed attention to the organization of successful fund-raising events, and plans for the collection of pledges and payments, local fund directors need to maintain the web-based database with the most up-to-date figures, so that they can be printed on the weekly chart.

v BY BILL KALMAN  
SAN FRANCISCO--"The Russian Revolution opened the road to the liberation of the peoples of nations oppressed by imperialism," Ma'mud Shirvani explained to an audience of 55 people here November 17. "The capitalist hyenas--Lenin's term used in his writings in 1913 on the awakening of Asia--hope to convince the world's working class that you cannot stand up to imperialism. But the Russian Revolution proved that a working-class revolution is possible." Shirvani, the Farsi language editor for Pathfinder Press, was the featured speaker at the Pathfinder Fund meeting. He pointed out how Pathfinder books help explain the imperialist character of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, the legacy of revolutionary struggle in Asia, and the prospects for revolution in the United States today.

Meeting participants contributed an additional $2,550 to the Pathfinder Fund, including $725 in new pledges. This brings the total pledged by supporters in the Bay Area to $7,585 towards a local goal of $8,000.

Francisco Paniagua, a 40-year-old hotel chef who lives near the local Pathfinder bookstore in San Francisco, said that "every week I come to the bookstore, I find another book to read and study--it's like a university. It's very uplifting; I'm really tired from working by the end of the week, but reading the books and coming to the bookstore gives me energy."

In the discussion that followed Shirvani's presentation, Jackie Santos from Casa Puerto Rico spoke about the impact of imperialism's war in Afghanistan on the island of Vieques, part of Puerto Rico that has been used as a bombing target for decades. "They talk about national security," Santos said. "Well, the US Navy endangers the national security of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico remains a colony of U.S. imperialism. But if the Caribbean is united, we can bring the monster to its knees!"

Shirvani pointed out that he had worked on the translation into Farsi of the Pathfinder pamphlet, Puerto Rico: Independence is a Necessity, by veteran independence fighter Rafael Cancel Miranda. "It is very well received in Iran," Shirvani said, "and is an important contribution to the political education of workers there."

Shirvani pointed to the attractive display at the back of the room, featuring information on Pathfinder books that have been placed in bookstores and libraries in the Bay Area as well as the work of volunteers on the Pathfinder Reprint project to keep the titles in print and to get pathfinderpress.com on line. The centerpiece of the display, assembled by a Pathfinder supporter, was a large colorful graph that indicated the number of books placed through appointments with book buyers. In the last seven weeks supporters of Pathfinder have placed 168 books in 10 visits. Of these, 46 were Spanish language titles. "This is an example that Pathfinder supporters everywhere can emulate," Shirvani said.

Bill Kalman is a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 120 in San Lorenzo, California.  
 
 
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