The Militant - May 20, 2002 -- Supporters give fund appeal a solid start

Vol.66/No.20 May 20, 2002

Supporters give fund appeal a solid start

BY PATRICK O’NEILL
Within days of reading the article launching our $50,000 international fund appeal last week, three supporters of the Militant sent in contributions totaling $1,300, helping to get the campaign off to a solid start. The fund drive for the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial, which runs through June 15, will help cover the annual costs of publishing the English-language weekly and Spanish-language monthly.

"I am donating $200," wrote Dana Garrison, a reader in Pennsauken, New Jersey. "I have kept abreast of events by reading the Militant and Pathfinder Press, and believe that publishing the Militant as well as a Spanish-language newspaper is of the utmost importance. No one else tells the truth about the Middle East, France, Venezuela, Argentina, while standing in solidarity with the Cuban Revolution. We must get these publications into the hands of as many workers as possible."

Mindy Brudno, a rail worker from Troy, New York, sent in a note with a check attached. The donation was an unexpected windfall of several hundred dollars, she wrote, "plus some money that I was planning to donate in any case. Best wishes for the growth of your paper. It is needed now more than ever."

Perspectiva Mundial editor Martín Koppel said that the three workers set a great example and encouraged "readers and supporters to respond in the same generous way. Send in a donation or make a pledge as soon as you can."

Local organizers of the fund drive have begun contacting subscribers and longtime readers of these publications and are discussing their goals for the appeal. The increased sales of the Militant and PM in the first weeks of the circulation drive show the potential to win contributions on the job, at picket lines, and from other fighters involved in social protests and union struggles. Putting a can on street corner tables where the Militant, PM, and Pathfinder books are sold will generate additional contributions.

To help with this effort, the Militant is sending out a one-page bilingual flyer to distributors, who can mail it to supporters of the socialist publications, hand it out at work, and give it to interested people at sales tables. Headlined, "Contribute to the Militant and Perspectiva Mundial May 1-June 15 International Fund Drive," the flyer introduces the appeal and includes a coupon for contributors to fill in. It also lists the national address of the appeal and includes space for local details.

Socialist workers in New York’s Garment District, who have organized daily sales in the current target week of the circulation drive, report that they have gotten a taste of the potential for gaining donations from workers and others who stop to discuss politics at their literature tables. Several people offered donations to the Militant and PM at one table in the district, said Ellen Brickley. "I’ll make sure there’s a clearly marked fund appeal container on the tables in the future," she added. One of the best ways to raise funds is to plan a special Militant Labor Forum over the coming weeks, taking up major developments in the crisis of capitalism and the resistance of working people around the world. Supporters of the fund in local areas are encouraged to send in their goals by the end of Tuesday, May 14.

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