Vol. 73/No. 45 November 23, 2009
Brian Williams from New York reports that five long-term renewals were collected at the November 7 public meeting on “What Does the Dictatorship of Capital Have in Store for Working People?” organized by the Socialist Workers Party and Young Socialists in New York. More than $1,000 in Pathfinder books was sold.
The following day supporters of the Militant hit the streets of New York and signed up nine new readers. Joe Fields, a distributor of the Militant from Montreal, was part of a sales team in Harlem. “Many workers were interested in the special Militant supplement,” Fields said. He was referring to the introduction to the forthcoming book Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power, which the Militant published in both English and Spanish as a supplement. It will be a boost to finish the drive strong. For new subscribers, the book is available for a special pre-order price of $10.
Sales to students on campus continue to be a highlight of the campaign. Ellen Brickley reports that six students at Iowa State University got introductory subscriptions last week. A number of students recognized the Militant distributors from previous sales. “One woman we met weeks ago bought two issues of New International,” the magazine of Marxist politics and theory, she said.
Many distributors who work in industry have used the drive to further political discussions with coworkers. At Dakota Premium Foods, a meatpacking plant in South St. Paul, Minnesota, 27 workers have subscribed or renewed their subscriptions during the drive. In Los Angeles, 16 workers at the American Apparel plant have bought subscriptions through discussions with communists on the job.
For the final week of the drive, distributors can draw on the many Pathfinder titles discounted with subscriptions. These include Cuba and the Coming American Revolution for $5; Problems of Women’s Liberation for $7.50; New International issues 14 and 10 for $10 each; and The Working Class and the Transformation of Learning for $1.50.
'Militant' subscription Drive week 8