QAfter looking at your membership application, I get the impression you only want people that will pound the pavement and work the phones. I'm very much interested in joining the CPUSA but feel unqualified.
AHi, and thanks for your question. We took it up at the end of our weekly broadcast, Good Morning Revolution. You can watch the episode here.
The power of the working class comes from its ability to organize and act collectively, and the role of the party is to help make that happen, to unite and mobilize people in the struggle for a better world. CPUSA asks every member to be involved in what we call "mass work," that is, political activity with forces outside the party.
That could be a church or community group, a labor union or issue-based campaign; it could mean running for elected office or helping others do so. It might involve marching, door knocking, phone banking, walking a picket line, or sitting in. There are articles and letters to the editor to write, interviews to be recorded, and funds to be raised. The point is, there's a lot of work to do — more than enough to go around — and the party is a great place to learn to do it.
Everyone is qualified to get involved, provided they're ready to help out where they can. Capitalist culture teaches us to focus on our individual ability, to take personal responsibility for problems that require collective action. Thinking that way leads to burnout and demoralization. As Communists, we understand that our real capacity to contribute doesn't become apparent until we are working alongside others in a common struggle.
And so, the short answer to your question is, join the party, and find out how you can help build a better world.
Hope this helps,
The Good Morning Revolution team
The power of the working class comes from its ability to organize and act collectively, and the role of the party is to help make that happen, to unite and mobilize people in the struggle for a better world. CPUSA asks every member to be involved in what we call "mass work," that is, political activity with forces outside the party.
That could be a church or community group, a labor union or issue-based campaign; it could mean running for elected office or helping others do so. It might involve marching, door knocking, phone banking, walking a picket line, or sitting in. There are articles and letters to the editor to write, interviews to be recorded, and funds to be raised. The point is, there's a lot of work to do — more than enough to go around — and the party is a great place to learn to do it.
Everyone is qualified to get involved, provided they're ready to help out where they can. Capitalist culture teaches us to focus on our individual ability, to take personal responsibility for problems that require collective action. Thinking that way leads to burnout and demoralization. As Communists, we understand that our real capacity to contribute doesn't become apparent until we are working alongside others in a common struggle.
And so, the short answer to your question is, join the party, and find out how you can help build a better world.
Hope this helps,
The Good Morning Revolution team
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The Communist Party USA is a revolutionary working-class political party founded in 1919 in Chicago, IL.
The Communist Party stands for the interests of the American working class and the American people. It stands for our interests in both the present and the future. Solidarity with workers of other countries is also part of our work. We work in coalition with the labor movement, the peace movement, the student movement, organizations fighting for equality and social justice, the environmental movement, immigrants rights groups and the health care for all campaign.
But to win a better life for working families, we believe that we must go further. We believe that the American people can replace capitalism with a system that puts people before profit — socialism.
We are rooted in our country's revolutionary history and its struggles for democracy. We call for "Bill of Rights" socialism, guaranteeing full individual freedoms.
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