Beautiful Literature by New Members

New member applications contain inspiring messages.

I get to read some of the best literature in contemporary America. It is in the "why I want to join" section of applications for membership in CPUSA. Here's a small sample from Oregon:

"All the people around me are beset by survival-level issues that are only getting worse as time goes on. No health care, no food, no work, no money. There doesn't seem to be the political will to respond to these problems in a real way, so I want to join a party that has the insight and will to build and wield power to address these issues in an immediate sense, as well as to take it one step further and introduce the systemic and structural changes that will be necessary for the continued survival and well-being of humanity in the coming decades."

From one heart to the other. The best part of these short testimonials is: They're true!

This is from a young man in Ohio:

"I believe fully in the principles of the communist party. I wish to formalize my membership in, and dedication to working toward a society of, for, and determined by the working class. I see clearly the injustices perpetrated upon the poor and working class, by the privileged few who currently control vast resources and the means of production, to their own benefit. I wish to work to expose corporate cronyism where it exists. I wish to work to educate fellow workers in the divisive tactics of the ultra-right. I wish to work to enlighten others as to the true deceptive nature of power and influence in our current capitalist society in an effort to bring about a more just and equitable socialist society."

From a young woman in New England: 

"As I work my way through college, it is becoming more and more ingrained that our economic and political system is incredibly uneven and flawed. I wish for everyone to know the value of a days work, loving your brother, and taking pride in your work. I want to see the day where education and healthcare is free of charge, for the good of the people. I have known many homeless friends, and have almost been homeless myself. I desire to see everyone have a home, clothes, and food to eat no matter their sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, what have you. The only way to have these things is to fight exploitation, which I believe is at the heart of Communism. Because I live in a peaceful, rural area, it is difficult to be involved in some of the bigger movements of this time. By joining CPUSA I can finally be part of something larger than myself, and try to make a difference in the world that I care about."

Of course, not everybody is as fluent with language as everybody else. I like the applications that just say, "to get things done" or "because I care what happens" as well as the longer ones. I like pretty much all of them, even the repetitive ones. Here's the best part of it all: THEY JUST KEEP COMING!

This is my favorite from today:

"I am joining to make a difference for my family and my community. I am joining to fight for equality"

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  • So much thanks to Jim Lane, John Bachtell and Ben Sears, but especially to the tens of female and male workers who are joining the Communists.
    Another Ben, Benjamin Jefferson Davis, from the South, it seems, is mentioned in Hosea Hudson's amazing little book, Black Worker in the Deep South, as a working class hero who always emphatically championed the workers as foundation for all leaders, including communists, just as the heroine Shirley Graham Du Bois did, and as heroes before her, W. E. B. Du Bois and Paul Robeson did, white and Black.
    The great American writers Carl Sanburg(poet, anti-racist and socialist) and Sterling A. Brown(author, of "Strong Men" poet, teacher of Toni Morrison, Imiri Baraka, Kwame Nkrumah, and others) probably collaborated on "Strong Men"to celebrate the fact that the workers-"they just keep coming".

    Posted by E.E.W. Clay, 03/10/2014 11:47am (10 years ago)

  • Thanks for posting these terrific statements.
    Glad that they keep coming!

    Posted by Ben Sears, 03/09/2014 9:58pm (10 years ago)

  • These are wonderful statements by new members joining the CPUSA.

    This is one of my favorites from a recent new member:

    "I believe myself a patriot and believe in my country and have a strong love for my people. Therefore i believe we must do every thing possible to improve the lives of the American working class.I have seen my entire family work their entire lives sometimes to the cost of their own well being just to get by without enough to show for it.

    Our people and indeed all people should not have to live this way wondering everyday if they can make it to the next week with everything they need.the extreme right wing and their corporate masters must be put in check in order to truly protect the rights and interests of the American poor and working classes. I wish to join the CPUSA in order to help my people and build a better America in any way that I can."

    A fast food worker, Kennesaw, GA

    Posted by John Bachtell, 03/07/2014 12:12pm (10 years ago)

  • James E. Jackson, outstanding Communist leader and close friend to W. E. B. Du Bois, wrote in a the margin of little book entitled- The Genesis of Capital, by Marx, to the present writer, "Strong Men Keep Coming" (of course this notion covered women too), signing it, indicating that scores, hundreds and thousands would eventually come to the communists in the United States.
    Sterling Allen Brown,(not his dad, Sterling Nelson Brown, remarkable educator and Christian leader, born in slavery) is known as poet laureate of the African American and the American.
    It is to the credit of those like James Jackson that we can understand the deep, deep roots of Southern American and African American literature in real life, all literature and what a value it is to all Americans-"THEY JUST KEEP COMING!"

    Posted by E.E.W. Clay, 03/03/2014 3:17pm (10 years ago)

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