Responses collected across all three chapters
“I joined because the more I learned about anti capitalism the more I had a desire to do something about it. I wanted to connect with my community, explore as many views of anti capitalism as possible, and grow as a person/organizer. I continue to commit to our rev org because I see all the good faith efforts of my comrades and have greatly appreciated the support I’ve received as far as learning/growing. I also feel empowered to connect people in my community against capital. I know that before GDC I was a lot more angry than hopeful and feel grateful for the changes that have been reflected in me and my community.”
“I joined GDC after I went to Cuba and met comrades doing important grassroots work in michigan while I was there. I wanted to work towards building an anti imperialist block in the midwest and thought GDC would help create the groundwork for that in michigan. Once I started showing up to GDC programming more, I realized how necessary it is to be in a committed organization that requires week to week work in our communities and not just to be involved in uprisings when the moment arises. I also struggled with splitting my time among several different mutual aid organizations, educational/study events, and wanted a political home. I commit my time to revolutionary organization because it is one useful tool against capitalist and imperialist forces and ideology, and I want to be a part of a process of critique and transformation to test and better the work as the conditions around us change.”
“I joined GDC to further commit myself to revolutionary struggle. Overturning capitalism and the oppressive structures tied up with it takes collective effort, and GDC is a piece of building that collective power. Revolutionary orgs are a necessity if we are to stave off the dystopic future promised by capitalism and build a world for that works for the flourishing of all.”
“I always saw GDC comrades in the community doing real work. They were organized and disciplined and uncompromising in their politics against capitalism.”
“To build power to overthrow this violent genocidal capitalist system and create a new world.”
“I wanted to be a part of a group that did real work. that was serious about wanting to win and had principles. I commit so much of my time and effort to revolutionary organizing because I truly believe we can win. and the only way to win is to fight and struggle together and i love my comrades.”
“Commitment to a greater cause (no single issue! Capitalism and imperialism can only be defeated as one fight with many fronts) GDC is serious and demands the same from its members. Discipline and commitment can only be learned with others.”
“To put work into ending the capitalist system, to help alleviate the oppressive arms of capitalism, to be serious and disciplined in the work and to help build class consciousness and to mass organizing free of unnecessary distractions.”
“I commit my time to a revolutionary organization because an attack on one will always be an attack on us all. Doing revolutionary work is and always will be the only course of political/community action that constantly advocates for and champions all of our living/non-living relatives. Because no amount of charity will restructure our society from one based in scarcity and alienation into one based on care and dignity.”
“I joined GDC because I believe there is no true prioritization of having “a diversity of tactics” if every member belongs to the same (often niche) school of thought, has the same class background, or is only interested in advancing one line of the struggle — and I still see none of these setbacks in GDC. In my comrades, I see a group of passionate folks who strive for inclusivity, internationalism, and to see the radical transformations necessary in the imperial core to begin in their own communities.”
“After years of being frozen by the enormity of all the issues I was witnessing (police violence, environmental instability, attacks on bodily autonomy, etc.), I felt I could no longer justify doing nothing despite the overwhelming dread and despair. I wanted to join a body that would push me to politically mature and develop a more concrete outlook of the world. I also wanted to move away from the realms of ‘social media discourse’ and academia, and actually learn how to engage with what’s going on in my own neighborhood/community.
Ultimately, it came down to a desire to be useful in the most immediate sense while also being able (and expected) to contribute to a long-term revolutionary strategy.”
“I really knew nothing about revolutionary organizing when I first joined GDC — I was one of those well-meaning liberals who was gaining political and class consciousness for the first time. The more work I did within the org, the more dedicated & principled comrades I met, and the more I fought and struggled with my comrades, the stronger of a revolutionary I became. A life of comfortability (or rather, complicity) is not an option. We cannot accept exploitation. The only thing that will defeat the violence of capitalism and imperialism is socialism — that’s the only hope we have and the only way forward.”
“I joined GDC because in order for humanity to survive the next few decades we much destroy capitalism and the class that maintains it. We can’t do it as individuals. It’s not going to happen spontaneously. The working classes must get organized to fight back in a mass and coordinated way. GDC is the best vehicle I see for that in Michigan. There is a strong balance of action, organizing, and theory/education within GDC. There is an orientation toward building a mass working class revolutionary movement. More and more there is an understanding within GDC that the Black proletariat has led the way throughout U.S. history and that the Black Liberation struggle will be at the center of any meaningfully revolutionary struggle here.”
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