Fight Back!'s First Year
With this issue of Fight Back!, we begin our second year of publication. In our very first issue, we said; “this paper exists to build the people's struggle.” We have done everything in our power to make that commitment a reality.
We have consistently covered some of the key battles for justice in Minnesota, Central Wisconsin, and Chicago, including: the fight against welfare cuts in Minnesota, police terror in Chicago, and the reform movement in the Teamsters Union, to name a few.
Dozens of fighters in the people's movements have stepped forward to take photos, write articles, and do the technical work that makes Fight Back! possible. If you want to work on the paper in any capacity, contact us.
Each issue we distribute about 7000 copies of Fight Back! 1000's have been sold and given out at rallies of Northwest Airline workers, anti-war protests, and national events like the Millions for Mumia March in Philadelphia. Low income activists have regularly distributed the paper in some of the Minnesota's smaller cities and towns. Fight Back! is a constant presence in a number of Chicago trade union locals.
While many of the articles in the paper focus on the Midwest, much of what we cover has a national significance. As a result, Fight Back! is being regularly distributed in Florida, California, New York, and Iowa. Any reader who wants to join us in getting this paper out, should contact us about receiving bundles.
Also, starting with this issue, we will begin placing Fight Back! in progressive book stores around the country. As we have received many requests for our paper from other countries, we now are sending Fight Back! to more than 50 revolutionary organizations internationally.
Regular readers of this paper know, Fight Back!'s coverage of events is not “neutral” or “evenhanded.” We believe that the existing order of things needs to be challenged, and that the rich have no right to their wealth and privilege. To this end we have done our best to cover important developments in the movements of workers and oppressed peoples.
Last year, we laid a lot of stress on the founding convention of the Black Radical Congress, a key gathering for the African American Liberation Movement. This Fall, a similar convention will take place in the Chicano movement; the New Raza Left Conference. We look forward to promoting, and covering it.
You may have noticed, this issue of Fight Back! is larger than previous issues. More pages and more news.
Over the course of the next year, we are going to be issuing two calls which are crucial to Fight Back!'s growth. The first, is that we will be urging readers to make regular financial contributions and become sustainers. This will help us print more papers, with more pages, more often. The second, a launching of a subscription drive.
The editors and staff of Fight Back! believe that our first year of publication has been marked by success. And, more importantly, we have heard the same thing from many of our readers.
We look forward to serving the people's struggle in the coming year!