Revolution #97, July 29, 2007



Coming August 3…
A Special Revolution Fund Drive Broadsheet

“At a moment when much of humanity finds itself in a living hell, when the horror of the U.S. occupation of Iraq threatens to escalate into a war against Iran, and when the future of the planet itself is threatened, Revolution newspaper must be out there much more boldly and much more broadly—exposing what is going on, revealing why, and pointing to a revolutionary solution in the interests of the vast majority of humanity.”

From the upcoming special Revolution Fund Drive broadsheet

The August 3rd issue of Revolution will be a special, updated expansion and fundraising broadsheet: Truth…in Preparation for Revolution! With this special issue, we aim to unleash an unprecedented movement throughout society to raise $500,000 by the end of this year, to expand the reach of Revolution, and to put this paper on a whole new playing field.

This special issue will be released at kick-off events the weekend of August 4-5.

***

Think about the difference it would make—right now, and for the future—if the societal impact of Revolution took a quantum leap.

Imagine what it would be like if tens of thousands of people were regular readers of Revolution, getting this paper on a weekly basis. Imagine this paper being all over housing projects, coast to coast. Widely circulated in prisons, influential among scientists, students, musicians, anti-war activists, and artists, available along the routes traveled by migrant farm workers, and spread all over the web!

Think, too, about how people’s visions of another possible world would expand if the work of Bob Avakian was connecting with tens of thousands of people weekly through Revolution.

And what if all this takes off on a level where this paper is creating such a buzz that it couldn’t be ignored in the mainstream media?  

Actually, we’ve seen beginnings of this already. Three thousand people helped get out 600,000 copies of the special issue of Revolution, “The Crossroads We Face—The Leadership We Need—a Special Issue of Revolution about Bob Avakian.” And tens of thousands of copies of a special issue, “We Are Human Beings, We Demand a Better World, We Will Not Accept Slavery in Any Form” were distributed at immigrants rights protests this year on May First.

The promise revealed in that experience has to be built on, developed, and made into consistent, sustained influence of this paper, in print, online, nationwide,and worldwide. And that takes a lot of money.

We All Can Do This…

We all can do this. It’s going to take $500,000 to take the first important steps in realizing the potential of this paper—to get to a place from which we can really aim for society wide impact. Picture this: Using some of this money to buy ads on busses and billboards in major cities!

…YOU, and people like you can make this happen.

Raising money is an essential part of the revolution. It is an important way that the revolutionary movement connects with all kinds of new people, engages with critical perspectives, and gets invigorated with fresh ideas. And giving money is an important way for people to support the revolution.

The Revolution expansion and fund drive lifts off on the weekend of August 4-5, in cities across the country. On that weekend, the updated, special issue of the Revolution fund drive broadsheet will be unpacked and put into the hands of…YOU! And many more people.

This broadsheet will break down for people what this newspaper is, why they need it, and how they can help it spread its influence throughout society by distributing it, and by raising money. It will feature comments from a unique mix of people coming from widely varying points of view as to why this newspaper is important.

Getting out this special issue of Revolution will lay the basis for reaching way out into society to raise money. In the projects and prisons and sweatshops, on high school and college campuses, at house parties in the suburbs, and from people with substantial resources…all kinds of people can and must be challenged to find their way to support this paper in their own way, from their own perspectives.

Kick-Off Events August 4-5

Starting right now, YOU can play a critical role in making this all happen. Come to kick-off events over the weekend of August 4-5, where you’ll get hooked up with bundles of this special fundraising issue of Revolution. And at many of these events, you’ll be able to meet and talk to writers from Revolution. Teams will be formed. You’ll hear about ambitious goals. And you’ll contribute to figuring out exciting plans. One important part of all this is for many, many people to pledge to raise $100 or more. There are a thousand ways to raise $100 or more for this fund drive, ways that rely on people and their creativity and desire to see this paper having much more influence. To help, there will be resources, organizing kits, and help and advice for raising money and expanding the reach of this paper at revcom.us/drive/ and at the kick-off.

Another focus will be Labor Day weekend, when we are calling on people to sell thousands of “Wanted” t-shirts (see picture on this page). To have people buying this shirt, and finding out about Revolution at swap meets, from street vendors, in retail stores, from vendors outside concerts, from door-to-door sellers, and beyond.

To find an event in your area, or to get help organizing one, contact RCP Publications (see contact information below), or call the Revolution Books store nearest you (see list on contact page).

Wherever and whoever you are, however you connect with Revolution, whatever it is that you find intriguing, provocative, compelling or addictive about this paper … join in!


Chicago May 1, 2007. [Photo: Li Onesto/Revolution]


Start organizing now to sell thousands of Wanted t-shirts on Labor Day.

Contact vendors and flea market sellers to get advance orders.

T-shirt artwork will be available for download at the Fundraising Resources page at revcom.us.

Contact RCP Publications to download t-shirt files or order t-shirts.

Donate or Become a Sustainer Online Right Now!

You can make a donation online with your credit card right now by clicking the DONATE button at revcom.us/drive.

And…you can sign up as a monthly sustainer, and get a print subscription to Revolution.

Just click the DONATE button at revcom.us/drive

To donate, to get involved, contact Revolution at:

RCP Publications • Box 3486 Merchandise Mart •  Chicago, IL 60654 • phone: (773) 227-4066 • fax: (773) 227-4497
email: rcppubs@hotmail.com • web: revcom.us


Note: Contributions or gifts to RCP Publications are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. At the present time, RCP Publications cannot accept any contributions or gifts from readers who reside outside the borders of the United States.

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