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Workers World55 West 17 StreetNew York, N.Y. 10011Phone: (212) 627-2994Fax: (212) 675-7869E-mail: editor@workers.org Web: www.workers.org
Vol. 51, No. 16 • April 23, 2009
Closing date: April 14, 2009Editor: Deirdre GriswoldTechnical Editor: Lal Roohk Managing Editors: John Catalinotto, LeiLani Dowell,Leslie Feinberg, Monica Moorehead, Gary Wilson West Coast Editor: John ParkerContributing Editors: Abayomi Azikiwe,
Greg Buttereld, Jaimeson Champion, G. Dunkel,
Fred Goldstein, Teresa Gutierrez, Larry Hales,Kris Hamel, David Hoskins, Berta Joubert-Ceci,Cheryl LaBash, Milt Neidenberg, Bryan G. Pfeifer,Betsey Piette, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Gloria RubacTechnical Staff: Sue Davis, Shelley Ettinger,Bob McCubbin, Maggie VascassennoMundo Obrero: Carl Glenn, Teresa Gutierrez,Berta Joubert-Ceci, Donna Lazarus, Michael Martínez,Carlos VargasSupporter Program: Sue Davis, coordinatorCopyright © 2009 Workers World. Verbatim copyingand distribution of articles is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. Workers World (ISSN-1070-4205) is published week-
ly except the rst week of January by WW Publishers,
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H
In the U.S.
Struggle intensies TO FREE MUMIA
1Gary Schaefer 2
Labor resolution: ‘Free the SF8!’
2New School occupiers met with NYPD brutality 3
Elderly Black man victim of killer cops
3
Crisis for women in poverty
4
Clinic Access Bill
4
On the picket line
4
Figures show crisis is global and worsening
5Protesters say no to utility shutoffs 5
Mumia: If not now, when?
6
African-American Historian John Hope Franklin
7
What can stop birds' decline?
8
H
Around the world
Why Somalis seize ships 1
Union wins contract with Wal-Mart
4
Int’l Conference Against Racism
7
Cuba news roundup
8
Evo Morales ends hunger strike with victory
9
Conversations at an int’l seminar in Mexico
9
Koreans tour U.S.
10
Iraqis to U.S. after six years: ‘Get out’
10
U.S. behind fraudulent election in Haiti
11
H
Editorials’”
Socialism or capitalism?
10
H
Noticias En Español
Dos lados de la crisis
12
JoiN us.
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By Shan es and S Davs
Gary Schaefer came to Youth Against War & Fascism,the youth group of Workers World Party, in 1968, a tumul-tuous time when the Black liberation and anti-imperialiststruggles were on the rise. The Vietnamese led by Ho ChiMinh were in the process of driving out the U.S. invad-ers, while the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords were organizing in the oppressed communities. Many were attracted to YAWF’s anti-war militancy, but what was unusual about Gary, during this period, was that he was an anti-racist worker.“Gary was born into a union family, and hestayed true to unionism and to his class his entirelife. Gary was always a guy you could dependupon,” Bill Kaessinger told Workers World.Kaessinger worked with Gary in Teamsters Local10 at RCA Communications, where Gary was ashop steward. He remembered the valuable roleGary played in strikes in 1966 and 1976. He was“always available and always agreeable to do whatever was asked of him,” whether serving as a picketcaptain or running the strike headquarters.Gary may have inherited unionism from his father,
Raymond Schaefer, who was Secretary/Treasurer of Local10, but he learned about the importance of ghting rac
-ism and the need for political activism from his mother, Veronica Schaefer. He talked about attending anti-racistactivities and anti-nuclear SANE marches in the 1950s with her.In the early 1970s YAWF Women set up a Saturday child care program to enable women to participate inpolitical activity. Gary was proud to be one of the regularchildcare providers. When the party set up a committeeto do local organizing, Gary was the only shift worker onit, and he was able to bring a worker’s consciousness tothe discussions. In fact, Sam Marcy, founding chair of the party, noted that Gary came to the party as an anti-racist worker, but after being in the party he became anti-imperialist.Gary put that into practice during two trips to Cuba,
where he deed the U.S. blockade. During the second trip
in 2001, he marched in the May Day parade and celebrat-ed his birthday on May 2 by attending the national meet-ing of the Cuban Federation of Workers. Gary was keenly aware of the many advances in health care and educationinstituted by the Cuban revolution. That only heightenedhis desire to overturn U.S. imperialism through a social-ist revolution.Due to personal issues, WW didn’t see much of him forabout a decade between the early 1980s and early 1990s.But after Gary became sober, of which he was rightly proud, he rejoined the party.One of the key issues that Gary always raised at inter-nal meetings was the need for comrades to be sensitiveto one other. Maybe that was because he was so awareof the need for sensitivity on the job or because he him-self was sensitive. Although he was born with a disability due to cerebral palsy, his parents always treated him as
though he were able-bodied. Gary’s ercely independent
spirit helped him weather heart disease and diabetes.Gary died of a heart attack on March 28 in Jersey City,N.J., about a month before his 65th birthday. A devoted people watcher, Gary was a raconteur. Heloved kids, he loved the Knicks and the New York Giants,he loved to dance, and he loved jazz. He was a devotedsupporter of Snow Hill Institute for the Performing Arts,located in Alabama’s Black Belt. The institute was run foralmost 25 years by jazz pianist and composer, ConsuelaLee, who encouraged Black children to appreciate theircultural heritage by teaching them to play jazz.“Some who leave our movement retain in greater orless degree what they felt and learned,” Milt Neidenberg,long-time union leader and founding member of WWP,told Workers World. “Others, like Gary, leave for a time,all the while holding close their communist beliefs and
their love for and identication with all those who suffer
under capitalism. Gary was welcomed back by all whoremembered what a steadfast, hard-working comradeand friend he was. Between then and now Gary vali-dated the memories of those of us who knew him in thepast and won the respect and comradely affection of thenewer comrades.”
Gary Schaefer, presente!
Gary Schaefer and Consuela Lee, 2000.
WW phOtO: mONiCa mOOrEhEad
Ws Wd payxands n h Sh
The National Committee of Workers World Party is very happy to announce the formation of the Durham,N.C., branch of Workers World Party. Besides Durham,Party members will be initiating and supportinganti-racist and pro-worker struggles in Raleigh,Chapel Hill and other parts of North Carolina. Email:durham@workers.org for more information.
n
lABor reSolutioN:.
‘ h S8!
’
The following resolution was adopted by theSan Francisco Labor Council at the regular delegates’meeting on Feb. 9.
Whereas, Herman Bell, Ray Boudreaux, Richard Brown,Henry (Hank) Jones, Jalil Muntaqim (Anthony Bottom),Harold Taylor and Francisco Torres, seven men col-
Continued on page 3
Gary Schaefer
a worker who fought racism, imperialism
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