By Greater Chicago WSA
Reprinted from WSA Discussion Bulletin # 75
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Wednesday, May first, at 8 30 pm EDT, workers from around the country and Canada gathered for our third annual May Day online event.
The recent passing of our beloved Clarissa, who was pivotal in the first two years of our evening May Day, was frequently mentioned through the gathering.
The opening song, by Martin Traphagen, ‘Arrival,’ was inspired by Clarissa.
The third annual May Day Speech, this year delivered by Rebecca Croog, vividly described the impact that Clarissa had on her work: “As I find my way into this work, I am visited multiple times a day by the memory and spirit of our Comrade Clarissa, who we recently lost to long covid. I can hear her encouraging us:
‘Don’t mourn, organize!’ I can feel her galvanizing us: ‘Let’s build coalitions! Let’s make this moment bigger and bigger!’ Gathered together as an anarcha-syndicalist community, let’s invite her in to remind us: ‘ALL BUILDS TO THE GENERAL STRIKE’
Rest in power, Clarissa! Free Palestine!”
As attendance increased, speakers reported on recent health care labor struggles, and one of the founding members of WSA, Steve Rabinowitz, read from the history of the Haymarket Martyrs, specifically the words of August Spies.
After the formal program, attendees shared news of May Day events and Gaza actions in their areas, from Philadelphia, Asheville, Greater Chicago WSA and other cities.
Comrade Greg McGee shared breaking news of attacks on the Ceasefire Gaza encampment at Columbia University.
Rebecca shared news of her work with Jewish Voice for Peace, recent union drives, and workers standing up for Gaza.
At one point everyone joined in singing happy birthday to our comrade Alexandra, who is a May Day baby!!
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As the meeting wound further down, comrades stayed for more informal discussion. Comrade Mitchell, (WSA zone 2 delegate in Oregon), asked what anarchist-syndicalists make of Rosa Luxembourg. This led to an energetic discussion on how anarchists can build relationships with anti-authoritarian Marxists, such as council communists and anti-state Marxists, outlining how Luxembourg’s work prefigured councilism, lamenting how Trotskyist groups have claimed her. Like later councilists, her criticism of anarchists seemed to be more that, at that moment, they were disorganized and had little capacity, different from criticism of organized libertarian communism itself.
By this point there were a few brave and sleepy comrades engaging in this conversion, and there were warm goodbyes. And for annual attendees not part of WSA, there were hopes to see everyone on May Day 2025!
Below is Martin’s opening song ‘Arrival’, in honor of Clarissa –
