On May 1, working people in the hundreds of millions will celebrate a holiday that is truly our own – International Workers Day. On every continent, workers will fill the streets of cities and villages. In the jungles of the Philippines and Colombia, poor peasants will gather. In the countries where the rule of the rich has come to an end, such as Cuba and Democratic Korea, May Day is recognized as a national holiday. From Moscow to Manila to Minneapolis, working women and men will gather and say, “Enough is enough; we don't have to live this way. We do not have to put up with exploitation, discrimination, and national oppression.”

Dear readers,

Make no mistake about it: the Bush administration is waging a war at home and abroad. While bombs rain down on Afghanistan, destroying homes, hospitals and mosques, the White House is presiding over an assault on the rights and on the standard of living of working and oppressed peoples at home.

Following the tragic loss of life at the World Trade Center, we saw real acts of heroism by the working people of New York, and an outpouring of concern and generosity on the part of people across the country. The emergency medical technicians and fire fighters who rushed to ground zero and made the ultimate sacrifice typify what is best in the American working class. The same applies to others – such as the Ironworkers who rushed to the scene to do all that they could. All of us can and should learn from these heroes.

On May 1, hundreds of millions of working people will celebrate International Workers Day. From Madrid to Minneapolis, from New Delhi to New York, working people will assemble. We will condemn all who exploit us. We will celebrate our victories. Moreover, we will look forward to a world that is free of injustice, discrimination, and national oppression.

George Bush is in the White House. His road to power was paved with the racist disenfranchisement of African-American voters, deceit and outright fraud. He failed to win a majority of the votes. The Electoral College, a relic of slavery originally set up to strengthen the hand of southern plantation owners, gave Bush the presidency.

With anger and passion, protests hit the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. For days, thousands of demonstrators put a people's agenda in the face of Democratic Party politicians.

Minneapolis, MN – It was standing room only, as more than people 55 came together here, May 6, to celebrate International Workers Day. Leaders from labor, the fight for Native land at Highway 55, welfare rights, anti-war, and student movements spoke of their struggles and victories over the past year. Some traveled over 100 miles, from Duluth MN, to attend.

There are large protests being planned this summer, and we can make a difference. First in Philadelphia, with the Republican Convention, and then in Los Angeles, with the Democrats, thousands of progressive activists will be there to express our anger at the bought-and-paid-for politicians. These meetings will be key places to push a people's agenda, and to make demands on the wealthy elite who control both political parties.

On May 1, hundreds of millions of working people will stand up and say NO to exploitation, poverty, and oppression. In every country on the globe, women and men, employed and unemployed, will come together to celebrate May Day, International Workers Day.

In February of 1999, four New York City cops murdered an innocent, unarmed man, named Amadou Diallo. The cops shot him with 41 bullets in the entryway of his Bronx apartment building. One year later a jury in upstate New York acquitted those same cops of his murder.

Protesters who converged on Seattle for the meeting of the World Trade Organization did something really great, for the people of this country and peoples of the world.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson recently put Decatur, Illinois, back on the front line of struggle. In the early 1990s, Jesse rallied to support the heroic fight of locked-out Staley workers. Decatur had been war zone headquarters for the working class with big strikes by Caterpillar and Firestone workers. This time racism in education was the issue.

A shortage of affordable housing has turned the lives of millions into a nightmare. Emergency shelters are occupied by an army of the homeless. Many more people are living on the streets. In New York City, the wait for public housing is 8 years.

Across the U.S.A., the sharp rise in police attacks has caused an outpouring of rage against police departments and mayors. There have been ongoing protests in Chicago, following the huge protests and mass arrests in New York this past Spring.

Minneapolis, MN – More than fifty poor and working people came together to celebrate May Day, international workers day, May 6. The event, organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization stressed the victories won by the peoples struggle in the past year, the fights that lie ahead, and the need for unity between employed and unemployed workers. Half the people attending the event were from the low income community and engaged the fight against welfare cuts.

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.

During the first week of May, hundreds of millions of working people around the world will celebrate May Day – the international holiday of the working class. It is a day for working people to say Enough is Enough!

A critical moment has arrived in the battle to stop the murder of a freedom fighter, Mumia Abu Jamal. Mumia sits on death row in Pennsylvania, convicted of a crime he never committed. The government wants to kill him, to silence a voice that thunders against injustice and speaks the language of liberation. Every effort must be made to build and attend the Millions for Mumia demonstration in Philadel-phia on April 24. Now is the time to stay the hand of the executioner and bring a new trial for Mumia Abu Jamal.

Minnesota shocked the world when pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura stole the governor's race from behind. Sure, my governor can beat up your governor, but what does the election of Jesse Ventura mean for poor and working people in Minnesota?