Why "the Party"?

The Communist Party USA is a national organization that's been around for 106 years (i.e. "the Party") and is currently in international organization with 124 different communist parties around the world. Previous party members include Woody Guthrie, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Angela Davis.  In the United States, the party is divided into districts (typically organized by state) and clubs, which are the most local unit.

Why the Washtenaw County club?

The Washtenaw County club was formed in 2022. We started with the things many organizers on the left start with: tabling, rallies, and mutual aid. We then moved on to coalition building by assisting unions and non-profits, and then using those coalitions to build electoral pressure. A lot of the work focused on homelessness and affordable housing in the county. We're proud of the work we did, and won a few gains in the county, but it didn't feel like we were building anything sustainable.

Then in 2024 the party had a national convention, and the delegates from Michigan were able to meet with and learn from party members all around the country. There were some very developed clubs that had learned from the Italian Communist Party in the 70s. The work was focused on rebuilding the social fabric by building "concentrations" - small, politically connected, communities.

From this point, the Washtenaw club did a radical shift in its organizing approach- wanting to try something that would be sustainable and would build political community from the ground up.

If you're interested in an organizing home, where you can learn and grow, please consider working with us.

Here's a couple of videos to get you started:

https://www.cpusa.org/article/the-marxist-classes-clubs-the-heart-of-the-party/

https://www.cpusa.org/article/the-marxist-classes-the-cpusa-party-program/

If this seems like something you'd be interested in, join the party here: https://cpusa.org/join-us/ and let's talk!

-Your comrades at the Washtenaw County Club, CPUSA