On January 11th, the Center for Political Innovation kicked off the year with a gathering in Newark, New Jersey, attended by roughly 100 people. The attendees gathered at a hotel and trickled in to greet each other, drink coffee, and look over the elaborate displays highlighting the achievements of Ibrahim Traoré’s government in Burkina Faso and the infrastructure created by China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The event opened with a moving prayer from Edner Pierre-Louis of Manhattan Family Church and music from folk singer Paul Shepard, accompanied by Dan Nowman from CPI Los Angeles. CPI regional captain Noah Schenk served as master of ceremonies, introducing Garland Nixon, who gave a presentation about how dissidents and skeptics of mainstream media have often been proven right.

CPI Minneapolis Regional Captain Penny Arcos spoke about her own story of getting involved and gave a history of the Center for Political Innovation, telling of Caleb Maupin’s work with Ramsey Clark, his outrage at the failure of the left to oppose the bombing of Libya, and the consistent work of the organization changing the political conversation in America with #PeaceMAGA, the Kamala Harris book, and so much more.

Bishop Joy Theriot of the Association of Christian Evangelists spoke on religious freedom and the persecution of Dr. Hak Ja Han in South Korea. Han is a longtime friend of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and she and her late husband arranged millions of dollars of investment into North Korea as part of their efforts for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

Awards were presented to three local anti-imperialist organizers in New Jersey. Lisa Davis, a founder of the Black Is Back! Coalition and a leading figure in the Hands Off Uhuru Solidarity Coalition, spoke about her life struggle, motivated by the harsh experiences of racism she has endured and the long history of the Black freedom struggle. She graciously accepted the award and honored friends and associates who had come to the event.

Christina Khalil was honored for her work as a Green Party candidate, raising the issue of solidarity with Palestine and putting forward a platform to advance the working families of New Jersey. She reflected on the experience of running for office and how she became inspired to take action.

Jessica Coco was honored for long years of anti-imperialist work, including leading delegations to the 2017 World Youth Festival in Sochi, Russia, and a recent solidarity trip to Belarus. Coco reflected on the opportunism of leftist trends that focused on LGBT issues and refused to question vaccine mandates.

After brief remarks from Noah Shenk about why CPI opposes the efforts to foment political violence and won’t be taken in by efforts to foment a new “Years of Lead” in America to serve globalism/imperialism, Caleb Maupin took the podium. Caleb spoke about the built-in problems of production organized for profit, the problems of leftism from a psychoanalytical point of view, his 2015 conversion experience in the Gulf of Aden, and his vision for how CPI can empower members to be bold anti-imperialist activists.

Guests then did some more singing and had a professionally catered meal, followed by a long Q&A with Caleb Maupin about the future work of the organization to build a movement against globalism/imperialism to win justice for working families, not focused on resentment but on love and community. During the Q&A, Cuba Solidarity Activist Mike Martinez of Miami highlighted the attacks on Venezuela and threats to Cuba.