On March 28th, after our intervention at the “No Kings” rally in New York City, blocking the parade in solidarity with Iran, CPI convened its first-ever nautical banquet. The event was attended by 25 people who enjoyed seafood and an evening of comradeship. Gabby Hernandez, Chicago regional captain, chaired the event, and the opening presentation was given by Noah Shenk, who gave an overview of the history of the Innovationist tendency and its founder.

Caleb Maupin then took the podium to give a full-length presentation about the economic roots of the war in Iran, the failure of the Marxist left to oppose it, and CPI’s vision for building a real anti-imperialist movement. Caleb’s remarks drew from Mao Zedong, Thomas Paine, Rosa Luxemburg, the Bible, the Shia Islamic revolutionary tradition, as well as Anna Louise Strong and Cornelius Cardew. He also touched on the recent allegations against Cesar Chavez and problems of the Frankfurt School. Caleb began his remarks by presenting an Innovation Award to Michael Pellagotti, a longtime friend and ally who worked with Caleb even before Occupy Wall Street. Michael was recovering from being hit by a car and was unable to receive the award at the January 11th gathering, but warmly greeted the attendees of the March 28th banquet.

After Caleb’s address, participants sang the labor anthem “The Commonwealth of Toil” as a group. The podium was then opened for comments and reflections from members. Mahir Rahman spoke about his family’s connections to Iran, where his grandfather worked as a doctor during Khomeini’s “Construction Jihad” of the 1980s, in which the medical system greatly expanded. Multiple people, for whom the day’s activities were their first experience with CPI, spoke about their hopes for building an optimistic anti-imperialist movement. Rev. Dasse Diari spoke about his homeland of Mali, which is now part of the Union of Sahel States (AES), and what the military’s transition to an alliance with Russia has meant in terms of defeating terrorism and economic development. Philip High gave some prepared remarks about how North Korea’s healthcare system has been weakened by US sanctions. Jessica Coco reflected on how the ruling class promotes despair.

The full video of the event can be viewed here: