Aaron Booe
Aaron Booe is an organizer with the Claudia Jones School for Political Education in Washington, D.C.
Education
- Political Science Student at Howard University
YCL
CP activists build the peace movement
Grassroots activists from around the country met in New York City on November 11–12, 2023 for a Communist Party USA peace conference. Responding to Israel’s razing of Gaza, the conference focused on demanding a ceasefire. “I really feel that we’re united and determined in this effort,” CPUSA co-chair Rossana Cambron remarked.
Throughout the weekend, the gathering’s participants were uplifted by songs of freedom led by artists belonging to the People's Music Network. “Our people’s music was a basic part of the proceedings,” said Ben Bath, the conference’s cultural coordinator.
Henry Lowendorf of the party’s Peace and Solidarity Commission asked the assembly, “How can we build on the ideas and energy of activists in labor, civil rights, environment, women, youth, and LGBTQ movements to change the militaristic policies of the Biden administration? How can we build broad unity around peace to defeat the extreme right in 2024?”
Moderated by the Rev. Annie Allen on Saturday and Angela Maske on Sunday, the conference featured presentations from leaders of the Communist Party of Israel and the Palestinian People's Party.
“The only solution to the occupation is a political agreement,” Aida Touma-Sliman of the Communist Party of Israel said.
Dr. Aqel Taqaz, the International Secretary for the Palestinian People's Party, which has a seat on the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, spoke on Sunday morning.
In his introduction to the conference, Lowendorf expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine and underlined the political battles ahead. “One thing we have before us is the toolkit provided by the Political Action Commission. It contains four pieces of legislation that support a cease-fire and ending arms sales to Israel; cutting the military budget and shifting those funds to end poverty, racism, and environmental devastation; and abolishing nuclear weapons.” He also called for ending the Cold War 2.0 against China, shutting down the 800 U.S. foreign military bases around the world, and dissolving NATO and AFRICOM.
Lisa Armstrong of the women’s collective declared. “In 2022, the average taxpayer gave $1,087 just for federal military contracts — four times what the same average taxpayer gave to K–12 education.” She highlighted the need for investments into child care and long-term care and expanding programs like the Child Tax Credit, SNAP, and other programs.
“There are peace constituencies alive and ready to build today’s peace movement,” Rosalio Urias Munoz of the Political Action Commission said. “This effort will take nuts and bolts organizing — working person to person, block to block, precinct by precinct, and engaging in other effective activities such as phone banks, petitions, delegations to our elected representatives, direct action, and more.”
“I do have some bad news,” Kooper Caraway of the Labor Commission warned. “Our bosses are still in charge of our government.” He connected the desperate situations they have created for working people to the poverty draft. “The reason it is important for the labor movement to build the peace movement is because our children are being funneled by our bosses into that vicious military-industrial complex.”
Dom Shannon, giving a report on behalf of the African American Equality Commission, called the trillion-dollar military budget a “form of welfare for the 0.01%.” Together with “money spent on … ICE and border patrol, and the funds spent on racist policing,” Shannon said it supports “the obscenely unequal distribution of wealth in the U.S. and globally under capitalism.”
Deb Wilmer, speaking on behalf of the Immigration Subcommittee on Saturday, pointed out that “immigration to the U.S. and globally today is fueled by the policies of imperialism.” Highlighting the fact that “racism is a primary driver of U.S. immigration policy and border militarization,”
“The most important thing that we could do,” Eric Brooks said on Sunday, “is meet people where they’re at, in the struggles that they’re already engaging in, and show how those struggles relate to the peace movement. We have to take the money that we’re spending now to oppress people and demand that money be spent for housing, for food, for education, for healthcare, for roads, and for potable water!”
For the Young Communist League USA, the issue of free speech loomed large as groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace are being banned on college campuses. “We believe the repression that is targeting youth activists right now is a part of the fascist offensive that is trying to erode away our people’s democratic rights,” YCL leader Aaron Booe noted. “There’s a lot of interest right now in learning how to concretely apply the principles of the popular front to the struggles of youth.”[1]
Kononovich protest
On Saturday, March 20 2022, members of the D.C. Young Communist League (D.C. YCL), together with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Black Alliance for Peace, and the ]All-African People’s Revolutionary Party gathered in front of the Ukrainian Embassy to protest the arrests of two young communists — Michael and Aleksander Kononovich of Ukraine.
Mikhail Kononovich, and his brother, Aleksander Kononovich, are activists with the Communist Youth Union of Ukraine. Y At the protest, the D.C. YCL delivered a statement to the embassy, describing the charges levied against the Kononovich brothers, namely that they are Russian spies, as “the latest accusation meant to justify political repression against progressive forces in Ukraine.”
The D.C. YCL statement continued, warning that “as we speak, far-right, ultra-nationalist forces like the Azov Battalion, Right Sector, and Aidar Battalion continue to further entrench themselves into [the Ukrainian] government.”
The recent growth of far-right nationalism represents a grave threat to peace in Ukraine. As the D.C. YCL notes, “no peace in Ukraine will be possible while the multi-national character of its population is not recognized and celebrated,” and further that “the suffocating atmosphere of war-time nationalism” only deprives Ukraine of democracy and equality.
In concluding their statement, the D.C. YCL outlined three demands. The demands are for the immediate release of the Kononovich brothers, a public apology to them and their families, and “an end to the political repression against the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU) and its youth wing (LKSMU).”
Sean A. Blackmon of PSL denounced the arrests as “part of a suppression campaign” against progressive forces by the Ukrainian government. Another speech by Aaron Booe of the D.C. YCL celebrated the efforts of the KPU to fight the privatization of agricultural lands and harmful austerity policies. In exchange for a loan from the International Monetary Fund, the Ukraine government has engaged in a massive privatization campaign including the closing of 40 percent of the nation’s public education institutions.[2]
Austin DSA
In 2020 Aaron Booe, was an Austin Democratic Socialists of America member.[3]