What the purpose is about this entire project, it’s not simply to raise class consciousness but to win socialism—and obviously raising class consciousness is a critical part of that—but making sure that we have candidates that both understand that and are willing to put that forward at every which moment that they have, at every which opportunity that they’re given. We have to continue to elect more socialists, and we have to ensure that we are unapologetic about our socialism.

There are also other issues that we firmly believe in, whether it’s BDS, right, or whether it’s the end goal of seizing the means of production, where we do not have the same level of support at this very moment. And what I want to say is that it is critical that the way that we organize, the way that we set up our, you know, set up our work and our priorities, that we do not leave any one issue for the other. That we do not meet a moment and only look at what people are ready for, but that we are doing both of these things in tandem. Because it is critical for us to both meet people where they’re at and to also organize for what is correct and for what is right and to ensure that over time we can bring people to that issue.

The ramifications of victory here is the difference between life and death for so many of our brothers, sisters and family beyond the binary across this borough of Queens. It’s the difference between having cash bail anymore. It’s the difference between having sex work being decriminalized and not. And with every battle that we fight as socialists, we need to remember what the stakes are and ground ourselves in them and why those stakes are important and critical to us as individuals.