Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

January 15 is Martin Luther King Jr. day, a day to remember the struggle of millions of African-Americans and their allies to end the poison of racism. With the exploding prison population, relentless police brutality, and the nooses recently found at a New York worksite, it is clear this poison is as pernicious as ever.   Like Malcolm X, MLK Jr.  had come to the conclusion towards the end of his life that racism and capitalism were inextricably intertwined, that  you could not end the divisive rot of racism within the bounds of the capitalist system.  The conclusion for class conscious workers and youth is clear: in order to end war, to end racism, to end poverty, to end discrimination, to end misery, and to end hunger, we must end capitalism.  We highlight on this important day of commemoration several articles which offer a class perspective on the question of racism and the need for the working class to energetically combat it while linking this struggle with the struggle to end capitalism once and for all.