HARPER’S FERRY, WV, October 17 — Braving the cold and rain, nearly 300 antiracist workers and students from around the country commemorated the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. Celebrants, more than half under the age of 25, acknowledged the need to continue Brown’s fight against racism through multiracial unity and militancy.

Teachers introduced the events in their classrooms and encouraged coworkers to help build for the events. Many months of fundraising, including a 50-50 raffle held in all attendees’ cities, helped make the day possible.

The program kicked off with a recitation of Brown’s speech from his trial, given by a founder of the Harper’s Ferry Historical Society. Brown pointed out that if he was rich, fighting against workers, instead of a worker fighting against the system of slavery, his fate would have been different. When asked about his participation in the program, the Historical Society member was excited about the rally and exasperated with the National Park Service for not including these events on their official activities’ calendar.

Students performed a skit, playing Brown, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass planning the raid. It focused on Douglass’ aversion to violence and Tubman’s actions. Brown’s collective included Harriet Tubman, whose role was celebrated as well. The skit was followed by the crowd warming up with anti-racist and communist chants and singing “John Brown’s Body.”

There was a performance of spoken word and song about Emmett Till, a young black boy, whose lynching helped spark the Civil Rights movement. A performer recreated Till’s fear of his lynching. Another performer sang Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” written after seeing a lynching in the segregated South. The crowd responded with a strong cadence of “smash racism, power to the workers.”

The fired-up crowd thronged together to march through the streets of Harper’s Ferry with militant chants and red flags, taking its anti-racist message to the townspeople and National Park Service visitors. Everyone braved a steady rain reminiscent of the conditions 150 years prior.

A closing rally was held at the original site of the federal armory which had housed the 100,000 weapons which were Brown’s goal. A long-time anti-racist fighter spoke of Brown’s good plan and the lessons the current generation needs to learn to fight racism. He ended with the passing of the “Sword of Struggle” to the younger generation to once and for all smash racism. A college student accepted the sword with humility and renewed commitment to the struggle.

The rally ended with a speech calling for the need to destroy capitalism, fight for communism, and join the Progressive Labor Party.  The day’s commemoration reinforced the lessons of multiracial unity, militancy, and boldness as the guideposts to our lives.