David North delivers address on Russian Revolution to large audience at Northern Virginia Community College
By
our reporters
29 September 2017
On September 26, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) and Socialist Equality Party (SEP) hosted an event commemorating the Centenary of the Russian Revolution on the Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Annandale campus. The meeting received a large turnout, with some 40 students and workers in attendance.
The meeting consisted of a lecture, delivered by David North on the historical significance and contemporary relevance of the October Revolution of 1917, followed by a lively Q&A session. Attendees showed great interest in the material presented, with many taking detailed notes. Attendees were young, almost all born after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and represented a cross-section of working class youth, containing those of all ethnic backgrounds, both native-born and immigrant.
In many ways, NOVA Annandale represents a snapshot of the major issues confronting working class youth. It is a commuter campus with a large working class student population desperately trying to secure a decent career to claw their way out of poverty. The school’s surrounding region comprises the military-intelligence corridor surrounding the greater DC area. The campus itself is located a mere 11 miles away from the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The military-intelligence apparatus exerts a strong influence on campuses like NOVA, seeking to funnel young people into its agencies. The fact that such a meeting could be held, let alone draw such a large and engaged audience of young students and workers in the very shadow of the…