The 2023 DSA Convention approaches — nomination deadlines end soon
DSA’s biennial national convention is in Chicago from August 4 to 6. MDC DSA will be sending 38 delegates (and 4 alternates) to Chicago, and if you want to be involved, the deadlinefor nominations isMonday,May 8. Nominate yourself or someone else in a form linked on the dedicated convention Slack channel, #2023-national-convention. Voting (by OpaVote) will take place for delegates and any NPC nominations from May 23–27 after our May General Body Meeting.
MDC DSA members may also run for the National Political Committee of DSA. Self-nomination is available until May 14; the MDC DSA General Body must approve candidates.
Delegates at the convention will vote on resolutions submitted by comrades all over the US that received enough support to get put on the agenda. See the Resolutions Hub.
Information on the national convention, our participation and delegate selection is regularly updated on MDC DSA’s dedicated Slack channel, #2023-national-convention, which includes discussion and advocacy of candidates and their stances or platforms, as well as of resolutions at the convention. The Slack channel also includes links to the delegate nomination form and to a tracker that shows how many nominations a candidate has — it takes 5 to qualify.
Getting our 40-plus elected national convention delegates and alternates to Chicago in early August will be a heavy financial lift — likely between $800 and $1,000 per person. Please contribute to the travel-share treasury here if you have the means.
Rent stabilization and tenant rights canvass in downtown Silver Spring — Sunday, May 7 at 1pm
Last January, Montgomery County DSA and partners in the HOME Act Coalition canvassed the Blairs apartments in downtown Silver Spring and met countless tenants who are ready for rent stabilization in Montgomery County. Since then, tenants have experienced even more rent increases and disruptive maintenance projects. Join Montgomery County DSA this Sunday, May 7 at 1pm to invite tenants to a meeting with their County Council member about rent stabilization and gauge interest in forming a tenant association. RSVP here.
Canvassers will be launching from Sonny's Green, just outside the Silver Spring Metro and the Silver Spring Transit Center. If driving, you can park in the Giant Food parking lot (1280 East West Highway, Silver Spring). The park is on the opposite end of the parking lot from the Giant.
Socialist Soccer and Potluck in the Park — Sunday, May 7 at 12pm
Socialists will be convening at Walter Pierce Park in Adams Morgan for soccer games and a potluck on Sunday, May 7 from 12 to 3pm (location: 2630 Adams Mill Rd NW). All are welcome regardless of skill level or experience — members and non-members are invited to play soccer, bring food, and grab a plate to talk to comrades. (Note: food should be labeled with to account for possible allergies and dietary restrictions!)
MAY WASHINGTON SOCIALIST
This month, three new entries added to Metro DC DSA's archive of socialist thought and analysis....
Thanks to everyone who participated in the April GBM OpaVote! Below are the results for the question “Should the chapter adopt the Resolution to Amend the Chapter’s Internal Elections Policy?” There were 151 voters on this question, with 150 ballots and 1 empty ballot.
YES: 116
NO: 22
ABSTAIN: 12
General resolutions require a majority vote. With more than 50% of votes in favor, the Resolution to Amend the Chapter’s Internal Elections Policy PASSES.
Note: Thank you all for your votes on the question “Should the chapter adopt the General Body Meeting Frequency Bylaw Amendment?” Because a previous version of the document was referenced in the OpaVote, this month’s vote is void and the correct, final draft will be included in the May OpaVote.
Defund and Refunk the District — Saturday, May 20 at 1pm
The Defund MPD working group will be hosting their first Defund and Refunk the District on Saturday, May 20 at 1pm. Come out to Market Park (701 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, near the Eastern Market metro) for an afternoon of art, music and conversation as we imagine new ways to improve the District and keep our residents safe from violence, poverty, police and oppression. The event will include a short political education workshop on the DC budget so we can envision a people’s budget. Please RSVP here, and if you’d like to help us spread the word about the event, join our canvass the week prior on Saturday, May 13 from 1 to 3pm at the same location. Members on the chapter Slack should plug in to the #defund-the-police channel.
NY DSA succeeds in achieving major Green New Deal legislative victory; DMV area socialists organizing similar public-power plot
On May Day — New York socialists overcame the neoliberal Governor Kathy Hochul and her fossil fuel backers to pass the Build Public Renewables Act in the New York State Budget. Via public funding, the Build Public Renewables Act will help build publicly owned, 100% renewable energy — lowering energy costs for the working class and creating thousands of green, union jobs in the process. Learn more about the bill here and here.
The New York DSA has successfully shown how elected socialists and grassroots organizing can create clear movements away from privatization. The first NYC DSA canvass for public power took place in 2019 — illustrating the importance of disciplined, long-term organizing, coalition-building across labor, justice and environmental groups and public pressure.
Socialists in DC are building up to a similar plot — Metro DC DSA’s We Power DC campaign is the chapter’s ongoing push for publicly owned energy in the DMV. You can get involved by emailing [email protected].
uring its Tuesday meeting, the Metro DC DSA Steering Committee adopted a resolution declaring DSA “Strike Ready” for the potential UPS action later this summer, joining chapters across the country. Read it here.
Steering also signed on to a Sierra Club (DC chapter) letter on green power conversion assistance for DC residents. “The Healthy Homes Act would provide low and middle income DC households the opportunity to switch from fossil fuels to clean and efficient electric heating and induction cooking with no out-of-pocket costs.”
From mass labor action to legislation that aligns with our ecosocialist goals, these resolutions point to the many local opportunities for DSA members to get involved in fighting for working-class power. Head over to the #labor and #ecosocialism channels in the chapter Slack — and if you haven’t joined yet, consider becoming a member. If you are a dues-paying member but do not have Slack access yet, please reach out to [email protected] with a copy of your dues receipt.
Mayor Bowser shorting funding to house migrant families
Migrants from the border are still being misled and trafficked across the country as part of a cruel and dehumanizing PR campaign from Republican governors — even ones that cannot manage to find undocumented workers — and our community’s ability to sustain them is still being stretched. Sanctuary DMV and Beloved Community Incubator are calling for people to sign a letter urging Mayor Bowser and the DC government to use contingency funds to house migrants in light of news that the Office of Migrant Services has run out of shelter space. You can sign the letter here. You can also directly donate to Sanctuary DMV’s ongoing mutual aid efforts here.
INFO ACCESS
About MDC DSA: The local chapter’s website is here. The road map of MDC DSA’s activism — campaigns, working groups, etc. — is here. And here is an introduction to the chapter including our branches covering the DMV. We have published the Washington Socialist in paper and on the web since the 1980s; see this topic-indexed archive. It is also the base of a home-grown history of our local chapter. Our political education, ongoing every day, is also inscribed in the record of our Socialist Night School. Watch for the next round of our pol ed reading groups, coming up for summer.
Publications Schedule: Friday issues of the Weekly Update are scheduled for May 12th, 19th and 26th and the June issue of the monthly Washington Socialist will accompany the Update of Friday, June 2nd. The article deadline for the June issue is May 27th; send submissions to [email protected].
Weekly Update Tip Line: The Metro DC DSA Tip Line is live. If you have news or events that you think should be promoted in the Weekly Update, please submit it to the form above. Include your contact information and all possible details for consideration. Deadline is Thursdays at 4pm for the following Friday publication, but please don’t wait till the last minute.
About MDC DSA: The local chapter’s website is here. The road map of MDC DSA’s activism — campaigns, working groups, etc. — is here. And here is an introduction to the chapter including our branches covering the DMV. We have published the Washington Socialist in paper and on the web since the 1980s; see this topic-indexed archive. It is also the base of a home-grown history of our local chapter. Our political education, ongoing every day, is also inscribed in the record of our Socialist Night School. Watch for the next round of our pol ed reading groups, coming up for summer.
Publications Schedule: Friday issues of the Weekly Update are scheduled for May 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th and the June issue of the monthly Washington Socialist will accompany the Update of Friday, June 2nd. The article deadline for the June issue is May 27th; send submissions to [email protected].
Weekly Update Tip Line: The Metro DC DSA Tip Line is live. If you have news or events that you think should be promoted in the Weekly Update, please submit it to the form above. Include your contact information and all possible details for consideration. Deadline is Thursdays at 4pm for the following Friday publication, but please don’t wait till the last minute.
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
Mutual Aid Block Party | Ward 2 Mutual Aid Join Ward 2 Mutual Aid on Saturday, May 6 from 2 to 4pm for a community block party in Logan Circle. Food, fun and mutual aid education can be expected!
Ward 7 & 8 Resource Fair | DC Greens Discover local organizations and networks active east of the river that are available to support Ward 7 and 8 residents at the DC Greens Resource Fair on Saturday, May 13 at The Well at Oxon Run (300 Valley Avenue SE). There will be food, music, activities and local organizations introducing themselves and sharing information about the services they provide. Come through for 15 minutes or stay all four hours! Click here to RSVP and/or find more information on tabling at the Resource Fair.
Mothers’ Day Free Market | Ward 4 Mutual Aid and Petworth Peanuts The Ward 4 Mothers’ Day Free Market is back for the third year in a row! This free market is an immensely popular event, and brings neighbors from across the DMV who are in need of maternity, baby care and young children’s items. The event will be held on Saturday, May 13 at Emory Church Beacon of Light Church (6100 Georgia Ave NW) from 12 to 4pm, but volunteers are needed ASAP to organize and donations are now open. Sign up here if you are able to volunteer to get the word out in advance and/or support the event day-of.
Vote for Your Favorite DC Dyke March T-Shirt Design | DC Dyke March The theme of this year’s Dyke March (Friday, June 9) will be Dykes for Trans Rights! This year’s t-shirt designs have been submitted by wonderful, volunteer artists, and now it’s time to vote! Click here to see all the potential designs and cast your vote. As an all-volunteer, no-sponsors event, DC Dyke March organizers are still seeking volunteers to help ensure the success of this year’s event. Email [email protected] for more information on how you can support the event.
Bagged Lunch + Wheatpaste in Malcolm X Park on May 13th| DecrimPovertyDC Decrim Poverty DC will be hosting a wheatpaste and bagged lunch session in Malcolm X Park on Saturday, May 13th from 11-2:00pm. A great opportunity to learn the urban art of wheatpasting in service of ending the drug war and spreading awareness of the newest decarceral platform being proposed for DC. Blankets, chairs and homebrewed iced tea will be provided! Sign up here.
Final Stop of the Fund-A-Thon | DC Abortion Fund & Electric Cool-Aid DC Abortion Fund’s last event of their annual fund-a-thon will take place starting at 6pm on Wednesday, May 31 at Electric Cool-Aid (512 Rhode Island Ave NW). There will be great beats by Les The DJ, frozen drinks and plenty of Metro puns. Tickets start at just $10 and can be found here. Please note, this event is expected to sell out early.
ESSENTIAL TRAFFIC
Only two months ago, millionaires stopped paying into the Social Security Trust Fund for 2023. Workers World has the context. “In 1983, the last time Congress made major reforms to Social Security, they set the cap at a level that covered 90% of all wage income, leaving only 10% above the cap. By 2021, the percentage of income above that cap had nearly doubled. And that doesn’t even include investment income which … accounts for the bulk of the income of the wealthiest. EPI estimates that rising inequality has cost the Social Security Trust Fund $1.4 trillion.” Yeah, with a T.
The sailing ship that helped create public opposition to nuclear war in the ’50s is refurbished, back and on tour to keep today’s troubling war mania at bay. Now, in the midst of its Great Loop Tour circling the entirety of the eastern United States, the 21st century Golden Rule aims to be more than a history lesson. Veterans for Peace and the project’s many supporters are working for nothing less than igniting a new movement to abolish nuclear weapons altogether. It’s in Baltimore and the Bay this week. Via Portside.
Got war? Next stop, armed extremism at home. “After every major American war, the historical record shows a surge in membership and activity among extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. In each example, these groups also adopt elements of military activity, like uniforms, weapons and the latest military tactics. But this doesn’t mean that these surges are entirely composed of veterans. All measures of violence rise after warfare, including acts carried out by women, children and older people.” A sobering link between two perennial problems, from The Conversation.
Exelon expects $173M loss related to ComEd bribery lawsuit as SEC lobbying investigation continues. So who is Exelon and why should we worry about it? It’s a giant Midwest-based firm that happens to own all the companies that provide power in Maryland, plus much more as you see. So we have to wonder where they will reach to cover their losses (read: ratepayers in Maryland and elsewhere). They are facing big decommissioning costs already for an aging nuclear-plant fleet. The article also has some interesting side chatter about how Maryland’s also aging power grid might benefit from Gov. Moore’s expanded offshore wind goals. From Utility Dive
The flame of thought, the magnificence of art, the wonder of discovery, and the audacity of invention all belong to revolutionary periods when humanity, tired of its chains, shatters them and stops inebriated to breathe the breeze of a vaster and freer horizon..
- Virgilia D'Andrea
Sent via ActionNetwork.org.
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