Deadline Monday for statements on resolutions read at last MDC DSA General Body Meeting; Rally in solidarity with Sofitel workers; Fall 2023 Reading Groups
Deadline Monday for statements on resolutions read at last MDC DSA General Body Meeting
Thank you to all of you who were able to attend this past weekend’s MDC DSA General Body Meeting, where two resolutions, a Resolution for Increasing Resolution Transparency and a Resolution to Disclose Chapter HGO Reports, were debated. Since both resolutions had their second read at the meeting on Sunday, any member is now welcome to submit statements in support or opposition of either resolution via RedDesk. To do so, follow the below instructions:
Open RedDesk and click Open a New Ticket. When you sign in, use the email associated with your DSA membership.
Select Agenda Item/Submit Member Statement.
Make sure you see a confirmation page after you submit. It can also be helpful to email the Steering Committee with your statement before the deadline just in case.
Please note that the deadline to submit member statements is Monday, September 4, at 11:59pm. Ballots, with member statements included, will be sent to all members in good standing via OpaVote on Wednesday, September 6 and voting will close on Sunday, September 9 at 11:59pm. If you have any questions, please ask them in #steering or reach out via email at [email protected].
Rally in solidarity with Sofitel workers — Tuesday, September 5
Join workers, UNITE HERE Local 25 and fellow socialists to demand a fair organizing process for Sofitel workers! Workers at the Sofitel have been organizing for months but have continued to face retaliation from the hotel. Local 25 has filed unfair labor practice charges against Accor, the French multinational corporation that operates the Sofitel, alleging violations of labor law. There’s no better way to celebrate Labor Day than by standing with workers, so join us at 5pm onSeptember 5th at 806 15th Street NW.
Fall 2023 Reading Groups — Sign-ups closing soon
Sign up soon for Fall 2023 Reading Groups through Metro DC DSA — and invite anyone else you know to join. Groups kick off the week following Labor Day. There is something for everyone: a group on housing policy in Chile, Ursula K. Le Guin’s sci-fi classic The Dispossessed, a group on the origins of capitalism, dialectical materialism, and so much more.
Reading groups are great places to meet comrades, learn about topics of interest, talk through ideas with a group and come into the chapter’s work through political education. Several chapter working groups are sponsoring reading groups, making them a great way to get more involved in specific organizing areas within Metro DC DSA. Ongoing political education is a necessity for both members and the chapter as a whole — our actions must be informed by theories and history. Sign up here.
WASHINGTON SOCIALIST
The Washington SocialistThe Washington Socialist is a local publication produced by the Publications Editorial Cooperative. Each issue contains articles, analysis, reporting and opinions produced by your friendly neighborhood socialists. This month, we kick off our Labor Day 2023 issue with six entries:
Campaigns Council 2023 Midyear Report
Summarized reporting from Metro DC DSA’s elected Campaigns Coordinator Allison K, documenting mobilization across Metro DC DSA’s political campaigns, internal functions, and working groups.
Book Review: American Midnight
Adam Hochschild’s historical account on turn-of-the-century political repression echoes the struggles faced by socialists operating in the present.
A special note from the Sonic Socialist: Labor Day playlist dropping next week, for those who submitted suggestions. Let The Socialist know what you’re listening to this holiday weekend by dropping your labor day tunes in a collaborative playlist here.
BRIEFS
UMD Graduate Labor Union to hold Labor Day social — attend and get plugged into chapter labor work
The UMD graduate labor union will be holding a social to celebrate the success of its summer organizing drive from 4 to 8pm on Labor Day, September 4, at Town Center Market in Riverdale. UMD students, staff, alumni and allies are invited to attend. UMD grads, adjuncts and faculty have been fighting to get recognition and labor rights for almost 20 years, but last year their bill died (again) in the Senate finance committee. Governor Wes Moore recently affirmed his support for higher-ed collective bargaining rights.
Across the DMV, we are in the midst of an unprecedented moment of labor militancy, broad union favorability and capital crises — making the conditions ripe for organizing worker power. If you’re interested in getting involved with Metro DC DSA’s labor work, please fill out this form and an organizer will be in touch with you to get you plugged in.
Repro Justice Working Group Open Meeting — September 13
The Repro Justice working group is hosting an open meeting at Malcolm X Park on Wednesday, September 13th from 6:30 pm to 8pm. Join us to discuss multiple articles on reproductive justice — RSVP here for more information.
NoVA Branch Monthly Organizing Meeting — September 14
The NoVA Branch is meeting this month both in-person at the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043) and on Zoom. We will welcome new members, discuss any current issues or events from our communities and allied organizations, hear reports from our active work groups, and gather afterwards for a social hour. RSVP here.
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power Film Screening and Panel — September 16
Metro DC DSA is partnering with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Legacy Project for a free public screening of the film Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, about SNCC's electoral organizing in Alabama. We're also holding a panel discussion featuring SNCC activist Jennifer Lawson and MDC DSA members about how we can apply the lessons of people power to the present and future of DC. The screening and panel will be at the Anacostia Neighborhood Library on Saturday, September 16 from 3 to 5pm. We will be requiring and providing masks to protect each other from the new Covid strain going around. We hope to see you there.
Wheatpasting outreach events — September 18 and October 1
Sign up here to attend chapter wheatpasting outings next month. Wheatpasting is a great way to raise awareness about the chapter and its upcoming political education events through putting up posters around the DC area with a small group — no experience necessary. We will meet and fan out in small groups to put up some amazing posters on Monday, September 18 at 6:30pm (meet at U Street Metro) and Sunday, October 1 at 1pm (meet at Dupont Circle Metro). You can sign up here or register as part of the sign up for the Big Tech and Capitalism: DC Walking Tour, which will take place on October 7th.
EWOC offers volunteer training
The Emergency Worker Organizing Committee (EWOC) is offering free training for volunteers who want to help workers organize their workplaces. EWOC is a joint project of DSA and the United Electrical Workers Union. The training starts on Saturday, September 9, from 1 to 2:30pm, and continues for a total of four sessions ending on September 30. Our Metro DC DSA Chapter encourages anyone interested in assisting worker organizing to attend the training. Sign up here. Under “Who referred you?” say “Metro DC DSA.” Enrollment is limited to the first 200 volunteers, so sign up soon. Questions? Email the chapter’s Labor working group (LWG) at [email protected].
Get out the word about rent stabilization in Montgomery County — tabling events on September 9 and September 23
This summer, the Montgomery County Council passed a watershed rent stabilization bill that limits rent increases to 6% or less, thanks to tireless organizing by tenants, labor and allies. Now, we need to get the word out to renters so they know their rights under the new law. The Montgomery County Branch of Metro DC DSA will be tabling at the Long Branch Festival in Silver Spring and Burtonsville Day — both of these communities are renter communities. RSVP for a shift at the Long Branch Festival on September 9 here or RSVP for a shift at the Burtonsville Day on September 23 here.
Tabling volunteers will be provided with merch, flyers, buttons, candy and talking points, but mostly we just need you to bring your enthusiasm for tenants rights and socialism to connect with festival attendees. There will be food, music and a fun time had by all. We would love to have at least 10 to 12 people signed up to volunteer with at least two to four people per shift. The more, the merrier!
Get all your socialist Labor Day merch from the MDC DSA merch store
It's a fashion faux pas not to wear chapter merch after Labor Day! Want to rep your favorite branch, stay warm by looking cool in a hoodie, or show off our punk rock logo on a tote bag? Then Metro DC DSA's Merch Store is your one-stop shop. Each item is proudly union-made.
Introducing DSA Feed from the National Tech Committee
The National Tech Committee is proud to introduce DSA Feed, an RSS feed that aggregates multiple DSA publications — including our own Washington Socialist — in one convenient place. You can add the feed to browse socialist articles in your RSS reader of choice, add to the feed by submitting your caucus or working group publication here, or even contribute to the open-source project on GitHub. Read more from the NTC’s announcement here.
INFO ACCESS
Publications Schedule: Our Labor Day Washington Socialist is included in today’s Update with extensive national convention coverage, today and in weeks to come. September Updates are scheduled for Fridays, 8th, 15th and 22nd and the October Washington Socialist appears with the Update on Friday, September 29.
Our coverage of the national DSA convention continues weekly into October; we’ll flag new articles appearing in each weekly Update. Please send article submissions to the October newsletter to [email protected]; the article deadline is September 23.
Would you like to participate in MDC DSA’s publications? Check us out on #publications and let us know what you would like to write, or write about. If you would like to see something included in the Update, suggestions can be submitted to the tip line.
Farmer to Table, Building Resilient Food Systems | Women Impact Investing Network (WIIN) Join WIIN at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Wednesday, September 6 at 5:30pm for a “Farmer to Table” discussion on Building Resilient Food Systems. Panelists will discuss the challenges of building a resilient food system in the DMV and propose actions to promote food access and health equity. Panelists include Tope Fajingbesi, Managing Director of Dodo Farms in Montgomery County, sharing her fair farming philosophy of Land, Labor + Capital (“LLC”); Winnie Huston, DC Greens’ Food Policy Strategist, advocating their mission of advancing health equity by building a just and resilient food system; and Amy Bachman, Director of Procurement and Sustainability at DC Central Kitchen, sharing their focus on combating hunger and poverty through job training, job creation and healthy food distribution. This event and subsequent networking event is free, but RSVP is required.
Policing, Displacement, and Environmental Destruction: Amazon’s Harms Across Our Communities | For Us Not Amazon Next Thursday, September 7 at 6:30pm, For Us Not Amazon is having a teach-in via Zoom on the increasing harms Amazon is causing in our communities and ways that organizers and activists have been able to fight back. Note that ASL interpretation, English-Spanish interpretation, and CART (computer assisted real time transcription) will be available. Please consider attending if you can and spread the word — RSVP here.
Sustainable Gardening, Cover Crop and Fall Planting Workshop | Share a Seed Learn about the benefits and importance of cover cropping — a foundational sustainable growing practice — at Share a Seed’s annual fall workshop at Upshur Community Garden (1325 Upshur St NW) on Saturday, September 9. The 10:30am to noon workshop will be co-led by international cover crop expert and Upshur Gardener Andy Clark. Activities will include a cover crop overview, planting and cover crop turning demonstration, free cover crop and other seeds, and fall planting guidance. RSVP here. The $5 ticket fee supports Share a Seed’s programming, but no-fee options are available. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
Are you a tipped worker in DC? | DC Jobs with Justice If so, we would like to connect with you. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie is attempting to halt your hourly wage increase and steal your tips through the proliferation of “service charges.” It’s important your voice is heard so McDuffie can’t keep you, your friends or your family from earning what you rightly deserve! Email us at [email protected] to learn more and connect with other workers.
ESSENTIAL TRAFFIC
We can all feel it and it gives hope — “Something has shifted in how the majority of Americans view the power dynamic between themselves and what the Occupy Wall Street movement memorably dubbed ‘the one percent.’ Nowhere is this more evident than in the crescendo of labor activism.” The online newsletter Capital & Main kicks off a series on labor ferment, “Striking Back” — How Workers Across a Polarized U.S. Are Challenging Economic Inequality. Thanks to our comrade Jules B for highlighting this.
Steve Early emphasizes how important the “workers” in “working class” are in this Jacobin review of two new books: Unions Can’t Revitalize Without Rank-and-File Power. Within the labor movement, all of the bright ideas and strategic insights in the world won’t amount to much if the democratic rights of union members themselves aren’t respected, restored, and expanded. Via Portside.
“John Lewis' 1963 speech bluntly assailed deficiencies in the civil rights bill others were championing — but succeeded in doing so without undermining the day’s unity.” Good history from the NYT via Portside and doesn’t gloss over the socialist-labor contribution to the march’s success. And a useful parallel account comes from Jamelle Bouie, regular NYT columnist: “The march wasn’t a demand for a more inclusive arrangement under the umbrella of postwar American liberalism, as it might seem today. It was a demand for something more — for a social democracy of equals,” grounded in struggle that the movement had been practicing and was now offering to teach to a wider stratum of victims of liberal capitalism.
Solar panel shipments in the United States reached a new record in 2022: Energy Information Administration
A total of 31 gigawatts of solar capacity was added, 10% more than the previous year. Importantly, a third of that was utility-scale — that is, power plants — and most of the rest were rooftop panels on people’s homes. It’s the fourth consecutive record year: At some point, the relentless expansion of solar power will become unremarkable, like saying that a child is taller this year than last. The cost of solar has also dropped, from $1.96 per watt of capacity in 2010 to 39¢ in 2022. At the same time, a study found that the European Union is burning less coal to make electricity than ever before, The Guardian reports … (From a Semafor Flagship post.)
The leader of Maryland and DC’s AFL-CIO labor organizations argues for Project Labor Agreement to protect workers from wage theft, with a focus on school construction in Prince George’s County. Opinion from Maryland Matters.
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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