Comrades, check your email to vote on chapter resolutions! The latest OpaVote — which includes 2023-08-GR13 “Increasing Resolution Transparency” and 2023-08-GR14 “Disclosure of Chapter HGO Reports” — should have arrived in your inbox on Wednesday afternoon. If you have not received it, please check your spam folder first, and then reach out to [email protected] with your latest dues receipt as soon as possible. Voting is open until Sunday, September 10 at 11:59pm.
“Cop City” is a proposed urban warfare police training facility to be built in Atlanta’s old-growth Weelaunee forest. It is a racist and environmentally destructive development being constructed in a working-class area of Atlanta, contrary to the will and interests of that community. Cops have already murdered one protester, known as Tortuguita, and arrested dozens more on domestic terrorism charges for crimes as egregious as handing out flyers and organizing bail funds. Just this week, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced indictments of 61 protestors on absurd, showboating RICO charges in a blatant attempt to criminalize protesting state violence.
There is hope: A city-wide referendum hopes to halt the project by ordering a suspension of its lease. Join comrades from Atlanta DSA and across the country throughout September to call Atlanta voters and ask them to sign the referendum petition, which needs signatures from at least 15% of the city’s registered voters to get on the ballot. The ever-increasing militarization of an unaccountable police force must be stopped whenever possible, and Atlanta is ground zero for that fight. RSVP here.
Metro DC DSA’s social housing campaign will be continuing in earnest over the next few weeks, providing two opportunities to support the campaign’s success. If you are interested in boosting the campaign to decommodify housing in DC, the campaign could use your help.
Please come out on September 9 at 1pm to the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library (close to Fort Totten metro) for an in-person session of the Meditation and Emotional Balance for Organizers training series. It will be the second to last session, and we will talk about fear.
Political organizing presents many challenges, with increasing life demands, competition for attention and endless distractions to navigate. Through this series, the first by the new Metro DC DSA Training Department, organizers have been learning and practicing techniques to strengthen our inner resources when going through difficult emotions, as well as learning to trust and lean on our comrades to share and navigate what comes. Training Department steward and certified meditation coach Elise R will guide participants through ways to manage emotionally in the midst of difficult conversations and to integrate meditation practices into our organizing work and daily life.
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-19 strain going around. We hope to see you there.
Metro DC DSA organizing free brake light clinic on Saturday, September 23 — canvassing/wheatpasting next Sunday, September 17
On Saturday, September 23, Metro DC DSA will be hosting a free brake light clinic to build community support for getting police out of traffic enforcement. The clinic, where volunteers will fix brake lights on cars for free, will be held from 11am to 4pm outside the Autozone at 519 Rhode Island Ave NE. The process for fixing brake lights is simple, but will help in reducing community interactions with police and help educate the community on legislation that activists are interested in passing in DC in the near future.
To prepare for the clinic, the Defund MPD working group will be hosting a training and canvass to build awareness of the DC clinic on Sunday, September 17. Learn how to change a brake light from 1 to 2pm, and then canvass and wheatpaste local neighborhoods and invite residents to the brake light clinic from 2 to 5pm. We’ll meet in the parking lot of the Autozone. Let us know you’re coming by filling out this sign-up form. And if you or someone you know would be interested in getting their brake light fixed at one of the clinics on September 23, please fill out a repair request form for the clinic.
Last Call: Fall 2023 Reading Groups
It is the last week to sign up for Fall 2023 Reading Groups through Metro DC DSA — take action before it’s too late. Most groups kicked off this past week (no worries if you missed it) and some groups kick off this coming week. There is something for everyone: an internationalism-focused film discussion group, a group on housing policy in Chile, Ursula K. Le Guin’s sci-fi classic The Dispossessed, a group on the origins of capitalism 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.
Get out the word about rent stabilization in Montgomery County — table at the Long Branch Festival this Saturday
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 this Saturday, September 9. This is a renter community. RSVP here. If you can’t make it this weekend, MoCo DSA will also be tabling at Burtonsville Day on Saturday, September 23 — sign up for a shift here!
In preparation for public outreach events, MoCo DSA has created a frequently asked questions guide to the new rent stabilization bill to share with tenants.
Read the Labor Day Washington Socialist
In case you missed it: Our Labor Day issue of the Washington Socialist is a jam-packed one, with articles spanning the local and the national, the past, the present and the future. An in-depth report-back from DSA’s National Convention offers thorough coverage, chapter member insights and more; comrade Bill M. examines what the Trump indictments mean for the socialist cause in America; Metro DC DSA Campaigns Coordinator Allison K. provides a mid-year campaigns report; Alex M-T investigates the innocuous-sounding voting system being boosted by some of the working class’s biggest enemies; Metro DC DSA’s commitment to hybrid General Body Meetings charts “a new chapter in accessibility;” and a book review of American Midnight notes the parallels in political repression past and present.
Newly elected DSA NPC calls for the mass debt cancellations
As the pandemic-induced pause on student loan collection comes to an end, the newly elected DSA National Political Committee has issued a forceful condemnation of debt as a tool of capitalist oppression and a call for immediate debt cancellation — student, medical, and carceral. The costs of attending college have skyrocketed in recent decades, a pattern not matched by financial aid, effectively forcing a generation of teenagers to unconditionally accept untenable levels of debt that, unlike almost every other form of debt, cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. Debt is an unnecessary yoke upon the working class. You can read the full statement here.
Reproductive 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 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.
Wheatpasting Outreach Events — September 18 and October 1
Sign up here to attend chapter wheatpasting outings in the next month. Wheatpasting is a great way to be part of a small group raising awareness about the chapter and its upcoming political education events through putting up posters around the DC area — no experience necessary. We’ll meet and fan out in small groups to put up posters for chapter events on Monday, September 18th at 6:30pm (meeting at U Street Metro) and Sunday, October 1 at 1pm (meeting at Dupont Circle Metro). You can sign up here or as part of the sign up for the Big Tech and Capitalism: DC Walking Tour, which will take place on October 7.
INFO ACCESS
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 work group publication here or even contribute to the open-source project on GitHub. Read more from the NTC’s announcement here.
Publications Schedule: Our Labor Day Washington Socialist from last week continues to reward with extensive national convention coverage, and has more to come. September Updates are scheduled for Fridays, the 15th and 22nd, and the October Washington Socialist appears with the Update on Friday, September 29. Article deadline for October’s newsletter is Sept. 23. Please send article submissions to [email protected].
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.
And “live from our studio” Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation with Q&A avails, on Wednesdays, September 13 and September 27.
Quick reference links for MDC DSA:
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
The Swap Fair | Swap DC
Bring your unworn and gently used clothing items to the DC State Fair and get to swappin’! On Sunday, September 10 from 10am to 5pm, Swap DC will be at the State Fair (Franklin Park, 1332 I Street NW) helping folks swap and recycle their shoes, clothing, and accessories. All clothing must be washed before swapping. Please bring no more than 10 pieces to swap or recycle.
Project Clean Stream Kick Off Week | Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Every year, tens of thousands of volunteers come together to pick up trash from local streams, creeks, rivers, parks, and neighborhoods as part of the Alliance’s Project Clean Stream. The Alliance works with Site Captains to coordinate local clean-up events and provide supplies such as trash bags and gloves. Kicking off on the week of September 11, this project offers hands-on opportunities through our partnership with residents, local businesses, environmental organizations, local governments, community groups, houses of worship, schools, and universities, to take action to restore clean waters to local streams, creeks, and rivers. Click here to find a clean-up near you.
2023 LGBTQ Intergenerational Symposium | Capitol Hill Village
Capitol Hill Village is hosting a free virtual event on September 23 from 11am to 3:30pm, focused on learning, connecting, and engaging with LGBTQ folks and allies of all ages. The event will include a keynote speaker, wellness session, panel and small group breakouts. Register by contacting [email protected] or calling 202-543-1778 x204.
Art All Night registrations open | Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center (CHACC)
The MLK Corridor in SE DC will be alive all night (and into the morning!) with arts and cultural events, including the CHACC party at 3200 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE. From 6pm to 2am, CHACC is bringing over 40 vendors to Art All Night, live painting, live music, free workshops, a dynamite kids zone, and so much more. Want to be a vendor? Register here. Spots are limited and allotted on a first-come-first-served basis.
Film screening commemorating September 11, 1973 coup in Chile | UMD Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center
Join the UMD Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center and the Department of History this Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 2pm in HJ Patterson Hall, Global Crossroads Atrium for a screening of Chile 1973: Los Trabajadores No Participan en el Gobierno, Son el Gobierno (1973) — “The workers do not participate in the government, they are the government.” Produced by a group of Dutch filmmakers in early 1973, the film highlights many different aspects of the socialist Unidad Popular government in Chile, a project that inspired people around the world. This event will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the US-backed military coup d’etat, which brought Chile’s “peaceful road to socialism” to a bloody end. The film will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Karin Rosemblatt of the History Department. More event information here. For more information, email [email protected].
The Labor Movement, Human Rights and Trade Unionism in the Philippines | Two events with Chairperson Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog of Kilusang Mayo Uno
Hear from the chairperson of the largest union in the Philippines, Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, at upcoming events. First: The Labor Movement & Human Rights Crisis In the Philippines: A Panel Discussion with Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, on Tuesday, September 12 from 6:30 to 8pm at the Cleveland Park Library. RSVP here. Then: Trade Unionism in the Philippines: A Labor Round Table featuring Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog of Kilusang Mayo Uno. Wednesday, September 13 at 6pm, 501 3rd St NW. RSVP here.
ESSENTIAL TRAFFIC
Bernie’s Labor Day message 2023, “Why this Labor Day is so consequential“ – “It’s not utopian thinking to imagine that, for the first time in world history, everyone could have a decent standard of living.” In The Guardian, of course
A remarkably detailed NBC account of internal DSA politics in a House race in Rhode Island including a (temporary?) split with Bernie and AOC (may have adblocker barrier to negotiate).
Nefarious Trumper scheme uncovered (so what else is new?) — a white Trumper op organizes a pressure/agitprop group promoting the idea that immigration hurts US Black communities, an idea “critics of the argument say is merely an underhanded, if not misleading attempt to try and derail comprehensive reform efforts.” Politico
It’s Up to Unions To Make the NLRB Matter: The regulatory climate for unions is good. What will they do with it? The happy times are here at the National Labor Relations Board. The agency passed down a decision last week that could make it meaningfully easier to organize unions — potentially the first of a wave of pro-union decisions that could be coming before the end of Biden’s term. It’s nice to have the government on our side, for once… [But] the NLRB does not organize workers. Only the labor movement can do that. From In These Times via Portside. And here is Jane McAlevey’s take in The Nation.
And going for the toughest nut of all to crack — Unions seek gains in hostile territory: ‘If you change the South, you change America’ Unions and their allies are ramping up efforts to convert an extraordinarily challenging demographic: low-wage workers in the anti-union South. They are trying unorthodox approaches that they hope can reverse decades of organizing failures. That includes organizing employees across different workplaces, wooing workers to join labor groups without traditional shop-by-shop elections and in some cases, taking direct strike action on employers. The Union of Southern Service Workers, an SEIU-backed group, is organizing low-wage workers from across the service industry. The National Domestic Workers Alliance, a non-union membership organization, is mapping blue-leaning Southern jurisdictions. Politico (tip from Playbook).
DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Saturday, September 9
11am – 6:30pm | DSA tabling at MoCo Long Branch Festival
1pm | DSA PG County Branch General Meeting
1pm – 2:30pm | Organizer Training Series Week 1: Analyzing Your Workplace
Sunday, September 10
9am | NoVA Medicare for All Arlington Petition Outreach
Noon – 5pm | Canvass for Social Housing (Adams Morgan Festival)
3 – 5pm | Montgomery County Branch September Meeting
Wednesday, September 13
6pm | Free Them All Coalition Testifies at Farmville Town Council Meeting
6:30 – 8pm | Repro Justice Working Group Open Meeting
8 – 9pm | Why You Should Join DSA / New Member Orientation
Thursday, September 14
6:15 – 7:15pm | NoVA Branch Monthly Organizing Meeting
Saturday, September 16
Noon – 5pm | Canvass for Social Housing
1 – 2:30pm | Organizer Training Series Week 2: Bringing Coworkers Together
3 – 5pm | Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power film screening and panel
Monday, September 18
6:30 – 8pm | Wheatpasting for political education event
Tuesday, September 19
6pm | NoVA Medicare for All Working Group Meeting
Wednesday, September 20
7 – 8pm | Defund NoVA Police Working Group Meeting
Thursday, September 21
6:30 – 7:30pm | Social Housing Organizing Meeting
6:30 – 8:30pm | NoVA Branch DSA social meetup
Saturday, September 23
1 – 2:30pm | Organizer Training Series Week 3: Demands, Targets, and Escalation Tactics
Wednesday, September 27
8 – 9pm | Why You Should Join DSA / New Member Orientation
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
