Comrades:

 

We hope this finds you and your family healthy and safe.

 

The news today that Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the Presidential primary is a gut-wrenching reminder of the obstacles we face. This is not the first time we have been confronted with considerable setbacks, but this time, we have come further. Our numbers have grown as we mobilized over the past months, we have built broader connections across our community, and we have constructed a resilient organization committed to the fight for democratic socialism. Now is the time to maintain that momentum.

 

Please join us at our next Chapter Meeting on Thursday, April 16, at 7p, via Zoom (call info to follow). 


Our members have been checking in on each other throughout the crisis -- you may have received a call or voicemail from us recently -- and we want to continue those conversations at the upcoming meeting, particularly around how to extend Berkshires DSA’s ongoing response to the COVID crisis.


So far, we have been reaching out to other organizations in the area, including the NAACP and the Elizabeth Freeman Center, as well as our comrades in Pioneer Valley DSA. We endorsed a bill currently being considered in the Mass legislature to put a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. We’ve also been active in other areas, such as reaching out to comrades in Cape Cod DSA to support the Mashpee Wampanoag in defending against being removed from their land.

 

These are just first steps; as a chapter, we need to discuss strategies for addressing both the immediate and long-term consequences of COVID. One path we will discuss is founding a Labor Working Group, and coordinating closely with the Restaurant Worker Project of the Democratic Socialist Labor Commission. Please join us at the meeting on Thursday, April 16, at 7p, to discuss these ideas and more. Bring suggestions!

 

With Bernie’s departure from the primary, and the ongoing COVID crisis, there has never been a better time to renew your commitment to organizing at the local level. This is also a time of renewal for our chapter, as a new Executive Committee comes in. Our new Co-Chairs, Christian Kennedy and Sidney Rothstein, along with Jessica Cappelli as Treasurer/Secretary and Amillie Coster continuing as Communications Coordinator, are excited to build on the strong foundations provided by Dan Raftery, John Prusinski, and Brian Hunt.

 

Keep an eye out for an email from us with call info for our upcoming meeting. We’re looking forward to seeing you next week!

 

In solidarity,

 

Christian Kennedy

Sidney Rothstein

Co-Chairs, Executive Committee

Berkshires DSA

Berkshiresdsa.org

--
Please note that this is a closed group, and all messages posted to this group should be considered private to the group. NEVER repost, forward, or share any message from this list without the express permission of the original poster.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Berkshire Democratic Socialists of America" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/xxxxxx/CAPDXfaakMPBhjcQV_295qKhWV4g9MXtpS8pfSi3-YvuRXo_YLg%40mail.gmail.com.