Upcoming chapter General Body Meeting this Sunday, May 18; to likely include live voting on convention delegate election method; Sign up for the socialists’ famous summer reading groups; Organizing, outreach, camaraderie opportunities available to socialists across the DMV
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is
produced by local members of the chapter's Publications Working Group. The Weekly Update publishes every
Friday at 9am. Want to fight fascism from the heart of empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
UP FRONT
Upcoming chapter General Body Meeting this Sunday, May 18; to likely include live voting on convention delegate election method
This Sunday, members of Metro DC DSA are convening at the Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave NW, DC 20008) from 2 to 4:30pm for the May General Body Meeting. As usual, chapter working groups and formations will provide reportbacks on activity over the past month and outline ongoing chapter activity. Sign up to receive information and notice here.Because live voting is expected at this meeting, chapter members are strongly urged to register in advance of the meeting to give GBM organizers opportunity to prepare. This meeting will be hybrid.
Additionally, at this meeting, members are expected to discuss and engage in live voting to determine the voting method to be used by the chapter in determining delegates to the national DSA convention happening this summer, where the DSA’s wider political position and path forward will be established. As written in the DSA bylaws: “Chapters may determine their own method of election of delegates to the Convention except that a petition from ten percent (10%) of a Chapter’s membership or a motion supported by fifteen percent (15%) of those present and voting at the Chapter meeting which determines the method of election will require the use of the Hare system in that Chapter’s election of delegates to the National Convention.” A chapter petition effort to adopt ranked choice voting has not, at time of writing, reached the 10% threshold needed to auto-adopt ranked-choice voting. Metro DC DSA members are encouraged to participate in asynchronous convention discussion in the #2025-national-convention channel in the chapter Slack.
Sign up for the socialists’ famous summer reading groups — 12 different programs on offer
Don’t do socialism alone. This summer, Metro DC DSA is assembling 12 distinct reading and discussion groups on socialism, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, future fiction, and more. The chapter’s reading groups provide an opportunity to learn in a group setting, and help members develop their organizing and knowledge alongside comrades. Topics range from a viewing and discussion group for the Andor TV series; fiction connected to Palestine and anti-fascist organizing; theoretical analyses on the chapter’s Abolition, Social Housing, and Internationalist campaigns; and much more. Locals can find out more about each group here and sign up for the reading groups here.
Organizing, outreach, camaraderie opportunities available to socialists across the DMV — a packed Saturday, May 17
Socialists and allies across the District, Maryland, and Virginia are planning mass activity over this weekend. Organizing, canvassing, rallying, writing, and more are happening on Saturday, May 17. Find below some immediate actions taking place, with expanded detail in BRIEFS:
Montgomery County tenant groups organizing large Tenants Summit at 10am: Montgomery County DSA, Progressive Maryland, Housing Justice Montgomery, CASA, and tenants associations from around the county are hosting the first Montgomery County Tenants Summit on May 17 in Rockville. Please note an address change in BRIEFS.
Prince George’s County Branch General Meeting, 1 – 2:30pm: Comrades will meet at the Bladensburg Library, 4820 Annapolis Road to tackle member engagement (take our survey!) and county government’s improving political conditions. Sign up here to attend live or Zoom in.
Metro DC DSA Book Exchange, Street Team, and After the Storm at DMV Anarchist Bookfair, 2pm: Metro DC DSA Book Exchange, Street Team, and After the Storm are tabling at the first annual DMV Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday, May 17 from 2 – 8pm at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in NW DC.
SOS canvassing tenants to protect the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), 1:30pm: Join Stomp Out Slumlords to talk to tenants about protecting TOPA, a key law that allows tenants to negotiate the sale of their buildings, and defeating the RENTAL Act, which is Mayor Muriel Boswer’s attempt to weaken TOPA. RSVP here.
Ecosocialists planning H Street wheatpasting expedition — time changed to SUNDAY, May 18 at 12pm: Join We Power DC on Sunday, May 18 at 12pm to put up posters around NoMa and H St. Help spread the word about the excesses of Pepco and a real public power alternative, and tap into that latent anger against our greedy utilities. Materials and training will be provided. The expedition is expected to go on even in the case of inclement weather, but receive updates on the event by RSVPing here.
BRIEFS
Arlington County Board’s unanimous decisions are first step towards protecting queer and immigrant Arlington residents
On May 13th, after tireless organizing from directly impacted community members and allies, the Arlington County Board voted unanimously to declare Arlington County a Trans/LGBTQ+ Sanctuary and remove Sections 7 and 8 from the Trust Policy. The Trans Sanctuary vote affirmed Arlington’s commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of LGBTQIA residents. The vote to remove Section 7 and 8 from the Trust Policy effectively ended voluntary police collaboration with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents (ICE) in Arlington. These efforts crossed coalitions and involved DSA’s Abolition & Bodily Autonomy Working Groups, along with many other community organizations. Arlington is the second trans sanctuary locality in the commonwealth of Virginia. These are monumental steps forward for the safety of ALL Arlingtonians, especially migrant, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ neighbors who have always been at great risk for targeting, profiling, and criminalization at the hands of police and ICE — and the victories were achieved in no small part thanks to the many people, including DSA members, who packed board meetings, canvassed, commented, or otherwise supported these actions.
The full text of the sanctuary resolution is available here. The campaign to develop and pass the sanctuary resolution was initiated and led by the Trans & Queer Liberation Campaign of Metro DC DSA Bodily Autonomy. Comrades in the campaign drafted suggested resolution text, met with board members, and recruited allied organizations, including Equality Arlington and La ColectiVA, in building an intersectional coalition to win the Sanctuary resolution.
Abolition Working Group and PG County Branch holding Poetry and Abolition event in Suitland
Ketu Oladuwa, a former death row inmate turned poet who is touring the country for his 80th birthday, will be “poeting” at Creative Suitland on Sunday, May 18 from 3 – 5pm. The event is co-sponsored by the Metro DC DSA Abolition Working Group and the Prince George’s County MDC DSA Branch. Ketu will be accompanied by author/poet Caroline Brewer, singer/storyteller Dr. Karen Wilson-Ama’Echefu, and percussionist Abasi Johnson. DSA member Imara Crooms will be in conversation with Ketu, and artwork and writings from incarcerated penpals of the Abolition Working Group will be on display. RSVP here.
Fair Price Fair Wage Coalition calling DC service industry workers for emergency meeting on Monday, May 26th to discuss Initiative 82 defense
As Mayor Bowser and a network of corporate sycophants on the DC Council plot to overturn Initiative 82, restaurant and service industry workers are banding together to organize a defense. On Monday, May 26th, the Fair Price Fair Wage Coalition — of which DSA is a member — is calling for all tipped workers and allies to attend an emergency meeting on Monday, May 26th to discuss defense of Initiative 82 against attacks from the Restaurant Association of Washington. The event is set to take place at the Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd NW) in Adams Morgan, and there will be two opportunities for attendance, from 2 – 4pm or from 6 – 8pm. The event will be bilingual, with English and Spanish interpretation, and will have food provided and childcare available. Read more here.
The Fair Price Fair Wage Coalition has also prepared a new Tipped Worker survey for circulation. Data collected on this form is being used by the Fair Price Fair Wage Coalition to inform strategy for I82 defense, and also to inform workers on working conditions across the service industry for future action and organizing potential. Following collection, relevant information will be made available to workers who fill out the form. Find survey here. Readers are encouraged to forward this survey to contacts in the restaurant, bar, and service industry, or to any worker in the city who receives tips.
Political education and organizing courses available: sign up for “Our Collective is the Prize” and “Beyond the Bombs”
Trumpian fascism and global imperialism are threatening working-class communities from DC to Palestine and everywhere in between — making education and organizing more important than ever. Two Metro DC DSA-affiliated courses provide the perfect opportunities to engage.
“Our Collective is the Prize,” cosponsored by Metro DC DSA, is an online course from Comrades Education and a learning community focused on defending our communities and public institutions against the immediate attacks coming out of the second Trump administration, while building our offensive capacity to create a completely different social system — one that serves the needs and well-being of all. This three-session course will focus on: 1) building community, finding your political home, and taking action right now; 2) assessing root causes and liberal failures; 3) expanding our imagination of what’s possible and committing ourselves to a long-term strategy for fundamental change. The course begins May 18, and registration is still open. Click here to read the full course description and to register.
In addition, comrades have the opportunity to sign up for “Beyond the Bombs.” Hosted by the Metro DC DSA Internationalism Working Group, this “Anti-Imperialist Summer School” will consist of a series of teach-ins, held over the course of six weeks in June and July, which will provide a crash course in the shape and functioning of contemporary global imperialism.
The weekly sessions will take place Sundays from 4 – 6pm starting June 1 and will run for approximately 90 minutes. All sessions will be hybrid: in-person at the Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd NW) and online. RSVP for Zoom link.
TOMORROW: Metro DC DSA Book Exchange and After the Storm at DMV Anarchist Bookfair — Saturday, May 17 at 2pm
Metro DC DSA Book Exchange, Street Team, and After the Storm are tabling at the first annual DMV Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday, May 17 from 2 – 8pm at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in NW DC. Come out for a day of workshops — including a flash fiction-writing workshop on social housing from After the Storm at 7pm — book and zine vendors, artists, and music. The DMV Anarchist Bookfair will be an inclusive and accessible space where authors, publishers, activists, and community members come together to explore alternative perspectives, exchange ideas, and question conventional notions of power and authority. Attendees are required to wear masks, which will be provided at the event.
Montgomery County tenant groups organizing large Tenants Summit TOMORROW, Saturday, May 17 at 10am
Montgomery County DSA, Progressive Maryland, Housing Justice Montgomery, CASA, and tenants associations from around the county are hosting the first Montgomery County Tenants Summit on May 17 in Rockville. This will be a gathering of tenants from all over the county — folks who are fed up with the way things are and ready to do something about it. There will be food, workshops, and space to meet tenants who are fighting for better conditions, fair rents, and real accountability from landlords. It’s a chance to build power together and learn what’s working in other buildings. Anyone who is interested in building tenant power from across Maryland is invited to join. RSVP here. NOTE: The summit location has been changed, please join comrades at the Montgomery County Educators Association office at 12 Taft Ct, Rockville.
TOMORROW: Prince George’s County Branch General Meeting — Saturday, May 17, 1pm
Prince George’s County comrades: Build political power and gather with fellow socialists at the PGC DSA Branch General Meeting, Saturday, May 17 from 1 to 2:30pm. Comrades will meet at the Bladensburg Library, 4820 Annapolis Road to tackle member engagement (take our survey!) and county government’s improving political conditions. Sign up here to attend live or Zoom in.
The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project and Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle call for reparations support
SB 587, a bill that creates a statewide reparations committee, was passed overwhelmingly by the Maryland House and Senate, but as of yet, Governor Moore has taken no action. He has about 30 days to either sign or veto the bill. Information about the bill and on calling, emailing, and tagging Gov. Moore can be found here.
New to DSA and looking to connect with others? Join the new member cohort this June
Everyone new to Metro DC DSA is invited to apply to join the Summer 2025 New Member Community Cohort. The group will participate in Wednesday night sessions for three weeks starting June 4 at MLK Library in DC. Participants will cover foundational organizing concepts, creating a meaningful framework for socialism, and how to become an active member in DSA. At least one session will be followed by a social hour, and comrades in the cohort will be signing up together for direct actions throughout the month. Applications are due by May 26.
Join the Rockville rent stabilization day of action on Saturday, May 24
Rockville Renters United organizations are planning a day of action on Saturday, May 24 to get out the word about the campaign for rent stabilization in the city of Rockville, MD. Join the Montgomery County DSA and the Twinbrook Tenant Association for a canvass, starting from the Twinbrook Metro at 12pm to knock on doors and distribute yard signs. RSVP here.
In addition to the Twinbrook canvass, Rockville Renters United will be flyering during the Hometown Holidays festival in Rockville Town Center, and Progressive Maryland and the Huntington Tenant Association will be canvassing the King Farm neighborhood of Rockville, starting at 10am.
Want to stay updated? MDC DSA members are encouraged to join our all-member Slack for real-time info on working group and campaign events, convo, and inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get Slack access. Weekly Updates, like the one you are reading, are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Updates are on the web here. Not subscribed? DSA member or not, sign up to get the Update here. The MDC Dispatch is the chapter’s new video news series, published on the first and third Sunday of each month. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and submit your Update or Dispatch suggestions or DMV scandal tips to our tip line.
The Washington Socialist, published since the 1970s, offers in-depth analytical/opinion articles on a quarterly schedule; the Spring 2025 quarterly issue now leads the queue. Check out our indexed and searchable archive to see what we write — and what you can write. Anyone, MDC DSA member or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to [email protected].
DMV LEFT COMMUNITY BULLETIN
Trans Pride DC 2025 conference on May 17 | Trans Pride DC
Trans Pride Washington, DC is a community-driven organization founded nearly two decades ago by SaVanna Wanzer. Led by trans individuals, Trans Pride is dedicated to empowering and uplifting trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse communities in the Washington, DC area. The organization’s May 17 conference offers a full day of panels, speakers, workshops, a resource fair, and much more. Review the program and RSVP here.
DC Labor FilmFest | Labor Heritage Foundation
The Labor Heritage Foundation and AFI Silver’s2025 DC Labor FilmFest continues through May. (Metro DC DSA is a co-sponsor.) Don’t miss out on a dozen powerful films about workers and their stories — including LILLY, NINE TO FIVE, and STRIKE — screening at the AFI Silver at the 25th edition of the annual festival. The screenings will reveal powerful storytelling that honors the dignity, struggle, and spirit of working people. The Labor Working Group has been given a limited number of FREE TICKETS which will be distributed to DSA members who attend labor actions in the coming weeks.
Among the upcoming showings is the documentary Singing for Justice about folk musician and activist Faith Petric, which will screen Monday, May 19, at 6:30pm at New Deal Café. Petric used folk music to inspire action and solidarity at civil rights marches, anti-war protests, and events supporting labor and LGBTQ+ rights. “In times of darkness, Faith showed that a well-sung song could light the way forward,” says Estelle Freedman, director of the film, who will attend the screening. Elise Bryant, DC Labor Chorus Director, will lead the post-film discussion. The acclaimed DC Labor Chorus will also perform. If unable to attend the free film in-person, register to watch via Zoom. Please note the earlier start time.
Yard Sale Fundraiser on May 17 | Park East Co-op
Saturday, May 17, is the Adams Morgan neighborhood’s annual “Mother of All Yard Sales,” and Park East Co-op is participating to raise funds to support their formation of a limited equity housing co-op. People interested in seeing this affordable, resident-owned housing happen in the neighborhood are encouraged to drop by their yard sale fundraiser at 1845 Summit Pl NW. More info on Instagram here.
Filipinx Book Club on May 18 | Anakbayan and Katarungan DC
Join Anakbayan DC and Katarungan DC to read Patricia Evangelista’s Some People Need Killing on Sunday, May 18, at Loyalty Bookstore at 4pm. This book is about extrajudicial killings during President Duterte’s “War on Drugs,” and participants will be reading it through an anticapitalist, anti-imperialist lens. RSVP here.
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES are articles and opinion pieces of interest to DMV leftists but not, generally, appearing
in local media. They should have links without paywalls. Readers are invited to submit candidates at our tip
line.
Why does DC feel so weird right now?
Anyone else feeling like the mood in DC is pretty sour? Published in 730DC, writer Abi Newhouse explores DC’s new uncanny, off-putting zeitgeist that has swarmed into the city over the past few months. Abi uses a new exhibition — titled “Uncanny” — at the National Museum of Women in the Arts to channel an analysis of DC’s new, dark character.
Blood-and-Soil Neoliberalism
In his new book, Hayek’s Bastards, Quinn Slobodian “argues that the contemporary far right is better understood as an offshoot of the neoliberal project than a backlash against it. The radical right has successfully married market competition with ideas imported from neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, genetics, and other natural sciences — a ‘new fusionism,’ with echoes of the old Social Darwinism.” Interview from DISSENT; tx our comrade Dan S’s “5 Lefty Links” for the two above.
This Global Warming Book Is a Token From Another World
Adam Tooze reviews Malcolm Harris’s new book on solutions framed for the planetary climate crisis with admiration, but wonders if its timing in the throes of the Trumpworld zeitgeist diminishes its impact. NYT.
Indigenous scientists are fighting to protect their data — and their culture
As the Trump administration continues to wage war on anything seen as DEI, Indigenous scientists are working with others across the globe to find new ways to protect their data, which contains not only their scientific research but also ancestral knowledge essential to their survival. The Verge.
Republican Tax Bill Could Slap ‘Terrorism’ Label on Non-Profits Opposed to Trump — Fears sparked that Trump would wield law against groups that file lawsuits or organize voters against his policies. “Non-profit groups are sounding the alarm over an attempt by Republican lawmakers to insert a provision allowing the government to cancel the tax-exempt status of organizations it deems “terrorist supporting” in a massive bill under negotiation in the House of Representatives.” The Guardian
Headline says it all: Bowser tosses Trump resistance playbook for a new strategy — “The dramatic shift from Trump’s first four years in office is the result of a political environment in which Democrats have far less leverage.” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has moved to “avoid public clashes, tame her criticism, identify opportunities to build political capital and lean into what she repeatedly refers to as ‘shared priorities’ with the White House.” POLITICO
Gaza solidarity in deeds not words: A Swedish dockworkers union leader was fired after workers struck ships loading weapons for Gaza. They objected to loading ships with weapons that will be used to kill children. That he was fired reflects the intensification of class conflict in Sweden itself. Read the article in Equal Times.
Naomi Klein on Surviving and Resisting: In an interview with Capital & Main, Klein talks about Trump, Musk, and tech bros’ misuse of sci-fi and fantasy to project an image of an anti-human image of the future. Culture is a key field of contestation and coalition is a political need as we build the power of an alternative. See her interview in Capital & Main.
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is produced by
local members of the chapter's Publications working group. The Weekly Update publishes every Friday at
9am.
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
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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 vast and free horizon. - Virgilia D'Andrea
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