Solidarity is not a matter of sentiment but a fact, cold and impassive as the granite foundations of a skyscraper. If the basic elements, identity of interest, clarity of vision, honesty of intent, and oneness of purpose, or any of these is lacking, all sentimental pleas for solidarity, and all other efforts to achieve it will be barren of results.



-- Eugene Debs





Comrades,



We've entered the seventh month of lockdown, with no end in sight to the onslaught of COVID-19 cases, wildfires raging out of control all around us, and white terrorists shooting down protestors who dare stand up against racist police violence in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin.



This month, the country's supposed political leadership, meanwhile, is engaging in the meticulously orchestrated media spectacles that are their party conventions. The Democratic convention wrapped up last week, formalizing the nomination of Joe Biden, who, in the middle of an anti-police uprising, supports additional funding for police ([link removed]) , and in the middle of a pandemic opposes Medicare for All ([link removed]) .



The GOP convention is currently underway, featuring Republicans repeatedly downplaying the pandemic while peddling the same "law and order" rhetoric ([link removed]) that conservatives have used for a generation to justify violence against Black people.



Meanwhile, even as the Black Lives Matter uprising continues, in Wisconsin, just an hour away from Milwaukee, where the DNC was nominally held, an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake ([link removed]) was shot in front of his children in an encounter with police that has left him hospitalized and paralyzed from the waist down.



In the ensuing protests, a young, white "police admirer," and right-wing vigilante inspired by Trump’s racialized pro-police rhetoric, murdered two protestors in cold blood while roaming the streets with an assault rifle ([link removed]) .



We live in a social system that puts profit over climate, profit over health, and profit over Black lives. And yet, we have the power to smash that system and install a regime of humanity and dignity for all. Only our unity in purpose and solidarity in action can overturn this system.



Next month, we're having our own convention ([link removed]) , not whip up a media circus, but to have substantive debate and democratically set the priorities for East Bay DSA for the coming year, a critical time for the socialist movement.



Please join us ([link removed]) and help us decide together what the next steps to take to overturn this social order and replace it with one built on freedom, democracy, and solidarity.





News and Information

Here's some of the latest news and information from East Bay Majority ([link removed]) , East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective





** THE AC TRANSIT BOARD ELECTION IS A FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC TRANSIT

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The pandemic and looming budget cuts threaten the future of public transit in the East Bay. Jovanka Beckles is running for AC Transit Board on a platform of free, safe, and environmentally sustainable public bus service.



Read more ([link removed])

Featured Events

While we are still unable to meet face-to-face, events are still going on that you can be a part of. RSVP below to stay updated. You can also keep track on our Events page ([link removed]) .





** MUTUAL AID MASK BUILDING

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Today! August 27 | 5:15–7:30 p.m.

Empowerment Park at Lake Merritt, 462 Bellevue Ave, Oakland ♿️



Join us to build masks for people dealing with wildfire smoke and talk about the connections between climate change, capitalism, and the green new deal with passersby.



Empowerment park has wheelchair-accessible sidewalks. Hablamos Español. Please email the committee Co-Chairs at [email protected] with any accessibility questions or concerns.



RSVP ([link removed])





** 2020 CONVENTION PHONEBANK

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Friday, August 28 | 6–8 p.m.

Remote – email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=2020%20convention%20phonebank) for info ♿️



East Bay DSA is having our 2020 Local Convention on September 13th! Our Convention is the highest decision making body in our chapter, and it’s where we collectively set priorities for the coming year. But in order to make sure that as many members as possible are able to participate, it’s going to take some internal organizing.



Join us in phonebanking our membership to get them to RSVP, read the priorities that we'll all be debating, and pump everyone up!



If you have any questions, please email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=2020%20Convention%20phonebanking) .



RSVP ([link removed])





** SOCIALIST DAY SCHOOL: DAY 1

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Saturday, August 29 | 2–5 p.m.

Online via Zoom – register for info ([link removed]) ♿️





** SOCIALIST DAY SCHOOL: DAY 2

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Sunday, August 30 | 2–5 p.m.

Online via Zoom – register for info ([link removed]) ♿️



The Political Education Committee is proud to invite you to East Bay DSA's Socialist Day School on Saturday and Sunday, August 29–30!



A lot has happened this year, from Bernie failing to win the nomination, to the economic and health disasters triggered by coronavirus, to the mass mobilization against the structural racism perpetuated by police violence. Discussion and debate of our strategies and tactics are crucial--now more than ever! The moment demands that we seriously engage with strategic debates and that we look critically at the theory which guides us.



We have designed a weekend-long event to ensure that we have the tools to do so. The weekend will focus on two topics: Electoral Politics and Mass Movements in America, and Socialist Anti-Racism & Mass Uprisings. Attendees will engage in free-form discussion on a set of readings that cover key debates, sharing and comparing their thoughts in an effort to develop a more solid understanding of strategy and theory, both as individuals and as a chapter.



It is evident that we now face a situation that requires rigorous analysis and critical understanding. So join us as we rise to the occasion!



See the readings ([link removed])

Register here ([link removed])





** CANCEL RENT PARTY: FUNDRAISER FOR CARROLL FIFE AND DEAN PRESTON

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Sunday, August 30 | 6–7:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP here ([link removed]) ♿️

This event will be live-captioned and count with ASL interpretation



Join us this Sunday, August 30 at 6 p.m., for a ‘Cancel Rent’ fundraising party via Zoom to support two working-class champions in the Bay Area who firmly believe housing is a human right: Carroll Fife and Supervisor Dean Preston.



Featuring a Q&A with both candidates, live music, comedy, prizes, and more!



The Bay Area is in an ongoing housing crisis, and COVID-19 is adding fuel to the fire. Rent is due soon, and millions of vulnerable people across America risk being thrown out of their homes. We have to protect tenants, cancel rent and mortgage obligations during the pandemic and enact policies to guarantee housing for all.



Dean won his last campaign against an incumbent opponent funded by big developers and corporate landlords — demonstrating that insurgent democratic socialist candidates can win. Now on the SF Board of Supervisors, Dean has spearheaded key housing justice victories, including passing an eviction moratorium that permanently bans landlords from evicting tenants who fail to pay rent due to the COVID-19 crisis. [link removed]



Carroll is the executive director of ACCE Oakland, one of the master-minds behind Moms for Housing, and powerhouse organizer who helped pass legislation at the state and local level to build collective power for tenants. In her Oakland City Council race, Carroll is campaigning to fund services by defunding OPD and to make housing a human right for all. [link removed]



We need your help to win! We don’t have big developers bankrolling our campaigns — so we rely on grassroots cash. We need you and all your friends to join us and help get these DSA candidates across the finish line!



This event is hosted by two Bay Area chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America: East Bay DSA and San Francisco DSA.



For external captions tune into: [link removed]



RSVP on Facebook ([link removed])



Register ([link removed])





** LABOR COMMITTEE MEETING

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Sunday, August 30 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️

Please join the East Bay DSA Labor Committee for our regular monthly meeting. It's open to all DSA members who are interested in getting involved in labor work with their comrades! Learn more about how to get involved in the committee, our ongoing projects, and upcoming solidarity actions! If you'd like to submit an item for the agenda, please email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .



RSVP ([link removed])





** PHONEBANK FOR PROP 15!

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Monday, August 31 | 7–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️

Prop 15, or Schools and Communities First, is a ballot measure that prevents large, wealthy corporations/individuals from using a tax loophole to avoid contributing to schools and public services. We're phonebanking people to get the word out and we could use your help!



RSVP ([link removed])





** THE ORGANIZER’S TOOLBOX: HOW TO HAVE A ONE-ON-ONE

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Monday, August 31 | 7–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿

In this training, we will discuss and practice the art of the one-on-one meeting. This is a powerful and foundational skill for any organizer—it helps us form a political relationship with somebody, understand more about who they are and what motivates them, and gives us an opportunity to make a concrete ask of them.



One-on-one meetings can help us develop political relationships with other working-class people, build leadership in your committee, and move people to action. Come to this training to learn the components of a one-on-one and get some real-life practice.



Note: While everybody is welcome, this training event is geared towards people who are already active in the Democratic Socialists of America or aligned organizations.



Recommended readings ([link removed])



RSVP ([link removed])





** PHONEBANK FOR PROP 15!

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Tuesday, September 1 | 7–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️

RSVP ([link removed])





** SOCIALIST NIGHT SCHOOL: ECO-SOCIALIST PRINCIPLES

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Thursday, September 3 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️

In 2018 the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an alarming report, stating that the world needed to steeply cut its carbon emissions and make radical changes in order to limit the planet’s temperature from rising to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. If that goal wasn’t met, the report predicted a horrifying increase in suffering for almost all life and ecological collapses.



In America, this report was met on the political Left by sustained calls for the abolition of capitalist exploitation of people and the planet. The rationale was that capitalism’s imperative for endless economic growth required massive amounts of energy, the vast majority of which is still produced through fossil fuels. Some of the specific responses were reinvigorated support for anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggles by Indigenous peoples, surges in attendance at climate strikes, and great support for proposals like the Green New Deal by elected officials.



East Bay DSA will explore this theme in a Socialist Night School mini-series, co-organized with our Green New Deal Committee. These 3 events will explore what it means to be an ecosocialist, the Red Deal and Indigenous struggle, and how to fight for a Green New Deal after Bernie.



In this first Night School, we’ll get an introduction to ecosocialism, its history, and how we can organize as ecosocialists today from the local to the national and international levels. For more info on the speakers and readings, click the RSVP link below.



RSVP ([link removed])





** HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL SLATE—EAST BAY DSA CAMPAIGN LAUNCH PARTY

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Friday, September 4 | 7–8:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️

East Bay DSA recently endorsed progressive activists and candidates Lacei Amodei, Elisha Crader, and our member Nestor Castillo for Hayward City Council. The time has come for a virtual Launch Party, to support their allied campaigns and dramatically build our democratic socialist movement in Hayward!



RSVP below to meet Lacei, Elisha, and Nestor, learn about their platforms and their campaigns, sign up for future events, and get plugged into phone-banking and other opportunities to support these candidates! Our efforts can directly help form a majority on Hayward City Council of representatives of and for the working class, who are aligned with our values – instead of those of corporate and police interests like the incumbents they’re running to replace. Our endorsement and strategy also focus on raising class consciousness in Hayward and developing our membership there. If you believe we need more change at the local level, beyond our traditional bases in Oakland and Berkeley, this is the event for you!



RSVP ([link removed])





** EBDSA JOBS PROGRAM PRESENTS: HARLAN COUNTY, USA

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Sunday, September 6 | 6–8 p.m.

Contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) for info ♿️



This Labor Day weekend, join the EBDSA Labor Committee for a screening of Harlan County, USA, and learn about our newly-launched Jobs Program! This Oscar-winning film documents the struggles of Brookside Mineworkers while striking for safer working conditions, fair labor practices, and decent wages.



Following the screening, we will discuss the film and how the Jobs Program aims to build working-class power through strategic workplace organizing.



RSVP ([link removed])





** CAR CARAVAN FOR PROP 15: SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES FIRST

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Monday, September 7 | 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Oakland Technical High School 4351 Broadway, Oakland ♿️

To show our support and build awareness for the important tax ballot measure Proposition 15, we're going to be driving from Oakland Tech to Lake Merritt. We'll have speakers along the way and a good time all the way down! Come early and decorate your car! We'll be driving from Oakland Tech to Lake Merritt, all outside.



RSVP ([link removed])





** GREEN NEW DEAL FOR TRANSIT CAMPAIGN MEETING

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Monday, September 7 | 7–9 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️



Join us to win power for:

* Free Public Transit

* Greatly expanded service, accessibility, and schedule

* Protection of union workers and expansion of union jobs

* Social equity to overcome transportation discrimination

* Conversion of Public Transit to Zero Emissions vehicles



RSVP below for the Zoom link!



RSVP ([link removed])





** MOBILIZER TEAM PHONEBANKING

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Tuesday, September 8 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️

The Mobilizer team’s mission is to build the personal connections that help DSA members get more involved in our chapter and politically active. We have one on one conversations with both new members and existing members of our chapter where we learn about what drew them to the struggle for socialism and help them think about how they want to take the next step to get more engaged. In this weekly phone bank, we call our members and train new Mobilizers on how to make calls. Come help us build a strong chapter and movement while having great conversations!



RSVP ([link removed])





** GREEN NEW DEAL COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING (VIRTUAL)

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Wednesday, September 9 | 6:45–8:45 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️

Our Green New Deal Committee meets on the second Wednesday each month. We will discuss eco-socialist issues, upcoming events and actions, committee priorities, and campaigns. All are welcome! Please RSVP to receive the URL to the meeting or email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .



RSVP ([link removed])

Upcoming Events





** EBDSA 2020 CONVENTION

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Sunday, September 13 | 1–5 p.m.

Online ([link removed])

Our chapter convention is just over two weeks away—please make sure it's on your calendar! Get all the info, formatted beautifully, at [link removed].



Email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) ASAP with any accessibility needs so we can begin to arrange accommodations, or if you have any other questions about the convention.



Website ([link removed])



RSVP ([link removed])

Catch up on Socialist Night School

CATCH UP ON NIGHT SCHOOL

With social distancing guidelines still in place, now's as good a time as any to catch up on our Socialist Night School.



Catch up on past night school readings and videos below.



Watch past Night School videos ([link removed])



Catch up on Night School readings ([link removed])

Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.

DSA now has 70,000 members nationally, and we're still growing. There's never been a better time to get involved than right now! Join our national organization by clicking below and become an official socialist organizer.



Join DSA ([link removed])

This weekend! Wouldn’t you like to attend a party? WOULDN’T IT BE FUN TO CANCEL RENT? Join us in supporting two candidates who believe that housing in a human right. And maybe win a prize while you do!





Caucus Corner

Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website ([link removed]) to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.



Announcements





JOIN THE CLASSROOM JUSTICE CAMPAIGN

📚✏️VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!📚✏️ EBDSA’s Classroom Justice Campaign has been distributing coloring books with resources and information for parents and teachers during the COVID-19 crisis MONDAY and THURSDAY mornings at OUSD food distribution sites, which have doubled this summer. We're looking for more volunteers to help with distribution and printing!



Interested? Sign up using this Google form ([link removed]) .



More info at classroomjustice.org.





Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources. With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience, and almost all others are doomed to be poor at some level. That’s the way the system works. And since we know that the system will not change the rules, we are going to have to change the system.



-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



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