Hi everyone,

On December 5th, New Orleans will vote on a number of millages (fancy word for dedicated taxes) that will determine how different parts of the city's government and services are funded. One of those proposals would drastically decrease funding to the New Orleans Public Library system. Funding to the libraries will be cut by 40% if Proposition #2 passes. Although proponents are arguing that this won't change how the library provides services, a 40% cut will almost certainly result in layoffs, cuts to services, and even library branch closures.

New Orleans DSA is standing in solidarity with the library workers and in support of the importance of public libraries. Vote NO on Proposition #2 on the December 5th ballot. As Eleanor Crumblehulme (a famous librarian), said: "Cutting libraries during a recession is like cutting hospitals during a plague." Ain't that just a little too on the nose?!

Want to get more involved in supporting this fight? Follow along with the campaign by liking their social media pages here and here. You can also volunteer to help phonebank and talk to voters about this proposal, and we'll need folks to help Get Out the Vote very soon! Sign up to volunteer here. Lastly, we are raising money to support this coalition campaign, and you can donate here. Any excess funds we raise will go to support the City Workers Organizing Committee!

Solidarity,

DSA New Orleans Local Council

P.S. This week, the New Orleans Budget Hearings for 2021 Budget are underway. On Thursday, City Council will discuss the New Orleans Police Department's budget. We need to divest from our police force and invest in our social services and public goods (like libraries!). Submit a public comment to tell City Council to defund NOPD and invest in real public safety. 

P.P..S. New to DSA? Check out our chapter's new member resources here. You can also always email [email protected] with questions about how to get involved or about the work our chapter is doing. And if you aren't a dues-paying member of DSA yet, join here! 

New Orleans DSA Upcoming Events

National DSA Upcoming Events

Q&A About YDSA. Are you a student who is interested in the Democratic Socialists of America but hasn't joined yet? At a school without a YDSA chapter and not sure about starting one? Are you active in your YDSA chapter but not paying dues? This is the call for you! Join YDSA leaders from colleges and high schools across the country to hear about who we are and what we do. This call is open to anyone looking to learn more about YDSA, especially non-members. RSVP here. Tuesday, November 10th @ 7 PM CST. 

Workplace Organizing Training Program: Leader Identification. Join the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) for our five-session organizer training program, designed for people interested in joining a union, addressing safety or equality issues at work, or just learning more about labor! No previous experience required! RSVP here. Wednesday, November 11th @ 7 PM CST. 

DSA Q+A. Interested in DSA but haven’t joined yet? Looking to get involved in the fights to stop evictions, win Medicare for All, or defund the police, but unsure how to get started? Frustrated with the limited possibilities of national, top-down politics and looking for an alternative? Join DSA leaders from across the country to talk about how organizing as socialists and engaging in mass, bottom-up movement struggle is the best path forward to winning our demands and building a better future, together.Wednesday, November 11th @ 8 PM CST (RSVP here) and November 15th @ 2 PM CST (RSVP here).

Socialist at Work: Life as a Rank-and-File Labor Organizer. At the center of YDSA's strategy and theory of change is the centrality of the labor movement and the need to rebuild it through democratic and militant unions. As YDSA members we have a role to play in this critical task. However, since YDSA is often focused on campus issues, labor outside of the campus is often overlooked. This leaves many YDSA members in a position where they are unsure of how to pursue the socialist struggle outside of their high school and college years. Many are faced with the question of what to do next. Should YDSA students take any random job and begin to do organizing on the side or is there a strategic option of entering high-impact fields to build working-class power? On Wednesday, November 11th at 8:00 PM ET we’ll be joined by four rank-and-file labor organizers and DSA members to talk about what it’s like to be a socialist at work as a rank-and-file labor organizer in their industry. RSVP here. Wednesday, November 11th @ 7 PM CST. 

DSA Immigrants' Rights Post-Election Call. Join the Immigrants’ Rights Working Group of DSA for a Post-Election call to find out ways to get involved in immigrants’ rights organizing. RSVP here. Thursday, November 12th @ 7 PM CST. 

Tenants as Workers: Labor Organizing Strategies to Build Tenant Power. Whatever the results of the election, we must commit to building our base and organizing for housing justice. Join us for this meeting of the DSA Housing Justice Commission to discuss the relationship between the labor movement and the struggle for tenants’ rights.In the first part of the meeting, we’ll talk about applying labor organizing strategies to building tenant unions. Following that discussion, we’ll talk about the role that labor plays in state politics and how to build coalition with labor to win pressure campaigns for tenants' rights. RSVP here. Thursday, November 12th @ 7;30 PM CST.