Metro DC DSA Weekly Update for Friday, September 20, 2019


** What's On This Week
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Comrade, MDC DSA's weekend: Saturday, Queer Socialists Organizing Meeting ([link removed]) ; Sunday, Socialist Feminist Reading Group ([link removed]) andPolitical Education Committee ([link removed]) --
AND of course the GLOBAL climate strike ([link removed]) begins today. Here are some local details.
>Our Revolution rendezvous point today is Judiciary Square at 10 AM
[link removed]

>Friday, September 20 MoCo Student Striker Kickoff Rally ([link removed]) at Silver Spring Metro Station at 9:00 AM: Support strikers heading for the 11:00 AM DC Climate Strike march at Freedom Plaza. Details ([link removed]) here ([link removed]) . Details on the Global Climate Strikes are here ([link removed]) .

Monday, September 23: D.C. Climate Strike with DSA
Youth climate activists from around the world have called for a global week of action from September 20-27. In response, a group of organizations in DC--including 350.org, labor union activists and many others--are shutting down DC on the morning of September 23 ([link removed]) . Each group is planning a nonviolent direct action to block key infrastructure and bring DC to a gridlocked standstill. DSA is looking to block an intersection and we really need your input and participation to make it a success. To get involved, email Jake H (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Climate%20strike) (or 202-957-3761) and join the #climate-strike Slack channel. More information: [link removed] ([link removed])

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GM workers are also striking. There’s a roundup of non-MSM info on that strike in Good Reads, below.
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LOCAL BRIEFS
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A vacancy on the MDC DSA Steering Committee will be filled by an all-member election held electronically after the October 13 GBM. A call for nominations will open Wednesday Sept. 25 and close Sunday, Oct. 6. All members will receive an emailed form to self-nominate or nominate another member. Five nominations are required for a member to qualify for the ballot.
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This coming Saturday the Just Pay Coalition is doing worker outreach at H Street fest to talk to folks about how to protect themselves from wage theft and ensure they receive the new minimum wage as well as overtime pay, paid sick days, and (starting next year) paid family leave.
Sign up here: [link removed]
Email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) if you have any questions

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Saturday, Sept 21 -- Local Filipinx White House Rally commemorating the declaration of martial law by US-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos – testimony linking the Marcos martial law era to the current US-backed dictator, Rodrigo Duterte. 2:30-4:30 PM
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HELP DSA FOR BERNIE GET STARTED
Metro DC DSA is getting started on our canvassing and outreach operation in support of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign! This is an exciting opportunity to support the strongest democratic socialist electoral campaign in more than a century, to raise class consciousness in our region, and to recruit more workers to join DSA. Because we are running an independent expenditure campaign, we have the freedom to print our own literature about what democratic socialism has to offer working people in DC, Maryland, and Virginia and control our own messaging and outreach.
But that freedom means we have to independently fundraise to cover printing and event costs. Right now our working group has set a fundraising goal of $10,000 to cover all expenses for the program. Our chapter has come together to help candidates fundraise in the past, and we’re certain we can meet this goal in order to empower our comrades to support democratic socialism at the national level and organize the working class at the local level.
Can you make a donation of $5, $10, $27, or whatever you can spare today in order to support MDC DSA’s Bernie Working Group? Here’s the link to donate: [link removed]
Thank you so much for your support.
In Solidarity,
Ben D. and Brad C.
Co-Chairs, MDC DSA for Bernie Working Group

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NATIONAL BRIEF
Here is the mid-September National DSA Dispatch – a roundup of info and tools from the National Office that was sent to members yesterday (Thursday, September 19).
[link removed]
The Dispatch includes these major sections, accessible at separate internal links:
* No Shortcuts Followup Call and Organizing Class ([link removed])
* DSA National Ecosocialist Working Group Endorses the Global Climate Strike ([link removed])
* Supporting Reparations ([link removed])
* Update on the Tech Tools Rollout ([link removed])
* Stand with UAW strikers — you can help ([link removed])

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Curious about Metro DC DSA? MDC DSA’s website has expanded resources on our chapter Campaigns, WGs and Caucuses – check it out here ([link removed]) . Is your campaign, caucus or working group properly represented? Contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , attn: web managers.
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MDC DSA Publications Schedule for September/October: One more Weekly Update is scheduled in September for Friday Sept. 27 and the October Washington Socialist will publish on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Article deadline for October’s issue is Wednesday, Sept. 25. Updates in October will be published Fridays the 4^th, 11^th, 18^th and 25^th and the November Washington Socialist will publish Friday, Nov. 1.

MDC DSA’s regular periodical publications are managed by the Publications Working Group. Indicate interest in writing or other tasks to further socialist ideas and action by messaging [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or visit our Slack channel, #publications, to see what we are up to. Our activism gains support when it is explained in a socialist context and voice, so check our submission guidelines ([link removed]) , and add your voice to the mix. What shows up in the Washington Socialist? See the Index for 2016-18 ([link removed]) and the supplemental the Washington Socialist Index for January-August ([link removed]) 2019.
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** MDC DSA Events for September/October
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Follow links for details
Saturday, SEP 21, 12- 2 PM
QUEER SOCIALISTS ORGANIZING MEETING ([link removed])
Shaw (Watha T. Daniel) Neighborhood Library 1630 7th St NW · Washington, DC ([link removed])
Comrades, the Queer Socialist Caucus (for LGBTQIA+ socialists and our allies, DSA members and non members welcome) is having an organizational meeting to discuss participation in the National Trans Visibility March on DC on Saturday Sep 28. Also, how we can coordinate with the National DSA Queer caucus/working group (the final form is still being decided), as well as other issues and concerns that may arise. Follow link for details.

Sunday SEP 22 4:00 PM
Socialist Feminism Reading Group 🌹 ([link removed])
The Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Rd., NW, Washington, DC 20009
Please read our reading group Participation Guide ([link removed]) and join us as we explore and discuss topics within Socialist Feminism. 🌹 This month, our readings focus on your ideas. You can submit suggested articles ([link removed]) anytime — we can build a topic around them! Follow link for details

Sunday, SEP 22 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
POLITICAL EDUCATION WORKING GROUP MEETING ([link removed])
Northeast Neighborhood Library 330 7th St NE · Washington, DC ([link removed])
The Political Education working group is having an open meeting to discuss future chapter political education projects, including the third semester of Socialist Night School. Come learn how to get involved with political education and about the upcoming Night School programing! Follow link for details.

Tuesday, SEP 24 5-8 PM
QUEER CAUCUS + LSC HAPPY HOUR ([link removed])
Red Bear Brewing Co 209 M St NE · Washington, DC ([link removed])
The MDC DSA Queer Socialism Caucus will be having our monthly Happy Hour, for all Queer, Trans, and Nonbinary comrades, as well our allies and accomplices. Event is open to the public, DSA membership is not required.
Take a breather for a few hours of smashing the cis-hetero patriarchy and enjoy a comradely social atmosphere. And we’ll be getting out of our silos, meeting and discussing organizing with our comrades from the Libertarian Socialist Caucus. Hope to see you there! Follow link for details.

Wednesday, September 25 7:00 PM:
MoCo DSA Rent Control Working Group Meeting
In downtown Silver Spring
We have met with County Executive Marc Elrich and a number of local organizations who are excited to partner on this campaign with us. Now we need to plan our next phase of the campaign - which will include reaching out to the many DSA members in MoCo who haven't been as active with the branch, and creating content for the new MoCo DSA website that is currently being built! (RSVP by emailing us here, and we'll send you the exact location details (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Sep%2025%20rent%20control%20meeting)

Wednesday, September 25 7- 8:30 PM
Ecosocialists Caucus Meeting ([link removed])
Cleveland Park Library 3310 Connecticut Ave NW · Washington, DC ([link removed])
On Friday, 9/20, people around the world will gather to strike for the climate. The next week, we'll be gathering to plan the next moves -- to talk about climate justice, sustainability, and building an economy that cares for people and the planet and not for profit. Join Metro DC DSA's Ecosocialist Caucus for reflections on the climate strike, news on DSA's new national priority for a Green New Deal, and all other things eco-organizing. Follow link for details.

Thursday SEP 26 6:30 PM
DSA Happy Hour ([link removed])
The Midlands Beer Garden, 3333 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010
Join us for our monthly happy hour! This is a great chance to meet and mingle with fellow comrades. No agenda, no work, and no politics… well, maybe a little politics. Happy hours, like most MDC DSA events, are open to members and non-members alike! Come join us in an informal setting to learn more. Follow link for details

Thursday, September 26 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Metro-DC DSA NOVA Branch Coffee/Happy Hour ([link removed]) 🌹
Detour Coffee 946 N Jackson St · Arlington, Va ([link removed])
🌹No issues, no work, no worries - like a Red Panda, we can escape to just relax and enjoy socializing with our NOVA DSA friends. New members and friends are welcome!

Thursday SEP 26 6:00 PM
Disability Justice Working Group Meeting ([link removed])
The Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009
Join Metro DC DSA Disability Justice Working Group for our monthly meeting. Learn how to get involved in the various campaigns to empower and liberate the disabled community from the oppressive capitalist system. We meet on the first floor of the ADA-compliant Festival Center. ASL interpretation will be provided on request. Follow link for details

Saturday, September 28 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
MetroDC DSA Queer Socialist Caucus at the National Trans Visibility March on DC ([link removed])
Freedom Plaza Washington, DC ([link removed])
MDC QSC will have a contingent in the National Trans Visibility March to show our solidarity with our trans comrades, trans women of color, one of the most marginalized groups in society, and all trans people. The march officially starts at 9. Let's meet at 8:45. Drew-Marie will have the chapter banner as well as all their flags (Philly pride, Trans, Nonbinary, GenderQueer, GenderFluid, and Demigirl), if you don't have a sign.

OCTOBER

Wednesday OCT 2 7 PM
Steering Committee (remote only) ([link removed])
Steering Committee meetings are open to any MDC DSA member who would like to attend. You can find the Zoom link in the #steering channel in the chapter’s Slack. If you would like to submit an item for the agenda, please create a Red Desk ticket at [link removed] Follow link for details.

Sunday OCT 6 2:00 PM
MoCo DSA 🌹General Branch Meeting ([link removed])
Connie Morella (Bethesda) Library, 7400 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD 20814
Please join us for our October branch meeting! Help us build our vision for equality, democracy, and socialism in Montgomery County. Afterwards, we’ll adjourn to a local bar for a social hour. See you then! Follow link for details.

Saturday, October 12 12- 2 PM
Queer Socialism Caucus Meeting ([link removed])
Shaw (Watha T. Daniel) Neighborhood Library ([link removed]) 1630 7th St NW · Washington, DC
Comrades, the Queer Socialist Caucus (for LGBTQIA+ socialists and our allies, DSA members and non members welcome) is having an organizational meeting on Saturday, Oct 12 at noon at the Shaw library. Our annual election for caucus chair and secretary will be held at this meeting. (Only MetroDC DSA members in good standing may vote). This will most likely be the final monthly physical meeting, probably going to quarterly physical meetings.

Sunday OCT 13 3:00 PM
Metro DC DSA Monthly General Body Meeting ([link removed])
Friends Meeting of Washington, 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Washington, DC
The monthly meeting of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America! The agenda will be distributed the week before the meeting. Follow link for details.

Wednesday OCT 16 7:00 PM
Steering Committee ([link removed])
Institute for Policy Studies, 1301 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20036
Steering Committee meetings are open to any MDC DSA member who would like to attend. Please RSVP and message the hosts if you would like to join by videoconference so we can make arrangements to get you the appropriate URL. Follow link for details.

Sunday OCT 20 4:00 PM
Socialist Feminism Reading Group 🌹 ([link removed])


The Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Rd., NW, Washington, DC 20009

Please read our reading group Participation Guide ([link removed]) and join us as we explore and discuss topics within Socialist Feminism. 🌹 Suggest readings yourself at [link removed] Follow link for details

Wednesday OCT 30 7:00 PM
Steering Committee (remote only) ([link removed])
Steering Committee meetings are open to any MDC DSA member who would like to attend. You can find the Zoom link in the #steering channel in the chapter’s Slack. Follow link for details.




** Events from Our Allies in the DMV
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Follow links for details
FRI September 20 MoCo Student Striker Kickoff Rally ([link removed]) at Silver Spring Metro Station
at 9:00 AM: Support strikers heading for the 11:00 AM DC Climate Strike march at Freedom Plaza. Details ([link removed]) here ([link removed]) . Details on the Global Climate Strikes are here ([link removed]) .

SAT Sept 21 -- Local Filipinx White House Rally commemorating the declaration of martial law by US-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos – testimony linking the Marcos martial law era to the current US-backed dictator, Rodrigo Duterte. 2:30-4:30 PM

SAT September 21 Deep Canvass with SURJ ([link removed]) 11 AM – 5 PM Sponsored by SURJ Northern Virginia and Showing Up for Racial Justice – SURJ – DC: at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville, in Maryland. The registration form is coming soon. Follow link for more information.

SAT September 21 Maryland Trans Resilience Conference 9 AM-3 PM, Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 an annual trans-led, trans-focused gathering to foster connection, healing, and education. Details ([link removed]) here ([link removed]) .

SAT Sept 21 – NoVA Labor Canvass/Phone Bank – 9 am
Fairfax County Firefighters Local 2068 will sponsor our labor-to-labor canvass. We will be joined by Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays. Breakfast and lunch will be served.
4536 B John Marr Drive, Annandale.

SAT Sept 21 Brunch for Bernie -- a Bernie 2020 Plan to Win Party 10:00 am -- Noon at Brookland Busboys and Poets (625 Monroe St. NE) Andy Shallal and activist/author Medea Benjamin host a Brunch for Bernie as part of the Plan to Win parties. Come hear what it’s going to take to win the primaries and complete the political revolution. Click here to sign up! ([link removed])

SUN Sept 22 -- Immigration, Legal and Illegal: What’s the Difference? A presentation by Professor Linda Rabben, UMD Associate Research Professor of Anthropology. 2 PM, Greenbelt Community Center Room 114, 15 Crescent Rd. Greenbelt
Sponsored by Friends of Prince George’s County Peace & Justice Coalition. For more information contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

TUES Sept 24 – Federal Employee Rally – Noon on Capitol Hill in DC
Show solidarity with federal workers at a “Fed Up - Rise Up” rally to demand dignity, fairness and respect for federal and D.C. government employees who are under attack by the administration.
Rally sponsored by AFGE, NFFE, IFPTE, and NTEU.
Capitol Hill below area 9 (across from the U.S. Supreme Court).

WED Sept 25 Book Talk on Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America 12:30-2 PM at AFL-CIO• 815 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20006. Ian Haney Lopez, law professor at UC Berkeley, says as the 2020 election approaches, research suggests it’s possible to defang the right-wing dog whistles and to build popular support for bold progressive agendas.

WED Sept 25 Listening Sessions: Are you in the know about Paid Family Leave ([link removed]) 12:30– 2:30 PM at Restaurant Opportunity Center DC, Second Floor, 1100 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009 – a discussion on the upcoming Paid Family Leave benefit and how service industry professionals will be affected. Watch for more sessions around the city.

THURS Sept 26 DC Stand Up Against “RIA” Displacement at Brookland Manor ([link removed]) 8 AM District of Columbia Government DC Court of Appeals 430 E Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20001 Hosted by LinkUp and Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village Residents Association:
8 AM rally; 9:30 AM pack the courtroom to protest DC’s intrusive, tax-subsidized “Rhode Island Avenue” project and its potential for displacing Brookland Manor residents. More info: linkupitsofficial.org/dc-stand-up ([link removed])

SAT Sept 28 – NoVA Labor Canvass with Sara Nelson – 9 am
Join the amazing Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants – CWA, for a labor walk/phone bank. Breakfast and lunch will be served.
4536 B John Marr Drive, Annandale

SAT Sept 28 Poor People’s Campaign Prince George’s Co planning meeting, 12-2 PM Oxon Hill Library 6200 Oxon Hill Rd, Oxon Hill, MD 20745

SUN Sept 29 – The path to single payer health care in Maryland, ([link removed]) 1:30 – 4:30 PM at Elkridge Library – 6450 Washington Boulevard, Elkridge, MD 21075 — Join Senator Paul Pinsky, Chair of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee in the Senate, and Delegate Terri Hill, of the Health and Government Operations Committee in the House, for a discussion of the road map to Single Payer in Maryland. Follow link for more information. [link removed]

MON Sep 30 ROC DC Monthly Meeting! ([link removed]) 1-3 PM Restaurant Opportunity Center DC, Second Floor, 1100 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009 [link removed] ([link removed])
Come together and meet other restaurant and tipped workers in DC who want to build worker power in order to improve wages and working conditions in the DC restaurant industry! Follow link for more information.

THURS Oct 3 The Epiphany Power Hour: ONE DC ([link removed]) 12:10-1 PM at The Church of the Epiphany 1317 G St NW, DC xxxxxx Claire Cook and Kelly Iradukunda of ONE DC teach us about organizing in our city. Hosted EVERY THURSDAY by The Church of the Epiphany and ONE DC ([link removed]) : [link removed] ([link removed])

SAT Oct 5 Street Law 101: Know Your Rights Training ([link removed]-) 1-3 PM – Dorothy I. Height/Benning Neighborhood Library, 3935 Benning Rd NE, Washington, DC 20019, Hosted by Black Lives Matter DC and Keep DC 4 Me: [link removed] ([link removed]-)
The people most targeted by police MUST have critical information about their rights during police interactions. Follow link for more information.

SUN Oct 6– Eastern Shore Environmental Legislative Summit ([link removed]) , 1- 4 PM (Doors open at noon) hosted at Washington College – 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620
Explore the issues that face the Shore (and the state), what steps have been taken, and what obstacles we must overcome to defeat the existential crisis of Climate Change and other pressing environmental issues. [link removed] ([link removed])

THUR Oct 10 AROS Forum On New Funding Formula ([link removed]) For Prince George’s Public Schools at LAUREL HIGH SCHOOL, 8000 Cherry Lane Laurel 20707 at 6:30 PM Parents, students and engaged community members are invited to hear about the Kirwan commission proposals and possibilities of well-funded schools — and make their voices heard. Also WED October 23 at Bowie Performing Arts Center, 15200 Annapolis Rd. Bowie 20715, 6:30 PM: WED November 12 at Prince George’s Community College, 301 Largo Rd. Largo 20774, 6:30 PM and MON November 18 at OXON HILL HIGH SCHOOL 6701 Leyte Drive Oxon Hill 20745 6:30 PM. Follow link for details. ([link removed]) Marylanders – A coalition of advocates is presenting informational sessions on school improvement through the Kirwan commission proposals. You can see all the
sessions listed in this article: [link removed]

Sun Oct 13 Cop Watch DC - October Training! ([link removed]) 1-4 PM Mount Pleasant Branch DC Public Library Washington, District of Columbia -- get trained to watch the cops with Cop Watch DC! Together we'll talk about how we stay safe while we document interactions between cops and our neighbors/community members in order to reduce harm and build community power together. Hosted by The Future is Feminist and SURJ - DC: [link removed] ([link removed])
Register [link removed] ([link removed])

THUR Oct 17 Monthly Legal Clinics for Restaurant Workers! ([link removed]) 1– 5 PM, 1100 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009 Hosted by Restaurant Opportunities Center of Washington DC (ROC-DC): RSVP HERE: calendly.com/roc-dc/legal-clinic ([link removed]) – get answers to your questions regarding your legal rights in the workplace – breaks, paid sick days, tips, harassment and more

SUN Oct 20 Deep Canvass with SURJ ([link removed]) 11 AM – 5 PM Sponsored by SURJ Northern Virginia and Showing Up for Racial Justice – SURJ – DC: at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville, in Maryland. The registration form is coming soon. Follow link for more information.


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GOOD READS
>>Articles on the GM strike: here is Labor Notes [link removed]
Some touts from a roundup sent by Build -- VOX links the GM strike to Medicare For All [link removed]
Jane McAlevey in The Nation: ([link removed]) ; Kim Kelly in The Baffler ([link removed]) ; In These Times writes “The Strike Against General Motors is One Front Against a Much Larger Class War.”
([link removed])

>>Our local comrade David Schwartzman has published in Climate & Capitalism on the opportunity – narrowing but still there – for China’s lead role in combating climate change. Contingency: the US threat to China forces redirection of the resources that could further that goal, as well as of our own. [link removed]

>>A Maryland version of the Green New Deal, tailored for the state, written by an officer of the Maryland Green Party and published in Maryland Matters: [link removed]

>>Here’s a second-bounce article on DSA’s insider labor strategy as perceived in NYC media, following on the mid-August Politico article ([link removed]) that had NYC DSA “quietly plotting” to insert themselves into the rank and file membership of a half-dozen local unions. [link removed]

>>Our comrade Dave Richardson forwards this article from Solidarity’s newsletter by Diane Feeley – “Some thought that for his second run Bernie would move to the “center,” but interestingly enough he is staking out a fuller social democratic program. His highlighting the need for an economic bill of rights has opened up an important discussion.” [link removed]

VIEW ALL UPCOMING DC DSA EVENTS ([link removed])

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