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Shape Our Chapter Electoral Stategy
The TCDSA Electoral Working Group is creating an initial framework for chapter electoral strategy. We are looking to hear input from the membership to inform the foundation of our work. We would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to be as comprehensive as you like.
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All-St. Paul Meeting 🏘️
St. Paul residents and friends, join the TCDSA St Paul regional groups for our first joint meeting. We'll come together to get to know one another and discuss our organizing strategy and priorities.
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Political Education Committee
All are welcome to the Political Education Committee meeting on January 13 (see calendar.) Have input into the topics and timings of TCDSA poli ed sessions, or help us plan social activities, or help build the chapter library and reading lists for various purposes. No expertise needed, come along even if you're just curious.
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Upcoming Events
NOTE: All events are on Zoom unless location is given. Zoom links are found on the calendar near the date of the event if public,
otherwise in Slack.
Steering Committee
Wed, January 6, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Registration info on slack
TCDSA Inreach Meeting
Sat, January 9, 12 - 1:30pm
Register Here (Zoom)
Political Education Committee
Wed, January 13, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Registration info to come (on the calendar)
All-St. Paul Regional Meeting
Sat, January 16, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Register Here (Zoom)
Socialist Reading Group
Sun, January 17, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Register Here (Zoom)
Operations / Tech Committee Meeting
Mon, January 18, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Register Here (Zoom)
Steering Committee
Wed, January 20, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Registration info on slack
TCDSA Health Justice General Meeting
Tues, January 26, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Register Here (Zoom)
Left Social Democrats Caucus Meeting
Wed, January 27, time TBD
Meeting link (Google Meet)
Socialist Feminist Branch Meeting
Sat, January 30th, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Register Here (Zoom)
Check our calendar for more events as they're scheduled or changed!
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Join the Solidarity Fund Committee!
The Solidarity Fund Committee needs new members! This is a very easy, rewarding way to get involved in the chapter and have a direct material impact on your comrades.
The Solidarity Fund ( https://twincitiesdsa.org/solidarity/) is a wealth redistribution tool available to comrades in the Twin Cities area. While we were receiving more money after the pandemic started and especially during the uprising, we fulfilled requests from anyone living in the area, but now that funds are limited again we've returned to limiting our scope to members of DSA and allied organizations or others in the organizing/activism community. We redistributed something like $85,000 this year to hundreds of people.
To do this work, we need people to approve requests. One person on the committee acts as an administrator for the request form and spreadsheet, the chapter treasurer handles disbursements, and the rest of the committee votes on requests. The form administrator posts request details in a private Slack channel, alerts the committee via a Signal chat that requests have been posted, everyone goes and gives a thumbs up or a thumbs down to each request in accordance with the request guidelines, and if it's approved, the treasurer takes it from there.
Now that we've limited our scope again, this is a much smaller time commitment than it was for most of the year - about 1 minute/day or 2-3 minutes every 2-3 days while the fund is open. Please DM Diana on Slack if you're interested in joining - ideally we'd have a few new people now and a few more queued up to join as others cycle off - or if you'd like more information. Thanks! |
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Chapter News / Views of News
(Authors' opinions may not reflect those of the TCDSA)
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Antifascist Organizing in Minneapolis/St. Paul
The struggle against fascism has not been a pristine contest between it and antifascism. During the past decade, it has become intertwined with issues that many people on the left (and apart from the left) would not have anticipated. But all of these issues are clearly based on political forces that we have been dealing with for decades. As a result, the forces arrayed against fascism are smaller than they should be. ... (Read more)- Junius
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Internal Organizing: Being Ready for the Next Crisis
Three political threads swept the Twin Cities this year. Presidential campaigns. Coronavirus. The police murder of George Floyd on May 25...The reality is that the movements from this summer faltered. Many people were de-activated by the false promise of Minneapolis city councillors to abolish the police. Thousands took to the streets when actions were visible and we were fresh, but we were unable to follow or support once police repression drove organizing underground. Mutual aid projects headed by activists ran out of steam and resources. We were forced to confront a gap in our organizing: how do we sustain projects for the long term? . .. (Read more)- Javier M.
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The Dems: An Election Analysis
Yes, they won the White House, but down ballot, the Democratic Party did not see the kinds of successes they were counting on. They lost ground in the House, may yet fail to take back the Senate, and left the Republicans in control of most state legislatures. They fell far short of expectations, and they are looking for an explanation... (Read more)- Cesar M.
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A Page Out of the Neoliberal Playbook: Defunding Public Schools
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is seeking to change the Minnesota constitution so that instead of establishing a uniform system of public schools, it “guarantees a quality public education.” On the surface, the Page Amendment seems like an improvement. However, the new language strips away the mandate for the state to fund public schools.... (Read more)- Anonymous
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On “Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson
The thing I have always appreciated about Kim Stanley Robinson (KSR) is that he never forgets that science is created by humans, and that humans are complicated... (Read more)- David T.
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Holidays are Holy
“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” Joni Mitchell famously sang. I have been thinking about the many local delights that are gone, or may be soon... (Read more)
- Deb K-R.
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Do you have opinions? Hot takes? Cool things you've been doing with DSA? Or do you enjoy writing, editing, or creating? To get involved, pitch something here, join the #newsletter channel on Slack or come to a Comms Committee meeting.
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In Case You Missed It
With so many great podcasts, articles, books and videos coming out, it's easy to miss something. Here are a few things members have found and loved recently.
What can DSA learn from the Communist Party in Alabama?
Great article! -TJ
Legal, safe, free
Absolutely incredible interview with Argentinian socialists fighting for abortion rights. -PKD
How Sci-Fi Shaped Socialism
Both utopian and dystopian futures as portrayed in SF literature have had a strong effect on socialist thinking over the centuries, from William Morris to Kim Stanley Robinson's latest, The Ministry for the Future. -DKR
The Bad Cops: How Minneapolis protects its worst police officers until it’s too late
A very important local expose from Tony Webster and Max Nesterak via the Minnesota Reformer, a local Minneapolis paper. -DKR
Abolition Is A Constant Struggle: Five Lessons from Minneapolis
A reflection on the uprising, the sanctuary hotel, and the state of the abolitionist movement by Charmaine Chua, a professor and organizer who spent some time in Minneapolis coordinating jail support during the uprising. -TMW
Serving Socialism: Restaurant Workers Organizing for Relief And Power
Check out this episode of Revolutions Per Minute featuring our comrade Paul KD talking about DSA's Restaurant Organizing Project! -MK [Listen fully to hear the amazing call-in from the most outer borough person you'll ever hear - PKD]
In Historic Victory, New York City Fast Food Workers Become First in the Nation to Win Just Cause Protections
New York City now has just cause protections for fast food workers. This is absolutely monumental. -NJR
They Were Monsters In Their Own Time
HERE is the perfect answer to those who would try to use that terrible "by the standards of their times" argument. Or say we can't "rewrite history." "We MUST rewrite history, because we’ve left millions upon millions of people out. We have serial killers on pedestals and thousands of bodies under the sea." -DKR
The Policing Question: Protection vs. Service In 2020
Great article by NLG about what a police free future would look like, its very concise and talks about a possible org called CCSC (Civilian Community Service Corps), like Americorps but community based and based on similar positions like ombudsman in other countries having go-to people for disputes and resources in every neighborhood. -NR
The Minority Party in America: Featuring an Interview with Norman Thomas
I was down an internet rabbit hole, looking into the state of socialist politics in the US in the 1950s and 1960s, and I found this album released by Norman Thomas on Folkways records. You can listen to it on Google Play, Apple Music or Spotify, or you can actually buy the vinyl album. Here's the Spotify link if you want to check it out. -DKR
Exploring Animal Ecofeminism
A basic overview of the philosophy of ecofeminism as it relates to animal rights. -DKR
The Left Under Starmer
Owen Jones YouTube show with Mark Steel and Ellie Mae O'Hagan. -DKR
If you find something that should be shared, you can post it to the #linkroundup channel on Slack, or just reply to this email.
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Follow TCDSA on social media!
If you want to help post with a purpose or stream for socialism, head to #communications on Slack and introduce yourself!
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To become a dues paying member, please click here.
To check if you're a current dues paying member, please click here.
To make a donation to TCDSA, please click here.
To make a donation to or request aid from the Solidarity Fund, please click here.
To join the TCDSA Slack, please click here.
To grab some TCDSA stuff, please click here.
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As always, socialism can't be solitary: what do you think about the newsletter? Do you want to help? Want to create or suggest some #content for next time? Please do!
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