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East Bay DSA Newsletter February 11, 2021
Solidarity among human beings can happen spontaneously, as in a flood or fire, or by design, through organizing.
Jane McAlevey
Comrades,

By now, we know how isolation changes the experience of holidays, and few are so premised on closeness as Valentine's Day. We might find ways to celebrate from a distance, or we might be inclined to just forget it's happening.

But there's at least one cause for celebration; a budding relationship we can all root for. Last month, our chapter voted in favor of creating a statewide California DSA. It's still early, but comrades, we are telling you, it's love. And as the song goes, "We’ve got the right foundation / And with love and determination / You're all I need to get by."

In our case, you could add to that list “statewide coordination,” “consistent communications,” and “proportional representation.” You probably wouldn’t want to, as a songwriter, but you could. So much of our upcoming work can benefit from the increased capacity and strategic collaboration (another one that, lyrically, you can take or leave) of a statewide DSA: fighting for social housing, public ownership of PG&E, and of course, California Medicare For All. If you're curious about how it might work, join the California DSA info session tonight at 7 p.m! You might even meet someone special. It happened for us...

"Don't know what's in store, but together we can open any door."

Solidarity and love!
Tonight, California is for lovers. Come to the info session at 7 p.m. and learn about California DSA, hear from small chapter guests, and win prizes!
News and Information
Here's some of the latest news and information from East Bay Majority, East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective

WHY SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE CAN WIN IN CALIFORNIA: AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL LIGHTY

"[A] new set of electoral circumstances is colliding with a change in our political movements. The Bernie campaign popularized Medicare for All, making it the defining issue in the healthcare debate. Where you stand on Medicare for All defines where you stand on healthcare. It’s gone from the margins to the center; its support has exploded."

Read more
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.

CA DSA IS FOR LOVERs

Tonight! February 11 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿
Have some red fun before this Valentine’s Day at this info session about California DSA! We'll be meeting tonight from 7–9 p.m. over Zoom to:
  • Learn more about the vision for a statewide socialist organization 🐻
  • Discuss the proposed bylaws for California DSA 📜
  • Finish the night with a trivia game focused on leftist history in California, where you’ll have the opportunity to win lovely prizes! 🏆

You can read the vision for a CA DSA adopted by the California DSA Exploratory Committee here!

RSVP

FEBRUARY VIRTUAL GENERAL MEETING

Saturday, February 13 | 1–3 p.m.
New member meet up: 12:30–1 p.m.
Online via Zoom – register here
Join us for our February General Meeting of East Bay DSA! We're happy to announce our February General Meeting, featuring a chapter-wide discussion about our new political conditions, updates on the 2021 Local and National Conventions, and reports from various chapter campaigns and projects. You can view the agenda here.

Please note we are meeting on Saturday rather than Sunday afternoon due to Valentine's Day.

New to DSA? Join us at 12:30 (at the same link, below) for a new member meet up!

Register and attend on Zoom

CALIFORNIA MEDICARE FOR ALL: FIELD KICKOFF!

Saturday, February 13 | 3–5 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿
COVID is shining a spotlight on the cruelty of the US healthcare system — a system designed to maximize profit, not patients’ well-being. Millions of working-class people have lost their jobs and their health insurance in the pandemic-driven recession. Meanwhile, in California alone, 165 billionaires have seen their wealth increase by $175,000,000,000 since March.

In the richest state in the richest country in the world, this is unacceptable. We must pass Medicare for All — and that starts here in California.

During the first 100 days of the Biden administration, DSA chapters throughout California will be text banking and phone banking to collect as many signatures as possible on Healthy California Now petition to Governor Newsom asking him to request the necessary federal Medicare waivers from the Biden administration to implement single-payer healthcare in California. We’ll also be power mapping and targeting key state legislators in order to pressure them to support statewide single-payer through coordinated phone banks, door hanger canvassing, and meetings with DSA members and frontline union members. Join our Field Kickoff to learn how YOU can be part of this work - and be a leader. See you there!

RSVP

RACIAL SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE MEETING

Monday, February 15 | 7–9 p.m.
Online email [email protected] for info ♿
Join the Racial Solidarity Committee for our monthly meeting! The Racial Solidarity Committee (RSC) is dedicated to fighting for the rights of BIPOC communities here in the Bay Area as well as around the world. We are committed to building a multiracial democratic socialist organization that reflects the diversity of the Bay Area working class. Our work ranges from immigration justice and open borders to workers' rights and access to fully-funded public education. In our general meetings, we hold political discussions and report on upcoming RSC campaigns and events. Join us and become a part of the fight for Racial Solidarity!

Racial Solidarity Committee is open to all, and we especially welcome self-identified BIPOC folx. BIPOC facilitators take progressive stack, and we maintain community agreements.

RSVP

(NATIONAL DSA) BALLAD OF AN AMERICAN: WHAT DOES PAUL ROBESON’S LIFE TEACH US?

Tuesday, February 16 | 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿️
Paul Robeson was the pre-eminent Black, left-wing figure of U.S. popular culture during the 1930s-40s. Concert singer, film actor, public personality, his "Ballad for Americans" was heard by millions of radio listeners. Idolized across large parts of Europe, his records heard widely in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Robeson was struck down by McCarthyism. His legend and his lessons remain.

Join Lawrence Ware, co-editor of the first-ever graphic biography of Robeson, and Charles Howard, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at The University of Pennsylvania, for a discussion of Robeson's relevance today.

RSVP

ORGANIZER'S TOOLBOX: HOW TO GIVE A GREAT POLITICAL SPEECH

Tuesday, February 16 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom ♿
It’s a new year - time to learn a new organizing skill! Join us for another iteration of the Organizer’s Toolbox, where we introduce and practice specific, tangible skills for DSA organizers that you can put to use!

**Note: Please try to arrive at this training on time and plan to stay for the whole training. This is a very interactive training and works best when the attendees are fully engaged and committed to learning from each other in this process.

In this training for DSA organizers, we will explore our personal stories together, and discover how they can become important tools that motivate and inspire others. Personal stories are important because they allow us to identify with each other's experiences, motivate us to fight for common aims, and ultimately build solidarity. We’ll examine how other leaders on the left use personal stories to motivate the masses to take action and then spend time crafting our own.

Adapted from Marshall Ganz’s “Public Narrative,” this training will challenge you to put aside the logical reasons why we need to win a better world and rather consider emotional & personal reasons.

Suggested reading and watching material: (it’s quick!)

Public Narrative Participant Guide

Marshall Ganz: The Public Narrative lecture fragment

RSVP Attend on Zoom

LET'S OWN PG&E CAMPAIGn

Wednesday, February 17 | 6:45–8:15 p.m.
Online via Zoom ♿️
Learn about why a for-profit PG&E will never work for the people or the planet and be a part of winning a Community-owned, Community-controlled PG&E.

RSVP

SOCIAL HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, February 17 | 7–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ♿
Monthly meeting for the EBDSA Social Housing committee. Come to hear updates about our upcoming projects, and have a political discussion about the decommodification of housing in the Bay Area!

RSVP

VIRTUAL MASK BUILD

Thursday, February 18 | 7–9 p.m.
Online – register here in advance to receive materials and info ♿
Join the Green New Deal committee for a virtual mask assembly party! The COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying with hundreds of thousands of deaths likely over the coming months, and the U.S. continues to experience PPE shortages, especially of high-grade face masks. The failures of the capitalist system are devastatingly clear. But with mutual aid, we can take the safety and wellbeing of our community into our own hands, while developing relationships across the East Bay and building our own organizational power.

We will be assembling hundreds of no-sew, submicron "N85" masks for distribution with community partners. All we need is your help!

This is a great event for new members to attend. Training and materials are delivered to your door (!), no experience necessary. During the build, we'll hang out on a online call together to talk about mutual aid, socialism, and whatever else you'd like to!

Please RSVP at the link below several days before the build so we provide materials via a touchless kit drop-off at your door! We request that attendees commit to both the February 18 and February 25 mask builds.

RSVP

CLASSROOM JUSTICE MEETING

Thursday, February 18 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿️
Join the Classroom Justice Campaign! Classroom Justice is a locally run campaign that seek to fight against the injustices happening in our public school system by a cabal of privatizers, whose sole purpose is the dismantling of every public service in this country. If you want to join in the fight against these gentrifiers or merely have questions, sign up or send your inquiries to [email protected].

https://classroomjustice.org/en/

RSVP

HOW TO PLAN AND EXECUTE A DIRECT ACTION

Saturday and Sunday, February 20–21 | 10 a.m.–noon
Online via Zoom – register here ♿
East Bay DSA's Direct Action Working Group is excited to teach our 3rd Direct Action Training!

We may not know what is coming next, but we can prepare for it anyway. Direct action has historically been the most effective way to change the world, and we built a workshop to teach folks how it has worked, and how we can plan and execute effective and powerful actions. This training will cover the same ground as the previous Direct Action training, which was very well received.

As racist violence, unemployment, evictions, and climate chaos keep increasing, we need to expand our capacity to leverage our collective power. This training series will introduce creative ways to escalate ongoing campaigns, participate in mass uprisings, and keep each other safe in our confrontations with capital and the state.

The training is 4 hours spread across two days. Please attend both days. For the topics covered and full schedule, click the Event Details link below.

Register Event Details
 
Upcoming Events

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

Sunday, February 21 | 2–5 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿️

See how your elected leadership works as we deliberate on current chapter issues. This meeting is open to all DSA members to observe the proceedings. The agenda is TBA.

RSVP

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING

Monday, February 22 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿️
We need your help building a strong and active chapter! Join our next Membership Engagement Committee monthly meeting and learn how you can put your skills to work or grow new ones you never knew you had!

The Membership Engagement Committee was created for the purpose of initiating and sustaining our members' active and healthy participation in the chapter's work. We cannot grow our movement without engaging and fostering growth within our current membership. We strive to grow confident organizers and leaders as well as strong relationships between comrades in our chapter by supporting all committees in their work and creating spaces for learning and camaraderie.

Our committee builds and maintains projects such as (but not limited to) our mobilizers program, planning and execution of chapter socials, new member events, and Organizer's Toolbox Trainings, as well as managing the onboarding of new members. As our chapter grows we need to grow our efforts with it and would love to welcome new members to our committee.

Contact us at [email protected].

RSVP

MEDICARE FOR ALL COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, February 24 | 6–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom
With the pandemic and its multiple, intersecting crises, and the polling popularity of Medicare for All, our commitment to the movement is more important than ever. Come learn about our committee's efforts, as well as local, state, and national initiatives around Medicare for All and single-payer healthcare. All are welcome!

RSVP

VIRTUAL MASK BUILD

Thursday, February 25 | 7–9 p.m.
Online – register here in advance to receive materials and info ♿
Please RSVP at the link below several days before the build so we provide materials via a touchless kit drop-off at your door! We request that attendees commit to both the February 18 and February 25 mask builds.

RSVP
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

Catch up on Night School readings
Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.
DSA now has 85,000 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
Join us for the California single payer kickoff event on Saturday!
Caucus Corner
Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.
Announcements
THE EBDSA LABOR CENSUS
Building working class power and the movement for socialism requires organizing in our workplaces. And knowledge is power—so, if you're a member, help us build it in 2021 by filling out the EBDSA Labor Census! The chapter-wide Labor Census is geared to help us better understand where members work, the kinds of jobs we do, the level of organization that exists in our respective workplaces, and interest in potential workplace organizing. The data will allow us to support comrades organizing in unionized as well as non-unionized workplaces, facilitate the formation of 'labor circles,' and inform strategic organizing campaigns. We have developed appropriate measures to ensure members' information remains confidential and secure. 

Take a few minutes to fill out the Labor Census if you are an EBDSA member and haven't already. If you would like to get involved with the census in other ways, please contact [email protected].
MEET WITH A MOBILIZER!
Are you a new DSA member? Or are you looking to get more involved with East Bay DSA's projects and campaigns? Sign up to talk to a mobilizer!

Here are three reasons to sign up to talk to a mobilizer:

  1. Meet a fellow socialist organizer
    We want to build a movement of millions of working class people and change the exploitative and oppressive system in which we live, but we do that first and foremost by building one-to-one connections with each other.
     
  2. Answer your questions
    Learn more about DSA, the local East Bay chapter, and our different committees and projects.
     
  3. Get more involved
    The main thing a mobilizer will help you with is getting more involved in DSA. Maybe there’s a campaign or project you’re particularly interested in, or maybe you’re a blank slate and you don’t really know what to do. Either way, a mobilizer will help you figure it out.
Sign up to talk to a mobilizer!
To speak for labor; to plead the cause of the men and women and children who toil; to serve the working class, has always been to me a high privilege; a duty of love.
Eugene V. Debs

This email was sent to [email protected].

To stop receiving emails, click here.

Solidarity among human beings can happen spontaneously, as in a flood or fire, or by design, through organizing.

-- Jane McAlevey

Comrades,

By now, we know how isolation changes the experience of holidays, and few are so premised on closeness as Valentine's Day. We might find ways to celebrate from a distance, or we might be inclined to just forget it's happening.

But there's at least one cause for celebration; a budding relationship we can all root for. Last month, our chapter voted in favor of creating a statewide California DSA. It's still early, but comrades, we are telling you, it's love. And as the song goes, "We’ve got the right foundation / And with love and determination / You're all I need to get by."

In our case, you could add to that list “statewide coordination,” “consistent communications,” and “proportional representation.” You probably wouldn’t want to, as a songwriter, but you could. So much of our upcoming work can benefit from the increased capacity and strategic collaboration (another one that, lyrically, you can take or leave) of a statewide DSA: fighting for social housing (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1727/2021-02-17-social-housing-committee-meeting/) , public ownership of PG&E (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1596/2021-02-17-let-s-own-pg-e-campaign/) , and of course, California Medicare For All (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1811/2021-02-13-california-medicare-for-all-field-kickoff/) . If you're curious about how it might work, join the California DSA info session tonight at 7 p.m (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1808/2021-02-11-ca-dsa-is-for-lovers/) ! You might even meet someone special. It happened for us...

"Don't know what's in store, but together we can open any door."

Solidarity and love!


News and Information
Here's some of the latest news and information from East Bay Majority (https://eastbaymajority.com/) , East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective


** WHY SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE CAN WIN IN CALIFORNIA: AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL LIGHTY
------------------------------------------------------------
"[A] new set of electoral circumstances is colliding with a change in our political movements. The Bernie campaign popularized Medicare for All, making it the defining issue in the healthcare debate. Where you stand on Medicare for All defines where you stand on healthcare. It’s gone from the margins to the center; its support has exploded."

Read more (https://eastbaymajority.com/california-medicare-for-all-dsa-michael-lighty-force-the-vote-aoc/)
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 (http://eastbaydsa.org/events/) .


** CA DSA IS FOR LOVERs
------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight! February 11 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1808/2021-02-11-ca-dsa-is-for-lovers/) ♿
Have some red fun before this Valentine’s Day at this info session about California DSA! We'll be meeting tonight from 7–9 p.m. over Zoom to:
* Learn more about the vision for a statewide socialist organization 🐻
* Discuss the proposed bylaws for California DSA 📜
* Finish the night with a trivia game focused on leftist history in California, where you’ll have the opportunity to win lovely prizes! 🏆

You can read the vision for a CA DSA adopted by the California DSA Exploratory Committee here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jF0T1ubn0-ZvB0deZvIxY0MgNhYv-0mjdlWWBr3HBsY/edit) !

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1808/2021-02-11-ca-dsa-is-for-lovers/)


** FEBRUARY VIRTUAL GENERAL MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, February 13 | 1–3 p.m.
New member meet up: 12:30–1 p.m.
Online via Zoom – register here (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88197589947?pwd=eDJvajZYdUF1VlRxd1loRGI0QThBdz09)
Join us for our February General Meeting of East Bay DSA! We're happy to announce our February General Meeting, featuring a chapter-wide discussion about our new political conditions, updates on the 2021 Local and National Conventions, and reports from various chapter campaigns and projects. You can view the agenda here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JfnsX2iaa24VICskOCDfUvsP10dV-yNJ4j6xZP4cBYk/edit) .

Please note we are meeting on Saturday rather than Sunday afternoon due to Valentine's Day.

New to DSA? Join us at 12:30 (at the same link, below) for a new member meet up!

Register and attend on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88197589947?pwd=eDJvajZYdUF1VlRxd1loRGI0QThBdz09)


** CALIFORNIA MEDICARE FOR ALL: FIELD KICKOFF!
------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, February 13 | 3–5 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1811/2021-02-13-california-medicare-for-all-field-kickoff/) ♿
COVID is shining a spotlight on the cruelty of the US healthcare system — a system designed to maximize profit, not patients’ well-being. Millions of working-class people have lost their jobs and their health insurance in the pandemic-driven recession. Meanwhile, in California alone, 165 billionaires have seen their wealth increase by $175,000,000,000 since March.

In the richest state in the richest country in the world, this is unacceptable. We must pass Medicare for All — and that starts here in California.

During the first 100 days of the Biden administration, DSA chapters throughout California will be text banking and phone banking to collect as many signatures as possible on Healthy California Now petition to Governor Newsom asking him to request the necessary federal Medicare waivers from the Biden administration to implement single-payer healthcare in California. We’ll also be power mapping and targeting key state legislators in order to pressure them to support statewide single-payer through coordinated phone banks, door hanger canvassing, and meetings with DSA members and frontline union members. Join our Field Kickoff to learn how YOU can be part of this work - and be a leader. See you there!

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1811/2021-02-13-california-medicare-for-all-field-kickoff/)


** RACIAL SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, February 15 | 7–9 p.m.
Online email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) for info ♿
Join the Racial Solidarity Committee for our monthly meeting! The Racial Solidarity Committee (RSC) is dedicated to fighting for the rights of BIPOC communities here in the Bay Area as well as around the world. We are committed to building a multiracial democratic socialist organization that reflects the diversity of the Bay Area working class. Our work ranges from immigration justice and open borders to workers' rights and access to fully-funded public education. In our general meetings, we hold political discussions and report on upcoming RSC campaigns and events. Join us and become a part of the fight for Racial Solidarity!

Racial Solidarity Committee is open to all, and we especially welcome self-identified BIPOC folx. BIPOC facilitators take progressive stack, and we maintain community agreements.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1677/2021-02-15-racial-solidarity-committee-monthly-meeting/)


** (NATIONAL DSA) BALLAD OF AN AMERICAN: WHAT DOES PAUL ROBESON’S LIFE TEACH US?
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, February 16 | 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://act.dsausa.org/survey/ballad-of-an-american-paul-robeson/) ♿️
Paul Robeson was the pre-eminent Black, left-wing figure of U.S. popular culture during the 1930s-40s. Concert singer, film actor, public personality, his "Ballad for Americans" was heard by millions of radio listeners. Idolized across large parts of Europe, his records heard widely in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Robeson was struck down by McCarthyism. His legend and his lessons remain.

Join Lawrence Ware, co-editor of the first-ever graphic biography of Robeson, and Charles Howard, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at The University of Pennsylvania, for a discussion of Robeson's relevance today.

RSVP (https://act.dsausa.org/survey/ballad-of-an-american-paul-robeson/)


** ORGANIZER'S TOOLBOX: HOW TO GIVE A GREAT POLITICAL SPEECH
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, February 16 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89322449449?pwd=V21ZdmUzZDhPV1h1TXA5Nm9Qd0oyQT09) ♿
It’s a new year - time to learn a new organizing skill! Join us for another iteration of the Organizer’s Toolbox, where we introduce and practice specific, tangible skills for DSA organizers that you can put to use!

**Note: Please try to arrive at this training on time and plan to stay for the whole training. This is a very interactive training and works best when the attendees are fully engaged and committed to learning from each other in this process.

In this training for DSA organizers, we will explore our personal stories together, and discover how they can become important tools that motivate and inspire others. Personal stories are important because they allow us to identify with each other's experiences, motivate us to fight for common aims, and ultimately build solidarity. We’ll examine how other leaders on the left use personal stories to motivate the masses to take action and then spend time crafting our own.

Adapted from Marshall Ganz’s “Public Narrative,” this training will challenge you to put aside the logical reasons why we need to win a better world and rather consider emotional & personal reasons.

Suggested reading and watching material: (it’s quick!)

Public Narrative Participant Guide (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pm7Ed3PGmjUQH64JiIsUud3AT5iF7fVm/view?usp=sharing)

Marshall Ganz: The Public Narrative lecture fragment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JQlMw_-wg0&list=PLaT8gjnOmQl2fjCj76sAH1jXwKtlASzjN&index=6)

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1801/2021-02-16-organizer-s-toolbox-how-to-give-a-great-political-speech/) Attend on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89322449449?pwd=V21ZdmUzZDhPV1h1TXA5Nm9Qd0oyQT09)


** LET'S OWN PG&E CAMPAIGN
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, February 17 | 6:45–8:15 p.m.
Online via Zoom (https://dsausa.zoom.us/j/93277685636) ♿️
Learn about why a for-profit PG&E will never work for the people or the planet and be a part of winning a Community-owned, Community-controlled PG&E.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1596/2021-02-17-let-s-own-pg-e-campaign/)


** SOCIAL HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, February 17 | 7–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89896824119?pwd=WFV4REhQVXdYeVl6anJyaWJaZ2hxQT09) ♿
Monthly meeting for the EBDSA Social Housing committee. Come to hear updates about our upcoming projects, and have a political discussion about the decommodification of housing in the Bay Area!

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1727/2021-02-17-social-housing-committee-meeting/)


** VIRTUAL MASK BUILD
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, February 18 | 7–9 p.m.
Online – register here in advance to receive materials and info (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVBjNTB9QfPfSTrKOVEQcCsKFNtr4UAGrhqKY2d0C25_reTQ/viewform) ♿
Join the Green New Deal committee for a virtual mask assembly party! The COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying with hundreds of thousands of deaths likely over the coming months, and the U.S. continues to experience PPE shortages, especially of high-grade face masks. The failures of the capitalist system are devastatingly clear. But with mutual aid, we can take the safety and wellbeing of our community into our own hands, while developing relationships across the East Bay and building our own organizational power.

We will be assembling hundreds of no-sew, submicron "N85" masks for distribution with community partners. All we need is your help!

This is a great event for new members to attend. Training and materials are delivered to your door (!), no experience necessary. During the build, we'll hang out on a online call together to talk about mutual aid, socialism, and whatever else you'd like to!

Please RSVP at the link below several days before the build so we provide materials via a touchless kit drop-off at your door! We request that attendees commit to both the February 18 and February 25 mask builds.

RSVP (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVBjNTB9QfPfSTrKOVEQcCsKFNtr4UAGrhqKY2d0C25_reTQ/viewform)


** CLASSROOM JUSTICE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, February 18 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1768/2021-02-18-classroom-justice-meeting/) ♿️
Join the Classroom Justice Campaign! Classroom Justice is a locally run campaign that seek to fight against the injustices happening in our public school system by a cabal of privatizers, whose sole purpose is the dismantling of every public service in this country. If you want to join in the fight against these gentrifiers or merely have questions, sign up or send your inquiries to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

https://classroomjustice.org/en/

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1768/2021-02-18-classroom-justice-meeting/)


** HOW TO PLAN AND EXECUTE A DIRECT ACTION
------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday and Sunday, February 20–21 | 10 a.m.–noon
Online via Zoom – register here (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwodOmtrjsuEtHBF2-_-p_X1MhZ4hgmiA0-) ♿
East Bay DSA's Direct Action Working Group is excited to teach our 3rd Direct Action Training!

We may not know what is coming next, but we can prepare for it anyway. Direct action has historically been the most effective way to change the world, and we built a workshop to teach folks how it has worked, and how we can plan and execute effective and powerful actions. This training will cover the same ground as the previous Direct Action training, which was very well received.

As racist violence, unemployment, evictions, and climate chaos keep increasing, we need to expand our capacity to leverage our collective power. This training series will introduce creative ways to escalate ongoing campaigns, participate in mass uprisings, and keep each other safe in our confrontations with capital and the state.

The training is 4 hours spread across two days. Please attend both days. For the topics covered and full schedule, click the Event Details link below.

Register (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwodOmtrjsuEtHBF2-_-p_X1MhZ4hgmiA0-) Event Details (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1812/2021-02-20-how-to-plan-and-execute-a-direct-action/)

Upcoming Events


** STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, February 21 | 2–5 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1475/2021-02-21-steering-committee-meeting/) ♿️
See how your elected leadership works as we deliberate on current chapter issues. This meeting is open to all DSA members to observe the proceedings. The agenda is TBA.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1475/2021-02-21-steering-committee-meeting/)


** MEMBER ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, February 22 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1436/2021-02-22-membership-engagement-committee-monthly-meeting/) ♿️
We need your help building a strong and active chapter! Join our next Membership Engagement Committee monthly meeting and learn how you can put your skills to work or grow new ones you never knew you had!

The Membership Engagement Committee was created for the purpose of initiating and sustaining our members' active and healthy participation in the chapter's work. We cannot grow our movement without engaging and fostering growth within our current membership. We strive to grow confident organizers and leaders as well as strong relationships between comrades in our chapter by supporting all committees in their work and creating spaces for learning and camaraderie.

Our committee builds and maintains projects such as (but not limited to) our mobilizers program, planning and execution of chapter socials, new member events, and Organizer's Toolbox Trainings, as well as managing the onboarding of new members. As our chapter grows we need to grow our efforts with it and would love to welcome new members to our committee.

Contact us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1436/2021-02-22-membership-engagement-committee-monthly-meeting/)


** MEDICARE FOR ALL COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, February 24 | 6–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81235048894?pwd=RDZHcnRDQ0FpV3ZndzdUenVJZ3JaZz09)
With the pandemic and its multiple, intersecting crises, and the polling popularity of Medicare for All, our commitment to the movement is more important than ever. Come learn about our committee's efforts, as well as local, state, and national initiatives around Medicare for All and single-payer healthcare. All are welcome!

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1626/2021-02-24-medicare-for-all-committee-meeting/)


** VIRTUAL MASK BUILD
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, February 25 | 7–9 p.m.
Online – register here in advance to receive materials and info (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVBjNTB9QfPfSTrKOVEQcCsKFNtr4UAGrhqKY2d0C25_reTQ/viewform) ♿
Please RSVP at the link below several days before the build so we provide materials via a touchless kit drop-off at your door! We request that attendees commit to both the February 18 and February 25 mask builds.

RSVP (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVBjNTB9QfPfSTrKOVEQcCsKFNtr4UAGrhqKY2d0C25_reTQ/viewform)


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 (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeMYhhCCTFq1jGdOt6lcF8l7HQJwnJndD)

Catch up on Night School readings (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/night-school/)


Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.
DSA now has 85,000 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 (http://dsausa.org/join?source=East%20Bay)


Caucus Corner
Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/about/caucuses/) to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.


Announcements


THE EBDSA LABOR CENSUS
Building working class power and the movement for socialism requires organizing in our workplaces. And knowledge is power—so, if you're a member, help us build it in 2021 by filling out the EBDSA Labor Census (https://airtable.com/shrhYB12cv3OgiTJ9) ! The chapter-wide Labor Census is geared to help us better understand where members work, the kinds of jobs we do, the level of organization that exists in our respective workplaces, and interest in potential workplace organizing. The data will allow us to support comrades organizing in unionized as well as non-unionized workplaces, facilitate the formation of 'labor circles,' and inform strategic organizing campaigns. We have developed appropriate measures to ensure members' information remains confidential and secure.

Take a few minutes to fill out the Labor Census (https://airtable.com/shrhYB12cv3OgiTJ9) if you are an EBDSA member and haven't already. If you would like to get involved with the census in other ways, please contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .


MEET WITH A MOBILIZER!
Are you a new DSA member? Or are you looking to get more involved with East Bay DSA's projects and campaigns? Sign up to talk to a mobilizer!

Here are three reasons to sign up to talk to a mobilizer:

1. Meet a fellow socialist organizer
We want to build a movement of millions of working class people and change the exploitative and oppressive system in which we live, but we do that first and foremost by building one-to-one connections with each other.

2. Answer your questions
Learn more about DSA, the local East Bay chapter, and our different committees and projects.

3. Get more involved
The main thing a mobilizer will help you with is getting more involved in DSA. Maybe there’s a campaign or project you’re particularly interested in, or maybe you’re a blank slate and you don’t really know what to do. Either way, a mobilizer will help you figure it out.

Sign up to talk to a mobilizer! (https://forms.gle/np21b7Jt225z4xmq5)


To speak for labor; to plead the cause of the men and women and children who toil; to serve the working class, has always been to me a high privilege; a duty of love.

-- Eugene V. Debs

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