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In this newsletter:
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Message From The Executive Board:
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Comrades,
This week, we mourn the lives of the 8 people, including 6 Asian women, murdered in Atlanta, Georgia and send love to their families and communities. These attacks fit into a pattern of racist, anti-Asian violence that the capitalist class not only condones, but has welcomed in this country for hundreds of years, most recently as a scapegoat for their inaction in the face of the COVID crisis. Of the thousands of incidents targeting the AAPI community, many have been geared especially toward women, the poor, the elderly, and the undocumented. We condemn not only this specific act of terrorism but the white supremacist, patriarchal power structure which bred it, power which has scarred the Central Valley of California with Japanese concentration camps, has enforced the ethnic cleansing of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, and encourages the perpetrators of these and other instances of racist violence.
This xenophobic culture is reflected in the callous comments of law enforcement responding to this attack. As the Republican and Democratic parties sustain their Sinophobic rhetoric at a national scale, the attacks against Asian Americans, regardless of their ethnicity, will continue. Therefore, we stand in grief and solidarity with the victims, the Asian working class, and oppose the criminalization of sex workers and racist power structures that create this violence.
In Solidarity,
Sacramento DSA E-Board |
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Volunteer Now to Pass the PRO Act |
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From now until May Day (Biden's 100th day in office), DSA, through our national Green New Deal campaign and Democratic Socialist Labor Commission (DSLC) is joining the national campaign to pass the PRO (Protect the Right to Organize) Act.
DSA’s Pass the PRO Act campaign is building momentum and making real gains. On March 9th the PRO Act—the most significant pro labor law in nearly a century—cleared its first hurdle after passing through the U.S. House 225 to 206! This wasn’t done out of the kindness of their hearts. This happened because we joined labor in pressuring representatives across the country and successfully whipping their votes. Now is our chance to make history and pass it through the Senate, but it will only happen with your help. Join our PRO Act phone banks March 21st through the 27th by signing up for shift today.
Demand Congress champion the PRO ACT and pass it by any means necessary. |
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National Campaign Fundraising
DSA’s national electoral committee is trying somethign new: raising money for a group of candidates who we’ve endorsed. Our diverse, working-class slate of democratic socialists up and down the ballot across the country, in Milwaukee, NYC, and Madison, as well as a housing initiative in Austin. These candidates are taking on the billionaire class and fighting for a democratic economy that works for all of us. Each candidate is endorsed by both the Democratic Socialists of America and their local DSA chapter.
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Mutual Aid Opportunities This Week |
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Coming soon: NEW STICKERS |
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Keep an eye out for DSA Sacramento stickers designed by our comrade, Andrea Arnott, to raise money for our mutual aid efforts!" |
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International Solidarity Update
This part of the newsletter is for updates on international situations that national or Sacramento DSA has identified as priorities for our organization. If you would like to write any of these updates, please email us or consider joining our international committee!
Tomorrow, March 19th, Sacramento Area Peace Action (SAPA) is holding a local action in conjunction with other actions across the nation and around the world, commemorating (and condemning!) the US invasion of Iraq 18 years ago. We're hoping that you and your organization, if any, might be willing to lend us a hand.
This misadventure has been a total disaster, not only for Iraq, but for the US and the rest of the world as well. The main impacts were military, of course, but there have also been political and economic fallout. This was a violation of international law, and of the UN Charter, making the US a rogue state, an international outlaw. It was also a violation of our own Constitution, which clearly states that only the Congress - not the President! - can declare war.
The trillions of dollars being spent on this and other wars and military engagements around the world are hollowing out the economy of the US itself. Industrial areas are becoming rust belts, poverty and homelessness are increasing, infrastructure is crumbling, educational and medical institutions are being starved, and even the financial stability of local government is being undermined. We can’t let this go on! Sac DSA members are invited to bring signs and show up to support this work. For more information, please contact Mario Galván, SAPA Board member at [email protected]. |
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Upcoming Meeting Announcements:
Upcoming Sac DSA Meetings
All meetings taking place on Zoom, due to Covid. Open to all members! Some meetings require pre-registration so we can verify your DSA membership; just click the link and provide the email address you used when you joined DSA.
Healthcare Committee meeting, Thursday, March 18 @ 7PM, Zoom link
General Membership meeting, Saturday, March 20 @ 1:30PM, Zoom link
International Committee meeting, Thursday, March 25 @ 7PM, Zoom link
Missed a Meeting? Here are the Notes!
Executive Board meeting notes, 3/16/21
Upcoming National DSA Events & Programs
These events are hosted by National DSA or chapters outside Sacramento. As with all DSA events, they are free and open to anyone!
“DSA PRO Act Campaign Training” Sunday, March 21 @ 10:00 AM PST, RSVP Here
DSA’s highest national priority for the first 100 days of the new presidential administration is to pass the PRO Act (Protect the Right to Organize), which would strengthen unions, the power of the working class to organize on the job, and our collective capacity to win a just transition to a green economy for all.
Organized by the Green New Deal Campaign and the Democratic Socialist Labor Commission, and endorsed by the National Political Committee, the campaign is an opportunity to unify and grow DSA around a common mission — to end climate catastrophe, powerlessness on the job, and social, racial, and environmental injustice through an emboldened and militant working class movement united across differences.
To learn how to get organizing around the PRO Act in your DSA chapter, attend a session of this weekly skills training for orientation on outreach and action planning!
You can choose to attend one or more of the following sessions:
If you'd like to get familiar with the campaign, check out DSA's PRO Act campaign website.
“Haiti in Revolt: The Struggle for Democracy in the Neoliberal Era” Wednesday, March 24th, 5:00 PM Pacific Time, RSVP Here
Backed by the Biden administration, the neoliberal government of Jovenel Moïse has led to economic disparity, injustice, and terror for the working people of Haiti. Nationwide demonstrations have erupted in the recent months in reaction to failed neoliberal policies, many of which have been met with suppression and state violence. Haiti's struggle for democracy illuminates the many contradictions of the Caribbean, neocolonialism, and capitalism itself.
The objective of this panel is to examine the many dimensions of the Haitian protests, the failed policies of the Moïse government, the hostile influence of American empire that has long disrupted the affairs of the Haitian people. DSA International Committee invites our audience to an evening of thoughtful discussion that will provide clarity into Haiti's past, present, and future.
Featuring Dr. Jemima Pierre (UCLA, Black Alliance for Peace) and Dr. Mamyrah Dougé-Prosper (Davidson, Community Movement Builders).
“Cancel ALL Student Debt: How to Host a Phonebank” Wednesday, March 24th, 5:00 PM Pacific Time, RSVP Here
Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) has been hosting weekly phonebanks to build support for the Cancel ALL Student Debt Campaign. If you or people in your chapter have never hosted a phonebank, then this training is for you. We'll go through what it takes to host a successful phonebanking event.
“Eyes on ICE: Truth and Reconciliation Forum” Thursday, March 25th, 5:00 PM Pacific Time, RSVP Here
The Immigrants' Rights Working Group, Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus, and MiJente invite you to participate in a virtual Truth and Accountability Forum on Thursday, March 25 @ 8pm eastern/5pm pacific.
President Biden issued a Day 1 memo calling for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a 100 day review of its immigration enforcement policies and practices. Our Truth and Accountability forum will provide a space for community members to provide testimony about ICE’s misconduct and abuses during the Trump Administration. We plan to share this community testimony with the Department of Homeland Security and urge them to adopt policy changes that will better protect immigrant families and communities.
We would love to have you participate in the Truth And Accountability Forum. In doing so, you will be showing up for immigrant communities and contributing to a national movement within the We Are Home campaign. |
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What We're Reading (Or Viewing, Or Listening To...)
This is a space where we link to interesting articles, videos, podcasts -- whatever -- that our members have shared with each other on our chapter Slack. We are re-sharing them here in case others are interested; they do not necessarily represent “official” positions or endorsements of DSA.
“No, The PRO Act Wouldn’t ‘Kill’ Freelancing” by Brandon Magner
“Here’s a good article on how the PRO Act has no negative impact on freelancing which combats a common talking point being used by the business interest to misinform the public. Will you share with your freelancer friends?”
“This is Our Home: A New Helvetia (Alder Grove & Seavey Circle) Video Display” (video)
“Hey folks - lots of DSA folks in this video & credits - enjoy! #SaveNewHelvetia #BlackHistoryMonth #WomensHistoryMonth #NathanielColley #LeataataFloyd - huge thanks to all who helped.”
“I think the work the DSA International Committee is doing to connect with left parties in Latin America and extend solidarity is truly inspiring. Check out this interview.”
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A PRO Act meme to leave you thinking... |
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Copyright (c) 2020 Sacramento Democratic Socialists of America, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in updates from Sacramento DSA. |
