| From | East Bay DSA <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Newsletter: Dignity and freedom for all |
| Date | June 3, 2021 5:00 PM |
Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
The gay liberation movement helps demonstrate how deeply and destructively capitalist institutions interfere with people’s lives… History, and our own generation’s experience, have shown that human dignity, free from all prejudice, is not possible without getting rid of capitalism – without a socialist revolution.
-- Kipp Dawson, "Gay Liberation: A Socialist Perspective"
Comrades,
Last week, nine rank and file ATU members lost their lives to gun violence on the job at Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). We are horrified by this senseless act and stand in solidarity with ATU 265 as we collectively grieve this tragic loss of life.
In America in 2021, gun violence is a serious workplace safety issue, just as COVID has been for over a year; VTA has been notably negligent about both ([link removed]) . Days before the mass shooting, ATU Local 265 president John Courtney wrote in a public statement that the agency’s “lip service to the heroism of our frontline transit workers… has not translated into any kind of hazard or hero compensation.” It still hasn’t.
Today at 5:30, in a show of solidarity, EBDSA will join Bay Area unions and transit riders at a VTA board meeting ([link removed]) to demand that VTA provide ATU 265 heroes with back-hazard pay. If you are able to make a public comment of support at this meeting, please fill out this Action Network form ([link removed]) and we will share talking points and additional details. In this essential industry, only strong unions like ATU have been able to achieve and maintain any of the policies that have kept workers and riders safe. Let’s show them our support during this difficult time and give them the power to keep fighting for safe conditions on our transit.
While there are always battles to be fought, and we look forward to fighting those together, we also don’t want to miss a chance to celebrate together – happy Pride to all of our queer and trans comrades! The struggles for dignity and freedom for all genders and sexualities are fundamental to the struggle for socialism, and LGBTQ+ comrades have led, taught, and strengthened this movement through every era of history. So let’s celebrate together this month; the weather is beautiful, and so are all of you.
Love and solidarity!
News and Information
Be sure to check out East Bay Majority ([link removed]) , East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective, for the latest news and information.
** WE STAND WITH GRIEVING ATU WORKERS, WHO GET LIP SERVICE FROM THE BOSS BUT NO HAZARD PAY
------------------------------------------------------------
After a shooting took the lives of 9 San Jose transit workers, the VTA still owes the workers it calls “heroes” millions in hazard pay.
Read more ([link removed])
** WHO IS HIDING $2B IN BAY AREA TRANSIT RESCUE FUNDS?
------------------------------------------------------------
The Bay Area got $2b in federal rescue funds to save public transit. Why is an unelected board hiding the money?
Read more ([link removed])
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 ([link removed]) .
** TURN OUT TO DEMAND BACK HAZARD PAY FOR MOURNING ATU265 WORKERS
------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight! June 3 | 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
Earlier this week, nine rank and file ATU members lost their lives to gun violence on the job at Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). We are horrified by this senseless act and stand in solidarity with ATU 265 as we collectively grieve this tragic loss of life. Transit workers are heroes and have risked everything to ensure that working class riders have been able to go about their daily lives throughout the pandemic; the fact that the lives of so many essential workers were cut short at the workplace is tragic beyond words. Yet even before this fatal violence, VTA routinely neglected the safety of frontline workers on the job.
Just days before the mass shooting, ATU Local 265 president John Courtney wrote in a public statement that the agency’s “lip service to the heroism of our frontline transit workers still has not translated into any kind of hazard or hero compensation.” In a show of solidarity, EBDSA alongside unions and transit riders across the Bay Area will demand that VTA provide ATU 265 heroes with back-hazard pay at a VTA board meeting. If you are able to make a public comment of support at this meeting, please fill out the Action Network form linked below and we will share talking points and additional details.
RSVP ([link removed])
Donate ([link removed])
** DEFUND OPD/REFUND OAKLAND PHONEBANK!
------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight! June 3 | 6–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
The Oakland budget is currently being negotiated in City Hall and we have until June 30th to make sure elected officials support defunding the police and refunding of services, housing, education, arts, mental health services, and other programs that enhance Black lives and Oakland's working class communities.
No experience is necessary! Making calls is easy, and there will be zoom training before you start. This is a great event for anyone whether you're new to political campaigns or a seasoned organizer! Phone banking is also a great activity you can do from the safety of your home, during COVID!
RSVP below to join the virtual phone bank at 6 p.m. You will need a camera and microphone on your computer, as well as a phone or headset to make the calls. Instructions will be provided once you join!
RSVP ([link removed])
** NAPA AND SOLANO COUNTY SOCIAL
------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, June 4 | 6–7:15 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
Take an important step with us in overcoming the social alienation of capitalism! Within the EBDSA, unique opportunities and challenges confront active members in Napa and Solano Counties. High on the scale of the challenge is our displacement from one another, as well as our distance from on-the-ground organizing across the bridge in Oakland and Berkeley. Help us overcome that in our monthly social! Connect with one another, share priorities and projects, and help brainstorm future events with us!
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** GREEN NEW DEAL TEACH-IN
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 7 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
Join ecosocialist comrades for a Green New Deal Teach-In at our newly established community garden at FM Smith Park (1969 Park Blvd.) starting at noon on June 6! We will discuss our vision for a Green New Deal and how a community garden can help us get there. Snacks and child supervision will be provided!
RSVP ([link removed])
** CLASSROOM JUSTICE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, May 24 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
Join the Classroom Justice Campaign! Classroom Justice is a locally-run campaign that seeks 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].
[link removed]
RSVP ([link removed])
** SOCIALIST NIGHT SCHOOL: BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA – THE GENERAL STRIKE
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, June 8 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
With Juneteenth quickly approaching, we’ll dive into WEB DuBois’s classic book Black Reconstruction in America, specifically looking at the chapter “The General Strike.” Join us as we discuss this important part of American history and how we can apply these lessons today.
Reading:
The General Strike ([link removed])
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** GREEN NEW DEAL COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING (VIRTUAL)
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 9 | 6:45–8:45 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
Our Green New Deal Committee meets on the second Wednesday each month. We will discuss eco-socialist issues, upcoming events and actions, committee priorities, and campaigns. All are welcome! Please RSVP to receive the URL to the meeting or email [email protected].
RSVP ([link removed])
** DEFUND OPD/REFUND OAKLAND PHONEBANK!
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, June 10 | 6–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
See details above for the June 3 phonebank. No experience is necessary!
RSVP ([link removed])
Upcoming Events
** ABOLITION AND SOCIALISM
------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, June 12 | noon–1:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
As both socialism and abolition grow in popularity and relevance, this event seeks to explore the connection between the two. Come join the EBDSA political education committee and racial solidarity committee for this event and discuss the connection between the fight for a world without police and prisons and a world without capitalism. It is suggested to do the readings beforehand, but not required.
The Abolitionist Road to Socialism ([link removed])
Full Abolition, the Highest Stage of Socialism ([link removed])
From Detroit to Minneapolis: Police Brutality is Key to Containing Revolutionary Possibilities ([link removed])
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** LET'S OWN PG&E CAMPAIGN
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 16 | 6:45–8:15 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
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.
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** SOCIAL HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 16 | 7–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
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!
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
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 ([link removed])
Catch up on Night School readings ([link removed])
Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.
DSA now has more than 90,000 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 ([link removed])
Caucus Corner
Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website ([link removed]) to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.
Announcements
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! ([link removed])
Just as racist stereotypes are the problem of the white people who believe them, so also are homophobic stereotypes the problem of the heterosexuals who believe them. In other words, those problems are yours to solve, not mine, and they are a terrible and wasteful barrier to our working together. I am not your enemy… I am a Black Lesbian, and I am your sister.
-- Audre Lorde
----
East Bay DSA - United States
This email was sent to [email protected]. To stop receiving emails: [link removed]
Created with NationBuilder - [link removed]
-- Kipp Dawson, "Gay Liberation: A Socialist Perspective"
Comrades,
Last week, nine rank and file ATU members lost their lives to gun violence on the job at Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). We are horrified by this senseless act and stand in solidarity with ATU 265 as we collectively grieve this tragic loss of life.
In America in 2021, gun violence is a serious workplace safety issue, just as COVID has been for over a year; VTA has been notably negligent about both ([link removed]) . Days before the mass shooting, ATU Local 265 president John Courtney wrote in a public statement that the agency’s “lip service to the heroism of our frontline transit workers… has not translated into any kind of hazard or hero compensation.” It still hasn’t.
Today at 5:30, in a show of solidarity, EBDSA will join Bay Area unions and transit riders at a VTA board meeting ([link removed]) to demand that VTA provide ATU 265 heroes with back-hazard pay. If you are able to make a public comment of support at this meeting, please fill out this Action Network form ([link removed]) and we will share talking points and additional details. In this essential industry, only strong unions like ATU have been able to achieve and maintain any of the policies that have kept workers and riders safe. Let’s show them our support during this difficult time and give them the power to keep fighting for safe conditions on our transit.
While there are always battles to be fought, and we look forward to fighting those together, we also don’t want to miss a chance to celebrate together – happy Pride to all of our queer and trans comrades! The struggles for dignity and freedom for all genders and sexualities are fundamental to the struggle for socialism, and LGBTQ+ comrades have led, taught, and strengthened this movement through every era of history. So let’s celebrate together this month; the weather is beautiful, and so are all of you.
Love and solidarity!
News and Information
Be sure to check out East Bay Majority ([link removed]) , East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective, for the latest news and information.
** WE STAND WITH GRIEVING ATU WORKERS, WHO GET LIP SERVICE FROM THE BOSS BUT NO HAZARD PAY
------------------------------------------------------------
After a shooting took the lives of 9 San Jose transit workers, the VTA still owes the workers it calls “heroes” millions in hazard pay.
Read more ([link removed])
** WHO IS HIDING $2B IN BAY AREA TRANSIT RESCUE FUNDS?
------------------------------------------------------------
The Bay Area got $2b in federal rescue funds to save public transit. Why is an unelected board hiding the money?
Read more ([link removed])
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 ([link removed]) .
** TURN OUT TO DEMAND BACK HAZARD PAY FOR MOURNING ATU265 WORKERS
------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight! June 3 | 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
Earlier this week, nine rank and file ATU members lost their lives to gun violence on the job at Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). We are horrified by this senseless act and stand in solidarity with ATU 265 as we collectively grieve this tragic loss of life. Transit workers are heroes and have risked everything to ensure that working class riders have been able to go about their daily lives throughout the pandemic; the fact that the lives of so many essential workers were cut short at the workplace is tragic beyond words. Yet even before this fatal violence, VTA routinely neglected the safety of frontline workers on the job.
Just days before the mass shooting, ATU Local 265 president John Courtney wrote in a public statement that the agency’s “lip service to the heroism of our frontline transit workers still has not translated into any kind of hazard or hero compensation.” In a show of solidarity, EBDSA alongside unions and transit riders across the Bay Area will demand that VTA provide ATU 265 heroes with back-hazard pay at a VTA board meeting. If you are able to make a public comment of support at this meeting, please fill out the Action Network form linked below and we will share talking points and additional details.
RSVP ([link removed])
Donate ([link removed])
** DEFUND OPD/REFUND OAKLAND PHONEBANK!
------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight! June 3 | 6–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
The Oakland budget is currently being negotiated in City Hall and we have until June 30th to make sure elected officials support defunding the police and refunding of services, housing, education, arts, mental health services, and other programs that enhance Black lives and Oakland's working class communities.
No experience is necessary! Making calls is easy, and there will be zoom training before you start. This is a great event for anyone whether you're new to political campaigns or a seasoned organizer! Phone banking is also a great activity you can do from the safety of your home, during COVID!
RSVP below to join the virtual phone bank at 6 p.m. You will need a camera and microphone on your computer, as well as a phone or headset to make the calls. Instructions will be provided once you join!
RSVP ([link removed])
** NAPA AND SOLANO COUNTY SOCIAL
------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, June 4 | 6–7:15 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
Take an important step with us in overcoming the social alienation of capitalism! Within the EBDSA, unique opportunities and challenges confront active members in Napa and Solano Counties. High on the scale of the challenge is our displacement from one another, as well as our distance from on-the-ground organizing across the bridge in Oakland and Berkeley. Help us overcome that in our monthly social! Connect with one another, share priorities and projects, and help brainstorm future events with us!
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** GREEN NEW DEAL TEACH-IN
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 7 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
Join ecosocialist comrades for a Green New Deal Teach-In at our newly established community garden at FM Smith Park (1969 Park Blvd.) starting at noon on June 6! We will discuss our vision for a Green New Deal and how a community garden can help us get there. Snacks and child supervision will be provided!
RSVP ([link removed])
** CLASSROOM JUSTICE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, May 24 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
Join the Classroom Justice Campaign! Classroom Justice is a locally-run campaign that seeks 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].
[link removed]
RSVP ([link removed])
** SOCIALIST NIGHT SCHOOL: BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA – THE GENERAL STRIKE
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, June 8 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
With Juneteenth quickly approaching, we’ll dive into WEB DuBois’s classic book Black Reconstruction in America, specifically looking at the chapter “The General Strike.” Join us as we discuss this important part of American history and how we can apply these lessons today.
Reading:
The General Strike ([link removed])
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** GREEN NEW DEAL COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING (VIRTUAL)
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 9 | 6:45–8:45 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
Our Green New Deal Committee meets on the second Wednesday each month. We will discuss eco-socialist issues, upcoming events and actions, committee priorities, and campaigns. All are welcome! Please RSVP to receive the URL to the meeting or email [email protected].
RSVP ([link removed])
** DEFUND OPD/REFUND OAKLAND PHONEBANK!
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, June 10 | 6–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️
See details above for the June 3 phonebank. No experience is necessary!
RSVP ([link removed])
Upcoming Events
** ABOLITION AND SOCIALISM
------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, June 12 | noon–1:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
As both socialism and abolition grow in popularity and relevance, this event seeks to explore the connection between the two. Come join the EBDSA political education committee and racial solidarity committee for this event and discuss the connection between the fight for a world without police and prisons and a world without capitalism. It is suggested to do the readings beforehand, but not required.
The Abolitionist Road to Socialism ([link removed])
Full Abolition, the Highest Stage of Socialism ([link removed])
From Detroit to Minneapolis: Police Brutality is Key to Containing Revolutionary Possibilities ([link removed])
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** LET'S OWN PG&E CAMPAIGN
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 16 | 6:45–8:15 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
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.
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
** SOCIAL HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 16 | 7–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️
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!
Join on Zoom ([link removed])
RSVP ([link removed])
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 ([link removed])
Catch up on Night School readings ([link removed])
Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.
DSA now has more than 90,000 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 ([link removed])
Caucus Corner
Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website ([link removed]) to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.
Announcements
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! ([link removed])
Just as racist stereotypes are the problem of the white people who believe them, so also are homophobic stereotypes the problem of the heterosexuals who believe them. In other words, those problems are yours to solve, not mine, and they are a terrible and wasteful barrier to our working together. I am not your enemy… I am a Black Lesbian, and I am your sister.
-- Audre Lorde
----
East Bay DSA - United States
This email was sent to [email protected]. To stop receiving emails: [link removed]
Created with NationBuilder - [link removed]
Message Analysis
- Sender: East Bay DSA
- Political Party: n/a
- Country: United States
- State/Locality: California
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