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In this newsletter:
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Retrospective: No War With Russia Rally
On February 4th, 2022, Sacramento leftist organizations including Sacramento DSA, SacPeace, WILPF, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Peace & Freedom Party, Veterans for Peace, ANSWER, NorCal Resist, and Wellstone Progressive Democrats united to protest the escalating tensions between the US and Russia over Ukraine and NATO expansion. Anti-war folks of all stripes joined in solidarity to form a unified front against the US imperialist war machine.
These escalating tensions further enrich the military-industrial complex at the expense of the working class here in the US, Ukraine, and Russia. Sacramento DSA will continue to stand in solidarity with the working class, locally and globally.
DSA’s International Committee put together an excellent statement providing context on what is happening in Ukraine and why war must be avoided. You can read their January 31, 2022 statement here: "DSA IC opposes US militarization and interventionism in Ukraine and Eastern Europe and calls for an end to NATO expansionism"
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Mutual Aid Committee Update
Our next Mutual Aid Monday distribution will be on February 21st, 5:30 p.m., at César Chávez Plaza (on I St & 10th St).
Want to help with our ongoing efforts? Join our Patreon for as little as $5 a month!
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Sacramento Solidarity: NorCal Resist - Afghan Solidarity Month of Action
Beginning this week and lasting into March, our comrades with NorCal Resist have planned several events in solidarity with the Afghan community. NCR has helped dozens of Afghan residents in Sacramento apply for humanitarian parole for family members still in Afghanistan with well over 750 applications filed thus far. However, the Biden administration has turned its back on this vulnerable population of people, a choice we find to be completely reprehensible. Thus far, NCR states they have received no granted applications whatsoever, and a dozen denials of applications for people who are at serious risk of being jailed or killed by the Taliban.
NCR has several activities planned to put pressure on our local elected officials to take action. As residents of a region with one of the highest populations of Afghan refugees in the US, and as voices against US militarism, NCR and DSA Sacramento believe we have a responsibility to take action now, before more lives are lost. We hope you will be able to join one or more of the following events in solidarity and support of our Afghan neighbors:
02/14: Valentine’s Day Humanitarian Parole Call In Action (Call-In Toolkit)
02/18: Banner Painting (6:00 p.m. – please RSVP to [email protected])
02/21: Press Conference on Humanitarian Parole at Robert Matsui Courthouse (10 a.m.)
02/26: Canvassing for Afghan Humanitarian Parole (10 a.m.) Register Here
03/03: Rally - National Day of Action (location TBA) (5:30 p.m.)
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Upcoming Chapter Meetings & Events
02/17 Healthcare Committee Meeting (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) Register on Zoom 02/21 Mutual Aid Monday Distribution at César Chávez Plaza (5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
02/24 International Committee Meeting (7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) Register on Zoom
02/27 Electoral Committee Meeting (12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.) Register on Zoom
02/28 Mutual Aid Committee Meeting (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) Register on Zoom
02/28 Labor Committee Meeting (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) Register on Zoom
03/02 Communications Committee Meeting (6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) Register on Zoom
03/07 Mutual Aid Monday Distribution at César Chávez Plaza (5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
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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!
The War on Yemen and the Ongoing Role of the US a Year Into the Biden Presidency Saudi Arabia launched its offensive on Yemen with U.S. backing nearly seven years ago. Since then hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have died, causing what is widely considered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. A year ago, President Biden announced that the U.S. would end all "offensive" support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, effectively promising the U.S. would provide less material support for the war. Unfortunately, the U.S. continues to provide logistical support for airstrikes and sells billions of dollars in weapons to the Saudis. Join Shireen Al-Adeimi, Aisha Jumaan, and Erik Sperling for a discussion on the history of the US-backed Saudi offensive on Yemen, the current humanitarian crisis in the country, U.S. involvement under the Biden administration, and the steps we need to take to help bring this devastating war to an end.
Medicare for All, not Medicare for Wall Street! Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 / 5:00 p.m. As socialists, we know that all working people deserve guaranteed high-quality health care. The only way to achieve that is by winning Medicare for All, or a single-payer healthcare system. But instead of expanding or improving the Medicare program, the Biden administration has allowed a new layer of privatization and profiteering to take hold: Direct Contracting Entities. Direct Contacting Entities are corporations that administer the Medicare program in order to turn a profit. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inherent laws of a for-profit healthcare system. Working people shouldn’t have to live in fear of losing our savings because we have had an unexpected health situation, especially not during a historic health crisis. What exactly are DCEs, and how can we stop the privatization of the Medicare program? Join DSA M4A on Feb. 22nd to learn more about this sneaky privatization scheme and hear from M4A organizers on how your chapter can join the fight to stop it!
Interview with Noted Indigenous and Prisoner Rights Activist Lenny Foster Saturday, February 26th, 2022 / 3:00 p.m. On February 26, a special 2-hour long interview with noted Indigenous and Prisoner Rights activist, Lenny Foster, will take place via Zoom webinar. The webinar will be simulcast via CreaTV San Jose. Lenny is the retired Director of the Navajo Nation Corrections Project and has served as Spiritual Advisor for over 2,000 Indigenous inmates in 96 prisons in the U.S. Prison System. He has co-authored legislation in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah that allows Native American spiritual and religious practice in prison and results in significant reductions in prison returns. He is a board member of the International Indian Treaty Council, a sun dancer and member of the Native American Church. He has been with the American Indian Movement since 1970 and has participated in actions including Alcatraz, Black Mesa, Raymond Yellow Thunder, the Trail of Broken Treaties, Wounded Knee '73, the Menominee Monastery Occupation, Shiprock Fairchild Occupation, the Longest Walk (1978) and the Big Mountain land struggle. He was a 1993 recipient of the City of Phoenix, Dr. Martin Luther King Human Rights Award. He has testified to the United Nations and to the US Congress. Lenny is a Spiritual Advisor to Leonard Peltier. Lenny Foster will share some of his life experiences and give a firsthand view of many pivotal events over the last half-century. He will speak of efforts which he has been part of to ensure that Indigenous prisoners in the United States are allowed to practice their spiritual and religious rights. He will speak about Leonard Peltier and the efforts that are being made to allow Peltier's release from what many consider an unjust prison sentence. Lenny Foster is one of the last people living to have taken part in many of the most important human rights campaigns of the last half-century. In terms of securing religious freedoms for Indigenous prisoners in the United States, his experience is unique. Lenny has never written a book on his experiences. He is hopeful that this interview will be a living testament for future generations to refer to. The DSA National Religion and Socialism Working Group and the DSA Santa Cruz chapter are co-sponsoring this event.
Building Power Through DSA Strike Support Monday, February 28th, 2022 / 5:00 p.m. Over the past year, many of our DSA chapters have built connections with labor unions through PRO Act rallies and strike support. While many of us had great conversations with workers on the picket line and perhaps invited them to share their strike experience at a chapter meeting, many chapters have had difficulty cultivating deep and long-lasting relationships with these rank-and-file workers. The fizzling out of the relationship can oftentimes be traced back to the member not making an immediate next ask after that teach-in rather than the worker's disinterest. Feelings of awkwardness and uncertainty can hold us back from providing these potential members into our chapter which in turn limits our ability to build a multiracial working-class movement. This workshop offers practical tips on building solidarity with workers. Effectively incorporating rank-and-file union members into our chapters has the potential to strengthen both DSA as an organization and the labor movement more broadly. |
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