Comrades,

We'd like to welcome everyone who might be reading a Montgomery County DSA email for the first time! We were just given an updated list from national DSA with a bunch of new comrades on it - so if you're new to DSA or just new to this email list, welcome!

 Get to know us:  As democratic socialists, we fight to end capitalism and to create a world in which everyone thrives, and in which people have a real voice in the choices and relationships that affect the entirety of our lives. We place the needs of people and communities over the accumulation of money and power by the elite. And, we must center the voices of the working class here and around the world, especially those who are most marginalized by intersecting systems of racial, gender, sexual, ethnic, religious, cultural, linguistic, ability-based, and numerous other forms of oppression and violence. Our vision of democratic socialism is a vision of a more free, more democratic and more humane society.
 

 Quick reminder: Our next MoCo DSA branch meeting will be held at the Silver Spring Library on Sunday, December 15 at 2:00 PM! Maryland state delegates Gabriel Acevero and Vaughn Stewart (who are DSA members) will be guest speakers, sharing their experiences in the General Assembly so far and discussing plans with us for the upcoming legislative session. More info is below - don't miss it!

 From our Metro D.C. DSA chapter (of which we're a branch): For the past 29 days, WMATA Metrobus workers in Lorton, Virginia - members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 - have been on strike against their multinational corporate employer, Transdev. These workers are striking against the privatization of public transportation and for the labor movement’s most basic principle—equal and livable working conditions for all. As socialists, we have a duty to support them however we can. Metro D.C. DSA has done a lot of handbilling and other solidarity work for the strike. You can take a picture with this sign and share it on social media, tagging @wmata and @atulocal689 on Twitter and @MetroForward and @atulocal689group on Facebook. You can also donate to the strike fund or donate a meal.

 There was a Police Accountability Workshop recently, organized by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and co-hosted by MoCo DSA member Del. Gabriel Acevero. Read more here, in an account authored by SURJ leader Laurel H. Key points were:

• The County is considering adopting a model in which trained mental health professionals respond to certain emergencies first, instead of police.
• The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP - police union) is a major barrier to police reform, particularly to changing the laws so that the public has access to the personnel records of abusive officers.

 In disturbing news, swastikas have been found graffitied at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. As Montgomery County continues to cope with far-right provocateurs like Sebastian Gorka, this is a disturbing indicator of fascism infecting our community's youth.

MoCo DSA's branch bylaws expire soon, and the Steering Committee has formed a Bylaws Committee to work on refining our governance rules next year. The Bylaws Committee will have its first meeting via teleconference on Tuesday, November 26. If you have any ideas or want to get involved, please contact us!

Upcoming events:
 TODAY - Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 PM: Poor People's Campaign Maryland Political Education Teleconference Call
From the organizers: On the call, we will be discussing the Poor People's Moral Budget (which can be downloaded here) and showcasing the plan for Maryland in 2020! The agenda for the meeting can be downloaded here. Teleconference Number: (605) 313-6378. Access Code: 203576*.

 Tuesday, November 26 at 7:00 PM: MoCo DSA Bylaws Committee Meeting (Teleconference)
Join us to help review and revise our branch's bylaws for the next year! What worked? What didn't? What needs changed? Contact us to join the conference all.

 Monday, December 2 from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM at the Mt. Pleasant Library: Socialist Night School - Social Reproduction
What is the connection between gender and class? Why must socialists be feminists, and feminists be socialists? What does socialist feminist struggle look like? The question of social reproduction is the question of how workers are "reproduced" in order to keep capitalism surging along. Come study the feminist Marxist concept of social reproduction with us, and think through how this concept can help us make larger demands for a better society. Details here.

 Sunday, December 15 from 2 pm-4:30 pm at Silver Spring Library: MoCo DSA Branch Meeting
Please join us at our monthly branch meeting to hear about state-level legislation from DSA members and state delegates Gabe Acevero and Vaughn Stewart! Details and RSVP here. 

 Check out the Metro DC DSA Meetup page to find many DSA events throughout the Washington Metro region!

Good Reads:
 From Jacobin: "We Now Have a Democratic Socialist 'Leisure Agenda'" by Meagan Day. "In the United States, we have few holidays, work long hours, and barely get vacation and sick days. There is a better way — we can win more free time and the fundamental right to relax from our bosses."

 From the Washington Post: "Why the Massacre at Centralia 100 Years Ago is Critically Important Today" by Steven C. Beda. "Today marks the 100th anniversary of a key event in American labor history: the Centralia massacre. It was actually less a massacre and more a shootout between the American Legion and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Although Centralia’s Wobblies claimed they had acted in self-defense, a jury convicted seven Wobblies of inciting violence, and the federal government began a massive effort across the nation to try to wipe out working-class radicalism."

 From Jacobin: "The Corporate Media's War Against Bernie Sanders Is Very Real" by Luke Savage. "A new report offers hard evidence for what you already suspected: MSNBC is riding hard against Bernie."

In solidarity,