Abortion and Reproductive Justice Teach-In (Hybrid Event) — TOMORROW, June 4 at 3pm
Political Engagement Committee: applications are open
MDC DSA Fun Run Fundraiser for Cuba — This Sunday, June 5 at 10:30am
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Abortion and Reproductive Justice Teach-In (Hybrid Event) — TOMORROW, June 4 at 3pm
Join the MDC DSA Political Education Working Group for a teach-in on abortion and reproductive justice TOMORROW, Saturday, June 4, at 3 pm in front of the Supreme Court building (1 First St NE). This session will be led by Sara Matthiesen, Assistant Professor of History and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at George Washington University, and author of Reproduction Reconceived: Family Making and the Limits of Choice After Roe v. Wade. This will be a hybrid event: the in-person portion will be held in front of the Supreme Court building. RSVP here if you plan to attend and to receive the link to the online event.
Political Engagement Committee: applications are open
The Political Engagement Committee is looking to fill two open seats! Applications will be open for two weeks and are due by Friday, June 10th. As part of the process, every applicant will be interviewed by the new PEC Chair, Carl R. After applications have closed, the Steering Committee will deliberate to pick the new members. Please apply using this form.
The PEC coordinates the recruitment, vetting and recommendation of electoral candidates for endorsement by chapter members. It also takes votes on political questions, like drafting new endorsement questionnaires, how our electoral organizing should be structured and whether or not to recommend candidates for endorsement. You can read a full description of the Political Engagement Committee in our bylaws. Carl R. can answer any questions about the PEC either via Slack DM or in #steering.
We are accepting applications from chapter members living in all parts of the DMV, but especially encourage VA residents to apply, as at least one of the new PEC members must live in Virginia.
MDC DSA Fun Run Fundraiser for Cuba — this Sunday, June 5 at 10:30am
Help fund our campaign to end the medical blockade against Cuba at the MDC DSA Fun Run (or walk!) this Sunday, June 5th, at 10:30am. Meet at Anacostia Trail, near the Anacostia Metro stop, and follow the exit signs to “park and ride.” $20 suggested donation. All participants get a “Cuba Si, Blockade No!” BUTTON! Register here now!
DSA’s public power campaign — We Power DC — will be holding a rally at Pepco Headquarters to kick off the demand for public ownership of the city’s energy infrastructure. We Power will be meeting at MLK Jr Memorial Library (901 G St NW) (pre-register here). We’ll hear from councilmembers, candidates and organizers on why public power is a crucial environmental justice issue; a necessary part of a Green New Deal for DC.
DC’s electricity system should serve the public, not private profit. Pepco, our investor-owned electric utility, leaves our low-income neighbors in the dark by shutting off electricity and burdening residents with debt, fails to meet DC’s climate goals, and is unaccountable to public decision making. There is an alternative. Municipalization of our energy system will turn over more power to the people of DC and prevent shareholder interests from superseding those of the people who live here. Let’s make it happen.
Steering special election results
Kareem E, Local Steering Committee chair, has posted the following in #announcements:
Comrades, after an open nominations period, three candidates received the requisite number of nominations to run for the open At-Large seat on the Steering Committee. Of those three, one candidate, Allison K (she/her), current Web Steward, accepted their nomination. As there is only one candidate, Allison has won the seat by acclamation! Congratulations Allison, and thank you to everyone who participated. Thank you to the Special Election Facilitation Committee for volunteering to oversee this process.
Marx at the Movies — Invitation to Outdoor Movie Screening This Tuesday, June 7
Marx at the Movies is a Metro DC DSA discussion group that views films together in-person one week and then connects those films to texts of Marxist cultural and critical theory in online discussions the following week. You’re invited to join us for our June programming! Here’s what’s on deck for June:
Tues, 6/7:Hail, Caesar! outdoor screening; 1856 Park Rd NW; social hour at 7 p.m., movie at 8 p.m.
You can also join us on Discord for group updates and general conversation: https://discord.gg/RJXNRJKC or you can email [email protected] to join our calendar invites and get updates in the event of inclement weather.
NoVA Branch updates: branch meeting, building a VA union force, and more...
Updates for NoVA Branch members:
The next monthly branch meeting is taking place Thursday, June 9 at 7pm — you can find the draft agenda here. Please RSVP so we can expect you.
Interested in showing up to unionization actions in Northern Virginia? NoVA socialists are building a force of supporters willing to show up in solidarity with local workers. If interested, fill out this form.
Tenant organizing: if you'd like to join us on a weekday evening canvass, send an email to [email protected]. Joining us knocking doors is a great way to learn If you'd like to help organize buildings or learn how to organize in your own. Help us fight exploitative landlords!
Preliminary Community Accountability Meeting - Monday, June 13 at 6:30pm
Are you interested in building a more inclusive community in MDC DSA? Do you want to help create a curriculum and coordinate trainings for conflict resolution within the chapter? Do you yourself want to serve as a mediator to help resolve conflicts? If so, we hope you’ll join us for the preliminary meeting of what will be a chapter community accountability committee. The meeting will be on Monday, June 13, at 6:30pm. RSVP here!
The creation of a community accountability committee was discussed at a Conflict Resolution Town Hall in March facilitated by the Harassment and Grievance Officer (HGO) Commission. The committee will be a new chapter formation tasked with assisting in mediation and conflict resolution, as well as education and training around community accountability, transformative justice and conflict resolution.
During this upcoming meeting, we will:
Go over the points brought up at the town hall by members;
Discuss the high-level goals of a community accountability committee;
Discuss how to best create a democratic structure for the committee;
Begin assigning tasks for some of the projects the committee will work on.
Members of the HGO Commission will facilitate the meeting, but this will be a space for everyone to share their ideas and get more involved! We hope you’ll join us and be part of starting this important work in the chapter.
DSA Inside Baseball - Sunday, June 5th, featuring local member Sean Doolittle of the Washington Nationals
This Sunday, June 5th at 7pm, DSA will host a webinar covering the state of workers in baseball leagues featuring Simon Rosenblum-Larson (founder of More Than Baseball and a Tampa Bay Rays affiliate), Max Gerboc (SEIU Local 1 stadium worker organizer) and local DSA member Sean Doolittle (of the Washington Nationals). Register here.
In-person reading group on abortion rights on Thursday, June 23rd at 7pm
Anyone interested in understanding and organizing around abortion rights is invited to an outdoor, in-person, one-off reading group that will discuss the short and free book Without Apology by Jenny Brown on Thursday, June 23 at 7pm! At the reading group, we will hold small group discussions that will touch on the book’s contents and on the implications and strategy for DMV residents concerned about the criminalization of abortion in the US. No experience with reading groups is required beforehand, and we will send you an electronic copy of the book and further details upon signing up. The event is co-hosted by the Political Education Working Group and the SocFem section. Anyone interested in attending is also encouraged to participate in political actions and other events around abortion rights in the meantime. Please make sure to RSVP so we have an accurate number of seats!
Summer reading group sign-ups are open
The Political Education Working Group is pleased to offer three reading groups for this summer: Caliban and the Witch (Tuesday nights), Post-Scarcity Anarchism (Wednesday nights) and Anti-Capitalist Music Crit (Sunday nights), all starting in late June. Sign up using this form here. If you’re interested in leading or developing a reading group for Fall 2022 or Spring 2023, sign up here or reach out to the reading group coordinators, Elizabeth and Jackson!
Join the Metro DC DSA Design Committee
The Metro DC DSA Design Committee creates art for our chapter’s working groups, campaigns and publications. We are looking for new members with an interest in graphic design, illustration, art, web design, photography and more. Fill out this form to learn more about the committee and how to get involved! You can also reach out to Katlyn C. on Slack.
National Park Service violently evicts encampment at Union Station
Per reporting from Axios: the National Park Service cleared at least a dozen tents outside of Union Station at Columbus Circle on June 1st. At the end of the eviction, government enforcers tased and involuntarily committed an unhoused woman who refused to move after Parks Police escalated the situation on the ground.
Remora House DC — a reputable anarchist outfit that conducts outreach to unhoused residents in DC — is looking to replace tents, sleeping bags and other supplies used by unhoused residents. You can donate to their effort at givebutter.com/remorahouse.
INFO ACCESS
Publications Schedule: June Updates will appear Fridays, June 10, 17 and 24. Article deadline for the July 1st issue of the Washington Socialist is Saturday, June 25.
To get on MDC DSA Slack there’s a new path, and the most intuitive ever: email [email protected]. Use the email address by which the national DSA knows you. The requester must be an MDC DSA member in good standing. Here’s the link to find out your paid-up status with national DSA: http://proof.dsausa.org/
Looking to get involved in the chapter? Are you a member who’s been looking for ways to get involved in our chapter’s organizing? Are you interested in joining the DSA but would like to talk to someone about it first? No matter where you’re coming from, we’d love to talk to you! Follow this link to schedule a conversation with one of our comrades!
DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Most MDC DSA meetings remain remote-only. To join remote meetings, members will need to register at the event link provided and receive the remote-access link by email.
Washington Youth Garden Community Birthday Party | WYG Celebrate 50 years of gardening and growing on June 11 at Washington Youth Garden’s birthday party! This event takes place from 11am to 1:30pm and is free and open to the public. Family friendly activities, games and food will be provided. The WYG is part of the National Arboretum, which guests can also freely explore. Share a Seed, run by Metro DC DSA comrade Reana, will also be at the event sharing seeds.
Ward 4 Community Pop-Up | Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, DC Humanities Truck, et al Whether you live in Ward 4 or just love to join together in community, all are welcome on June 12 from 2 to 6pm for the Ward 4 Community Pop-Up! The event will take place at 5001 Georgia Ave NW and feature free food, free narcan and fentanyl test kits, and additional mutual aid items from community groups.
ESSENTIAL TRAFFIC
730DC released a comprehensive voter guide yesterday. Highly recommended reading for those looking to suss out the faultlines in DC’s primary battles across the city.
A report from Washington City Paper: DC’s rent-control database — one of the critical policies needed to utilize DC’s rent-control laws as a way to deliver consistently affordable housing to DC residents — has failed to gain traction for over two decades. The database was supposed to be ready in 2016.
The 2022 Labor Notes conference, coming up in about three weeks, is “gonna be big” — so says Labor Notes, and we doubt them at our peril.
It’s the 200th anniversary of Charles Babbage’s “difference engine,” considered the first computer and from which came, well, Instagram and QAnon, etc. From Portside, Lady Ada (Byron) Lovelace, a brilliant mathematician and collaborator with Babbage, gets some props in this account, but you might want to know more about this singular woman.
From Dissent via Portside: “Given the degree to which democratic socialists have been systematically excluded from wielding political power, especially foreign policy authority, in the United States, one might think that the unraveling of the postwar order could present a real political opportunity.” But first, this wide-ranging longread suggests the socialist left needs to get itself together ideologically on how to turn the opportunity into real change.
The flame of thought, the magnificence of art, the wonder of discovery, and the audacity of invention all belong to revolutionary periods when humanity, tired of its chains, shatters them and stops inebriated to breathe the breeze of a vaster and freer horizon..
- Virgilia D'Andrea
Sent via ActionNetwork.org.
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