Comrade,
The MDC DSA Weekend: This weekend, our chapter is knocking doors for DSA-endorsed Janeese Lewis George's campaign for the Ward 4 seat on the D.C. Council. As a councilmember, Janeese will stand with us in our fight for tenants rights and strong rent control laws. We will be out on the following schedule:
Saturday:
11 AM -1:30 PM, (Lunch break), 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Meet at the campaign office at 6400 Georgia Ave NW.
Sunday,
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Meet at the campaign office at 6400 Georgia Ave NW.
Email Nikko at [email protected] to RSVP! Be sure to also join the working group by filling out this google form https://tinyurl.com/dsa4janeese and joining the #dc-ward4-electoral-organizing channel on slack.
Saturday Jan. 25 --- Say NO to Surveillance and Criminalization!
8:30am at Arlington County VA – Government, 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington VA
NoVA DSA and allies are building to support “For Us, Not Amazon” this Saturday at Arlington County’s board meeting to fight for a future where people and communities keep each other safe, not racist surveillance and policing. Note: Hosted by LaColectiVA and 5 others: https://www.facebook.com/events/2591950821135637/
Sunday Jan 26 DC Jobs with Justice and allies have a Wage Theft Canvass ; more below.
MDC DSA SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTS
Results from the MDC DSA special election are in: There were 70 votes cast to elect Nate Sweet to the vacant at-large Steering Committee seat, with 66 voting "Yes" (94.3%) and 4 selecting "Abstain" (5.7%). Congrats and welcome @n_sweet, we're excited to have you.
--Irene K
In This Issue: The weekend, and...
Socialist Night School Presents “Ecosocialist Principles for a Green New Deal”
“RENT REBELS” Screening at Colony Club
D.C. Labor Gears Up For 2020 -- "Labor In Session" Website for VA action Launches
Canvass With DC Jobs With Justice
DSA 4 Bernie has been planning
MDC DSA Events for January and February
Events from Our Allies in the DMV
Good Reads
INFO ACCESS: MDC DSA FAQs, info access and publications schedule including TOMORROW’s article deadline for the February Washington Socialist!
Socialist Night School Presents “Ecosocialist Principles for a Green New Deal” Tues, Feb. 4
In this Socialist Night School session, we're talking about ecosocialism, a framework for combining insights from the rich tradition of Marxist social analysis with scientific knowledge of our biosphere.
How does ecosocialism help us understand how capitalism and overlapping systems of oppression fuel the kinds of extraction that now undermine basic systems of life on Earth? As the broader left in the United States keeps building political momentum for a Green New Deal, how can ecosocialist principles help us navigate through the crises of intensifying climate disruption, economic inequality, and resurgent fascism to build toward a transformative vision of a future in which all people can thrive in societies that regenerate our planet?
The session will be led by Ashik S., steering committee member of DSA's national Ecosocialist Working Group and co-founder of The Climate Mobilization, on Feb. 4 at 6:30pm in the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library CPK First Floor Meeting Room 1.
“RENT REBELS” Screening at Colony Club Sat. February 1 7pm
Come to SOS Movie Night at Colony Club! This time we'll be screening "RENT REBELS: Resistance Against the Sell Out of the City," a documentary about the tenant movement in Berlin.
The film is a kaleidoscope of tenants’ struggles in Berlin against displacement, ranging from the occupation of the Berlin town hall to a camp at Kottbusser Tor. A new urban protest movement is on the rise — from tenant organizing against evictions to senior citizens’ struggles to maintain their community center and age-appropriate flats.
Karaoke afterwards at 10pm.
D.C. Labor Gears Up For 2020
Affiliates of the Metropolitan Washington Council, an AFL-CIO labor council, gathered in early January to strategize for 2020, according to Union City. About a dozen representatives met at the Teamsters 639 hall on January 16 for a conversation about the 2020 election season in D.C.
They discussed the calendar of events for the Council’s endorsements of candidates, which will kick off with the candidate education forum scheduled for Monday, February 3. Union City noted that the group also shared its legislative priorities for education, entertainment and health care, and galvanizing union member involvement in Labor 2020. DC COPE will fashion a labor questionnaire that will go out to D.C. City Council candidates by February 25. The next monthly DC COPE meeting is Thursday, February 13 at 4:00 pm. The Metro Washington Council encourages union members affiliated with the council to attend, Union City reported.
"Labor In Session" Website Launches for Virginia effort
In an effort to empower more union activists and allies to advocate for pro-worker legislation, the Virginia AFL-CIO launched its "Labor In Session" website at the start of the 2020 Virginia General Assembly session.
"We must take full advantage of this moment to push a robust pro-worker agenda focused on moving Virginia from the worst state for workers to the best," said Julie Hunter, Virginia AFL-CIO Campaign Manager, according to Union City.
Activists can find and contact their state senator and delegate, take rapid action on in-progress legislation, and volunteer to lobby for labor at the General Assembly.
Canvass With DC Jobs With Justice
Join DC Jobs with Justice and Many Languages One Voice this Sunday, Jan. 26, as we reach out to immigrant communities in Columbia Heights about wage theft and their rights at work.
The Wage Theft Canvass will begin at Church of the Sacred Heart at 3211 Sacred Heart Way at noon and will commence at 2:30pm.
Sign up here and email Nikko Bilitza at [email protected] with questions.
DSA 4 BERNIE UPDATE
What we’ve done
Primary Season Planning Group Successful!
We had a great turnout of volunteers join the working group to plan out and assign tasks for upcoming actions. The group planned canvasses, watch parties and more for February, March, and beyond. Join us next Tuesday the 28th for our Work Party to get a lot of our planning implemented.
Coming Up
Work Party on January 28 (Location TBD)
Want to get more involved with the DSA 4 Bernie efforts? Join us next Tuesday (likely same location as last week) to implement plans and meet great people. Bring your laptop!
Canvass for Bernie in Arlington on Feb 1st
We’ll meet at 12:30 at the Arlington Court House Metro Station. We’ll provide training, fliers, and a canvass buddy. Try to arrive with a fully charged smart phone with the MiniVAN app installed, and dress for the weather. http://meetu.ps/e/HFPqk/cMgsq/a
Iowa Caucus Watch Party
Join us February 3rd at 7:30 pm to watch the Iowa Caucus! Location TBD, keep an eye out for Meetup and Facebook events!
Canvass every weekend in February in Northern Virgina!
Keep an eye on the MDC DSA pages on Meetup and Facebook to learn exact locations and details.
Shameless Plug: Can you spare a dollar?
We have -- well, not enough -- in the DSA 4 Bernie working group bank account and we want to raise $3,000 to purchase the literature we need for canvassing through the primary season. We’re printing in both English and Spanish and we need your support.
Can you make a donation of $5, $10, $27, or any other amount to support Metro D.C. DSA’s Bernie Working Group? Here’s the link to donate.
Reach out to us at [email protected]
