Comrades,
Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, where everyone came together to celebrate his legacy. But to better understand his perspective, we must not allow mainstream interests to sanitize his message for a broader audience. Find out more by joining East Bay DSA tonight at 6:30 p.m. and hear from his own words. More details below.
Also, as a chapter, we have dedicated ourselves to Black Liberation and Indigenous Sovereignty in the form of a Priority Campaign, a major component of which is community outreach and learning how we can better support BIPOC liberation and sovereignty through our work. The kickoff meeting for this external-facing effort is this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. As this is a Priority Campaign event, we encourage all members to attend and help make this effort a success. We hope to see you there!
Solidarity, DSA SF Comms Committee
Event Calendar
🌹 Wednesday, 1/19 (5:00 p.m.): Phone bank for tenants’ rights (Zoom)
🌹 Tuesday, 1/18 (6:30 p.m.): [East Bay DSA event] Socialist Night School: MLK in His Own Words (Zoom)
🌹 Saturday, 1/22 (1:00 p.m.): [Black Liberation and Indigenous Sovereignty Priority Campaign event] Building Power & Working for Black Liberation Externally
(Zoom)
🌹 Wednesday, 1/26 (7:00 p.m.): DSA SF Open Political Discussion (Zoom)
For more events, click here.
Announcements
Socialist Night School: MLK in His Own Words
In the decades since Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, his political legacy has mostly been sanitized for a broad audience. But in his own time, MLK was viewed – correctly – as a radical. By fighting for an uncompromising politics of racial justice, economic transformation, and peace abroad, MLK won the ire of nearly ¾ of Americans who said they disapproved of him in a 1967 Harris Poll.
Instead of letting mainstream interests shape our perception of Dr. King, we can listen to him directly to understand his perspective. His written words and fiery speeches are still with us today and give invaluable insight into one of the most prominent American freedom fighters in the last hundred years.
What did Dr. King actually say and think while he was alive? How is it important for socialists today? Can we continue the emancipatory vision that he laid out back then, in this day and age? Join the East Bay DSA Political Education Committee, with Shane Ruiz, co-chair of East Bay DSA, for a discussion of these questions and more! RSVP now for East Bay DSA’s Night School on January 18.
Open Political Discussion
With the surge of COVID cases in the Bay Area, we have had to roll back many of our in-person events to being Zoom-only. While this is the safe decision from a health standpoint, our chapter cohesiveness has suffered because we are unable to have the free-flowing discussion that comes from face-to-face interaction. In lieu of that in-person discussion, we are holding an open discussion session on any political topic that members would like to discuss Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. If you would like to participate in the discussion and are a member, please register for this session here.
In Case You Missed It…
Sign a petition for a #2WeekPause to keep teachers and students safe!
With the Omicron surge of COVID cases we’re seeing in the city, our teachers and students are facing a crisis. Hundreds of teachers, staff, and students have been absent because of COVID – it’s a learning environment that works for no one and is neglectful of everyone’s health and safety.
Meanwhile, SFUSD is refusing to meet with union leaders and bargain a new health and safety memorandum of understanding. At the same time, the district is failing to provide adequate PPE, failing to provide adequate testing, failing to provide adequate contact tracing – virtually nothing is being done.
Some of our comrades started a petition for a sickout last Thursday during the first round of negotiations and got almost a thousand signatures and almost 900 workers “out sick” that day.
Bottom line, we need a #2WeekPause for our corrupt, bloated school district to put some BASIC safety measures in place. Sign the petition linked here to support our teachers in demanding the absolute bare minimum from SFUSD!
Organize a Healthcare Labor Circle with us!
Help us organize a healthcare labor circle! We are hoping to connect with members who work in healthcare in San Francisco. Our first step would be to organize an informal meet and greet among members to discuss where people work, what issues they face, and what a healthcare labor circle might look like. If you are interested in getting involved in this process please send an email to hansen.weaver@gmail.com.
Phone bank for tenants’ rights!
The Daybreak PAC is hosting weekly phone banks every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. where we call District 5 tenants. It’s a great chance for DSA members to help protect tenants from eviction and assist folks in applying for rent relief!
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