NOVEMBER 10, 2023
CONTENTS
UP FRONT
General Body Meeting – THIS Sunday, November 12 from 2 – 4pm
Palestine 101 Socialist Night School — Wednesday, November 15
- Metro DC DSA Organizer Fair — Saturday, November 18
General Body Meeting – THIS Sunday, November 12 from 2 – 4pm
The next Metro DC DSA General Body Meeting takes place this Sunday, November 12, from 2 to 4pm at the Benning Road Library. The GBM will be held as a hybrid event, so members will have the option to attend virtually as well. We’ll hear updates from chapter working groups and talk about our upcoming local convention.
The library is closest to the Minnesota Avenue Metro station (Blue/ Orange/ Silver lines) as well as a number of bus lines. Please make sure to wear a mask if you’re attending in person. Afterwards, we’ll go to happy hour at Trusty’s (a short metro or bus line away). RSVP here.
Palestine 101 Socialist Night School — Wednesday, November 15
The movement to liberate Palestine has been revitalized and expanded, as seen last weekend, when DSA members from across the country marched in what may have been the largest pro-Palestinian rally in United States history. How did we get here?
In our next Socialist Night School, we’ll go over the basics of the history of Palestine, Zionism, the founding of Israel and the movement to liberate Palestine, and the variety of strategies and tactics that has entailed, including but not limited to Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS). Whether you are new to this issue and looking for an accessible entry into it, or a more experienced person looking for a stronger foundation, come learn with us.
This is a hybrid event on Wednesday, November 15th at 6pm. The in-person event will be at Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library. But you can also join us on Zoom. RSVP here!
Metro DC DSA Organizer Fair — Saturday, November 18
Are you a member looking to get involved in organizing in the chapter? Have you heard about one of our successful campaigns and want to learn more? Are you curious about Metro DC DSA and want to hear more about what we do in the community?
Come out to the Organizer Fair on November 18th from 3:30 to 5:30pm and meet members from our Working Groups, including Labor, Stomp Out Slumlords, We Power DC and many more. This is a great opportunity to get more involved in the chapter or just find out more about our work. Hope to see you there — RSVP here.
BRIEFS
Tell the Arlington County Board to kick out ICE — November 11
ICE Out of Arlington is again asking comrades to pack the Arlington County Board meeting this Saturday, November 11 at 8am. The goal is to keep up the pressure to revoke section 7 of the Trust policy, which allows the Arlington County PD to collaborate with ICE at their own discretion. Affected community members will be speaking before the board and have asked us to show up in solidarity. If you think you might be able to make it, please RSVP here. You can also find details on Slack in the #action-alerts channel.
Defund and Abolition film screening and fundraiser — November 14
The NoVA Abolition working group, formerly Defund NoVA PD, will be hosting a film screening and fundraiser on Tuesday, November 14 at 6pm. Come out to the Arlington Central Library Auditorium for a screening of Riotsville, USA, a 2022 documentary about fictional towns built for so-called riot control training in the 1960s. We will be raffling off prizes to those who donate at least $5 to one of multiple funds including the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, Medical Aid for Palestinians and KinderUSA. Visit the Defund NoVA PD linktree to learn more.
Support the PWEA by filling the PWCS School Board meeting — November 14
Tuesday, November 14 marks the final Prince William County School Board meeting before the December 1 contract negotiation deadline with the Prince William Education Association. The PWEA is asking all available comrades to come out to the meeting and wear black in support of collective bargaining. The meeting starts at 7pm at Kelly Leadership Center (14715 Bristow Rd, Manassas, VA 20112). If you are interested in carpooling, check #nova-labor on Slack.
Ask your DC Councilmember to co-sponsor the EJ Amendment Act
Earlier this week, DC Councilmember Zachary Parker introduced the Environmental Justice Amendment Act of 2023. Metro DC DSA’s We Power DC and a coalition of environmental justice organizations in the District, including Empower DC, CCAN, DC Climate Coalition and Sierra Club, spearheaded the writing of this bill. This landmark legislation was introduced at Councilmember Parker’s press conference in Ivy City on November 6 and has been referred to the DC Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment for a hearing.
Black, Brown, immigrant and working-class neighborhoods are forced to bear much of the burden of pollution in the District — from traffic, industry, waste facilities, freight trains, scrap yards and countless other sources of harm. This piece of legislation would protect communities from these polluters by making it more difficult to build, expand or re-permit polluting facilities in neighborhoods that are overburdened by pollution. In addition to Parker, Councilmembers McDuffie and Henderson have signed on as co-sponsors. We have one week from the bill’s introduction to get more co-sponsors signed on. Metro DC DSA’s public power campaign, We Power DC, is asking folks to call their councilmembers and ask them to become a co-sponsor — you can use this phone zap toolkit to make calls this weekend.
Save the Date: Red Cup Rebellion with Starbucks workers — November 16
Starbucks partners across the country will be going on strike on Red Cup Day — Starbucks’ biggest sales day of the year — to protest unfair labor practices, and are asking allies to stand alongside them in action on November 16. NoVA Labor will be participating in this event at the Ballston store located at 901 N. Stuart St. at 8am. Sign up here!
Socialist Feminist Section November Happy Hour — November 30
Join the Socialist Feminist Section for our November Happy Hour, this time at Red Bear Brewing Co. Show up early, show up late — we’d love to see you. Our events are well-attended and a great way to meet comrades (old and new) and get plugged back into the chapter. All are welcome: RSVP here.
SAG-AFTRA reaches tentative agreement with studios
SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP on Wednesday night, with Variety reporting the proposed contract includes “the first-ever protections for actors against artificial intelligence and a historic pay increase.” Details are expected to be released today; SAG-AFTRA members will vote on whether to accept or reject the agreement.
Stay warm in socialist gear
With the leaves turning and the air becoming crisp, it’s time to don some layers of chapter merch! Metro DC DSA’s merch store has hats, tees and hoodies that will keep you warm this fall. Each item is proudly union-made.
INFO ACCESS
MDC DSA Publications Schedule: November’s Updates are scheduled to appear Fridays, the 17th and 24th. The December issue of the Washington Socialist zine/newsletter is currently scheduled for Friday, December 1 with that week’s Update.
Would you like to participate in MDC DSA’s publications? We write, we edit, we design, we do the tech — there are so many ways your hand could lighten the load. Check us out on #publications and let us know what you would like to write, or write about, or …? If you would like to see something included in the Update, suggestions can be submitted to the tip line.
Quick reference links for MDC DSA:
- Metro DC DSA chapter’s website
- Our local structure — campaigns, working groups, etc.
- Capsule introduction to the chapter including our branches covering the DMV
- A home-grown history of our local chapter
- Archive of the Washington Socialist
- Archive of our MDC DSA Socialist Night School (recordings and some transcriptions)
- National DSA’s website
- DSA Feed, an RSS feed that aggregates multiple DSA publications — including our own Washington Socialist — in one convenient place. More from the National Tech Committee here.
And, “live from our studio,” Wednesday, November 22nd, 8 – 9pm | Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation with Q&A avails.
DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Saturday, November 11th
8am | NoVA Migrant Justice joins Arlington County Board Meeting for #IceOutofArlington
Sunday, November 12
1pm | NoVA Abolition Research Sunday
2 – 4pm | MDC DSA General Body Meeting (hybrid)
4 – 6pm | MoCo Branch November Social
Tuesday, November 14
6 – 8pm | Stop Cop City Film Screening and Fundraiser
6 – 7pm | Defund MPD Working Group Biweekly Meeting
Wednesday, November 15
6 – 7:30pm | Palestine 101 – Socialist Night School (hybrid)
Thursday, November 16
8am | NoVA Labor Joins Red Cup Rebellion
6pm | Social Housing Organizing Meeting
6 – 7pm | Defund MPD Working Group Biweekly Meeting (rescheduled)
6:30 – 8:30pm | Social Meetup — NoVA Branch DSA
7 – 8:30pm | Nuts and Bolts — How to Host a Great Event for Socialists
Saturday, November 18
1:30 – 4:30pm | Stomp Out Slumlords Anti-Eviction Canvas
Tuesday, November 21
6 – 7pm | Medicare 4 All Alexandria/Arlington Third Tuesday Update
Wednesday, November 22
8 – 9pm | Why You Should Join DSA / New Member Orientation
Tuesday, November 28
6 – 7pm | Defund MPD Working Group Biweekly Meeting
Thursday, November 30
5pm | Social Housing Organizing Meeting
6 – 8:30pm | Socialist Feminist Section Monthly Happy Hour (in person)
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
The Garage Gala | Live from the Garage
Live from the Garage will be hosting a concert fundraiser tonight, November 10 for Ikemba Foods and Remora House DC, two local mutual aid groups committed to providing assistance for those in need in DC. Doors open at 7pm.
Punk Rock Flea Market | DC Punk Rock Flea
DC’s favorite flea market is back! On Saturday, November 18 from 12 to 5pm you can find vendors, makers, and community advocates from across the DMV gathered in Columbia Heights at St. Stephen’s church (1525 Newton St NW). In addition to vendors and makers, there will also be a food drive for We Are Family (canned and non-perishables only, please). Parking in the immediate area is very limited, walking or public transit recommended!
Makers Market and Plant Swap | Plants Alive!
Plants Alive! (15710 Layhill Road, Silver Spring, MD) is hosting a Makers Market & Plant Swap + Sale on Sunday, November 26 from 10am to 2pm. This is a great chance to meet the finest local artists and plant vendors — a true highlight for the community and the greenery! Entry is free, pets are welcome.
Ward 7 & 8 Resource Guide | DC Greens
Food access and health-equity focused nonprofit organization, DC Greens, has just published their 2023 Ward 7 & 8 Resource Guide, created in partnership with more than 40 local partner organizations. The guide features helpful information about vital food, health, and wellness services currently available to the D.C. community at-large, with a special focus on resources for and from Wards 7 and 8.
Criminal Justice Resource Library Launches | DC Justice Lab
This week, DC Justice Lab introduced a brand-new Resource Library, a dedicated hub on DC policy issues around policing, prosecution, and punishment. The Resource Library is designed to be a go-to destination for insightful information, research, and resources related to criminal justice on DC policy. DC Justice Lab believes that access to knowledge is the first step toward effecting positive change and encourages you to share this resource far and wide.
GOOD READS / ESSENTIAL TRAFFIC
“Predistribution” or “redistribution”? – how does our socialist game plan fit into this frame? NYT columnist Peter Coy reviews some new scholarship about working-class flight from the ostensibly working-class party of FDR and LBJ.
Wondering who were the 22 Democrats who voted to censure their colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib? The Hill has the list.
Workers’ movements across Europe protest supply of arms to Israel: “As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza continues unabated for the fourth week straight, workers across Europe have stepped up their solidarity with Palestine and organized resistance to the supply of arms from various parts of the continent to Israel.”
“In a harrowing dispatch from Gaza, Palestinian human rights activist and Gaza City resident Raji Sourani gives an account of daily life amid Israeli air strikes that are killing entire families. Despite it all, Palestinians in Gaza are clinging to hope.” From Jacobin.
An early and unflinching source of feminist bite and wisdom is suspended (say bye-bye) by its corporate owner, which claims it tried to sell it but no luck. “Unfortunately, our business model and the audiences we serve across our network did not align with Jezebel’s.” From the Neiman Lab newsletter, Jezebel, the pioneering women’s site, is “suspended” by G/O Media.
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 the chains of its restrictions, shatters them, and stops inebriated to breathe the breeze of a vaster and freer horizon.
–Virgilia D’Andrea