Summer 2023 Reading Groups
In Summer 2023, Metro DC DSA is excited to host 6 different reading groups—and we’d love for you to join one! Reading groups provide an opportunity to share learning and political education in a group setting, allowing members and supporters’ organizing and knowledge to develop alongside comrades.
Most (but not all) reading groups will be held virtually, though many groups have scheduled in-person social meet ups. Some groups are topic-driven and read a series of articles, while others are focused on a specific book. All meetings will be held in the evenings except where specified. No experience or knowledge is necessary before entering any group and all readings and materials will be made available online for free! Sign up here!
Stomp Out Slumlords RG – Poor People’s Movements: The Stomp Out Slumlords Reading Group will begin Tuesday, June 27 and be based in the DC metro region. A fundamental text to SOS’s origin and theory of change, Poor People’s Movements: Why They Succeed, How They Fail, is an excellent theoretical and practical work on the material causes, structural dynamics, and strategic outcomes of mass movements. Francis Fox Piven and Richard Cloward lay out a theory of how radical mass movements are formed during dire historical moments and grow through organizing to play decisive roles in forcing major political change. The book then applies this theory to analyze several successful mass movements of the 20th century and compare their strategy in achieving results. More information here.
Marx at the Museum – Selections from William Morris RG: The Marx at the Museum Reading Group will begin on June 21st and be based in the DC metro region. This weekly reading group will engage with the work of early socialist, applied artist and theorist William Morris. We will read his utopian novel News from Nowhere in its entirety, as well as a selection of his lectures and prose that relate to questions of the social roles of the arts and the artist. More information here.
Black Jacobins RG: The Black Jacobins Reading Group will begin Tuesday June 6th and be based in the DC metro region. The group will introduce readers to the seminal work of CLR James, and the Haitian Revolution. Furthermore, we provide historical context for the Haitian Revolution and what lessons can be learned from this historic moment. More information here.
Education Workers RG: The Education Workers Reading Group will begin June 25 and will meet in Northeast DC. As a core text, we will use DSA member Eric Blanc’s Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics. Please see below to learn what we mean by “education workers,” to hear how anyone can obtain a free audiobook version of Red State Revolt, and to see ideas for supplementary materials. From staffing shortages to budget cuts to “anti-CRT” attacks, education workers across the nation and in our region face many challenges. But do we have to face them alone? If the joy of connecting with fellow education workers helps you maintain morale, this reading group may be just the thing. More information here.
Labor Power and Strategy RG: The Labor Power and Strategy Reading Group will begin July 6th and be based in the DC metro region. The goal of this group is to gain a deeper understanding of the strategic opportunities that exist to build labor power and solidarity. We will read John Womack’s Labor Power and Strategy in order to better understand the crucial supply chain issues that can be used to build achievable change for working people. More information here.
Let This Radicalize You RG: TBA.