News

Fight for Democracy, Fight for Socialism — June Dispatch

June 9, 2022

Enjoy your June Dispatch! This month, get involved in collective action to defend democracy, stand up for Starbucks labor solidarity, organize for housing justice, and more. Read on to get involved!

FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY, FIGHT FOR SOCIALISM

Who gave the Supreme Court the power to decide our future? Why have we allowed the right-wing Federalist Society to run a pipeline directly from the muddy depths of the fascist and theocratic grassroots into the highest courts of the land? I won’t belabor the point: they are close to cementing permanent minority rule and we’ve been flat footed.

But we can stop them. We, and our parents and grandparents, fought and won victories for working class people of all colors and genders throughout the last century. We won victories for workplace safety and clean air and water. We won victories for consumer protections and rights on the job.

We won those victories only through collective action. Voting mattered, and it continues to matter, but without pressure in the streets nothing moves through formal politics. Democratic socialists understand that our power comes from an organized grassroots. People across the country understand this and are organizing at Starbucks and other workplaces. And in this moment, when everything is at stake, every single one of us must act.

Fight for democracy. Fight for socialism. Get back in the fight today.

Maria Svart
DSA National Director

WEDNESDAY 6/15 — JOIN OUR NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMITTEE’S BALLOT MEASURES 101 TRAINING!

Want to run a ballot measure in your city? Don’t know where to start? Join our National Electoral Committee Wednesday 6/15 at 7:30pm ET/6:30pm CT/5:30pm MT/4:30pm PT for Ballot Measures 101! We’ll run through getting your idea off the ground from inception to drafting to signature gathering, and key differences between a candidate campaign and a proposition.

APPLY FOR THE DSA LABOR STEERING COMMITTEE! DEADLINE FRIDAY 6/17

DSA Labor, formerly known as the Democratic Socialist Labor Commission (DSLC), is Democratic Socialists of America’s national labor body. We’re now accepting applications to fill one vacancy on the steering committee (SC). If you think you would be a good fit, please submit an application no later than June 17th, 2022 at 12:00pm EST. The SC will be conducting interviews and appointing a successful candidate from mid to late July.

JOIN DSA LABOR AT THE LABOR NOTES CONFERENCE FRIDAY 6/17-SUNDAY 6/19

DSA Labor and the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) will be at the Labor Notes conference in Chicago the weekend of June 17th! Stop by our table to pick up a copy of the Rank-and-File pamphlet, learn how to get involved with our current campaigns, and meet some DSA Labor Steering Committee members! And on Saturday night, be sure to stop by the McCarran ballroom for a reception and social hosted by EWOC! 🎉

JOIN OUR BDS NO APPETITE FOR APARTHEID CAMPAIGN! CHECK-IN CALL TONIGHT, THURSDAY 6/9

The DSA BDS & Palestine Solidarity Working Group is launching the multi-city No Appetite for Apartheid campaign to mobilize multiple DSA chapters and movement allies for coordinated action towards a common boycott target: Israeli food products. Join us tonight, Thursday 6/9 at 9pm ET/8pm CT/7pm MT/6pm PT for our check-in call!

The U.S. and Israel trade under the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which entered into force in 1985. The U.S.-Israel FTA was the United States’ first FTA and was created with the goals of strengthening Israel’s economy and being a model for free trade agreements globally. Thus, the U.S.-Israel FTA established a model for the emergence of neoliberal globalization processes through free trade agreements, entrenching a neocolonial global system of economic dependency with disastrous effects for the Global South. For more, check out our toolkit here.

Local groups can choose from a range of tactics proposed by the BDS & Palestine Solidarity Working Group, based on what is most appropriate for their specific context, their capacity, and their ability to take on risk. Fill out this interest form to get involved.

RSVP FOR THE DISABILITY WORKING GROUP STAR TREK WATCH PARTY SUNDAY 6/19 — PLUS GENERAL MEETING FRIDAY 7/17

Our Disability Working Group Star Trek Watch Party Launch was a huge success last month! Join us for our second watch party Sunday 6/19 at 3pm ET/2pm CT/1pm MT/12pm PT. This Watch Party will cover “The Measure of a Man,” Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 2, Episode 9. We will be watching the episode with comrades, then engaging in political discussions around its content. Star Trek examines a sometimes flawed but hopeful socialist future that has included disabled folks from its very beginning.

And join us for our upcoming Disability Working Group General Meeting Saturday 7/17 at 3pm ET/2pm CT/1pm MT/12pm PT! Get ready to learn about our working group, receive updates, and get plugged into our work. Our general meetings are only held three times a year, so be sure to register today! We also have vacancies on our Executive Board, and will be discussing the application process during the general meeting. So RSVP today.

SIGN UP FOR OUR HOUSING JUSTICE COMMISSION CALL TUESDAY 6/21

Join our Housing Justice Commission call Tuesday 6/21 at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT/6:30pm MT/5:30pm PT! This call is an opportunity to hear from tenant organizers in training, get updates on the latest committee activities, and learn how to get involved in the fight for housing justice. RSVP for the meeting here.

DSA LABOR: INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY IS BREWING AGAIN! JOIN US MONDAY 6/27

Our Solidarity is Brewing! calls in support of the national SWBU unionization drive continue Monday nights at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm CT/5pm PT. Please check the campaign page for dates, as the schedule has been changed to accommodate Labor Notes attendees and holidays.

And on Monday 6/27 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT, DSA Labor will host a special Solidarity is Brewing call with help from the International Committee! This call will feature bargaining updates from Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) in Buffalo, as well as comrades previously featured on the International Committee’s Revolutionary Grounds call fighting for workplace rights at Starbucks around the world.

THURSDAY 6/30 BRINGING LABOR INTO TECH: A CALL WITH THE NATIONAL TECH COMMITTEE, THE EMERGENCY WORKPLACE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE, AND DSA LABOR

Are you a tech worker interested in organizing your workplace? Join us Thursday 6/30 at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT/6:30pm MT/5:30pm PT to talk about the challenges tech workers face in workplace organizing and how you can take the next step towards building union power where you work. Presented by DSA Labor, the National Tech Committee, and the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee.

APPLY FOR THE SOCIALIST FORUM EDITORIAL BOARD BY SUNDAY 6/19

DSA’s publication, Socialist Forum, is accepting applications for their editorial board! Members who are selected should be prepared to spend about 5-10 hours per week fulfilling their duties. Applications are due by 11:59pm PT on June 19. Apply for the position here!

SOCIALIST FORUM CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS — DEADLINE THURSDAY 6/23

The Socialist Forum editorial committee is accepting pitches for potential submissions to the Summer 2022 issue of the publication. All DSA members are invited to submit ideas for articles on any topic of potential interest to DSA members and the broader socialist movement.

If you would like to contribute an article, please use this form to submit a short pitch describing your idea. The pitch submission deadline is Thursday 6/23. If your pitch is accepted, the full article should be roughly 3500-4000 words in length. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]

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