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We’re in This Together — Your June Dispatch

June 8, 2023

Here’s your June Dispatch! This month, learn how to organize on the job, support chapter housing work, get involved with our National Convention, and more. Read on to get involved.

And to make sure you get our newsletters in your inbox, sign up here! Each one features action alerts, upcoming events, political education, and more.

From Maria — We’re in This Together

As I struggle to breathe through the smoky air in New York City, I’m thankful for DSA. Toxic air hits everyone, but those the ruling class deems disposable or exploitable get hit the hardest. Rather than just hunkering down to wait it out, the chapter organized same-day mask distribution to address immediate needs and build bonds of solidarity, and a mass call to organize for political solutions to climate change.

This is what it means to be in DSA. I’ve seen chapters large and small, all over the country, rise to the occasion when disaster strikes or take advantage of opportunities to build power to win long term solutions. None of us are alone, and together, we can win.

Convention Proposals Compendium Released, NPC Nominations Due Wednesday 6/14

You can now review all of the 2023 Convention proposals in the Compendium here. Delegates will vote on these proposals at the Convention in August and set DSA’s agenda for the next two years. Amendments to Convention proposals are due by Wednesday 6/28. For more information on how you can submit amendments, check out the amendments page here.

And National Political Committee (NPC) nominations are open! The NPC is the highest decision making body between national conventions and acts as DSA’s Board of Directors. You can find a description of NPC member responsibilities here. Delegates at our 2023 Convention will elect the 2023-2025 NPC. Nominations are open until Wednesday 6/14. You can find more information, including the nomination form, here.

EWOC Remote Worker Organizing Training Thursday 6/22 — RSVP Today

Join the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Thursday 6/22 at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT/6:30pm MT/5:30pm PT for a Remote Worker Organizing Training!

You’ll hear from remote workers who have successfully organized their workplace on the challenges they faced — from talking to coworkers, to taking collective action. We’ll discuss the tools they used to overcome those challenges, and how you can get started.

If you’re organizing a remote workplace and don’t know where to start, or you hit a wall trying to reach everyone at your workplace, this training is for you! If you’re an organizer supporting remote workers, this training is for you! Sign up today.

Deadline Extended — National Convention Solidarity Journal Submissions due Friday 6/16!

This year’s National Convention will feature a printed Solidarity Journal that will be distributed to all Convention attendees and shared online. Place an ad or solidarity message to celebrate a chapter victory, promote your chapter’s merch, or send a solidarity message to convention delegates! Submissions due by Friday 6/16.

Convention Opportunities For Non-Delegates — Get Involved! Sign Up by Sunday 6/18

As delegate election results come in, we’re in high gear for the Convention. And there’s opportunities for DSA members across the country to get involved!

The NPC Comms Committee is looking for member volunteers to help moderate the DSA National Convention Slack, where delegates will prepare for our National Convention by discussing business, reaching out to each other before meeting face to face, and accessing resources. The Convention Slack will be open to delegates and alternates Wednesday 7/5 through Thursday 8/3.

You’ll be helping keep the tone of the community productive and comradely, while taking an active role in posting engaging content and joining in discussions.

Please note that delegates, alternates, and NPC candidates cannot serve as Convention Slack moderators. The deadline to apply is Sunday 6/18. Moderators need to be available from the week of Monday 6/26 for moderation training to the week of Wednesday 8/9 for post-Convention feedback.

Fight Landlord Greed and Support Chapter Housing Justice Initiative Today

Maine DSA is fighting to defend the Rent Control Ordinance passed by Portland voters in 2020 and 2022. Now landlords have brought it back to the ballot. Show your solidarity with Portland tenants and support the campaign with a contribution today!

EWOC Foundational Training — English/Spanish Bilingual and West Coast Friendly! Series Begins Monday 7/10

Trying to organize your workplace? Join the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee’s first ever bilingual Foundational Training to learn how.

In this training series, you’ll

  • hear from experienced organizers and workers organizing their own workplaces
  • practice connecting with coworkers and engaging in collective decision-making
  • learn how to prepare yourself and your coworkers to take collective action
  • learn how to lay the groundwork for unionization

Sessions will be held Mondays beginning 7/10 at 9pm ET/8pm CT/7pm MT/6pm PT to make the series accessible to West Coast workers. Space is limited to 200 participants. Register today, or share with Spanish speaking coworkers, friends and family!

¿Quieres organizar tu lugar de trabajo? Participa en la primera serie de capacitación bilingüe del Comité para la Organización Laboral de Emergencia (EWOC).

En esta serie:

  • Escucharas de organizadores experimentados y otros trabajadores que están organizando sus propios lugares de trabajo
  • Practicaras conectarte con tus compañeros de trabajo y cómo participar en décisions colectivos
  • Aprenderás a prepararte y a tus compañeros de trabajo para tomar acciones colectivas
  • Aprenderás cómo sentar las bases para la sindicalización

Estas sesiones empiezan el 10 de julio a las 9 pm ET/8 pm CT/7 pm MT/6 pm PT para asegurar que son accesibles para los trabajadores de la Costa Oeste. El espacio está limitado a 200 participantes. Regístrate hoy, o comparta con sus compañeros de trabajo, amigos y familiares hispanas.

Bring Comrades Together for DSA’s National Convention!

In just 2 months delegates from all over the country will travel to Chicago for DSA’s National Convention, and working class delegates are ready to show up for democracy in DSA. But they need your help to do it! Pitch in to the Convention Solidarity Fund today to sponsor comrades who need support for travel, lodging, or accessibility accommodations at Convention. By giving what you can, you can help make sure cost isn’t a barrier to participation in DSA’s highest decision-making body. Give today!

Monday 6/26 — AfroSocialists and Socialists of Color General Meeting

Join the AfroSocialists and Socialists of Color for their quarterly General Meeting Monday 6/26 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT! All BIPOC members are encouraged to attend. The meeting is open to all who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a person of color, regardless of their membership status in either AfroSoC or DSA.

2023 Delegates — Want to Host a Breakout Space at the Convention? Deadline Monday 6/26

2023 DSA Convention delegates — request the Self-Organized Breakout you want to host! Self-Organized Breakouts can be anything you want: a workshop, skill share, resolution discussion, or group meeting. Please note that this form is for elected 2023 Convention delegates only. The deadline is Monday 6/26. Requests are first-come, first-served. If we can fulfill your request, we will contact you with the time and location for your breakout.

DSA delegates and members, this is YOUR Convention! For both plenary topics and speakers and delegate-only Self-Organized Breakouts, time and space are limited. So we can’t guarantee all requests, but getting yours in right away means we hear what you want to see. Tell us today!

Special Offer Alert — Get Your Discounted Subscription to Jewish Currents Now Through Friday 6/30!

All DSA members are eligible to receive a special discounted subscription to Jewish Currents magazine from now through Friday 6/30! Jewish Currents features independent journalism, breaking news, political commentary, analysis, and a “countercultural” approach to Jewish arts, literature, and the politics of the Jewish Left. Follow the link to subscribe and enter the special DSA discount code (DSA2023) to get your subscription going. Better yet, recruit a friend or comrade to join DSA by Friday 6/30 and read together!

Socialism 2023 Conference Labor Day Weekend — Early Bird Deadline Friday 7/7

DSA is proud to endorse Socialism 2023 in Chicago this Labor Day weekend! This four-day conference features dozens of panels, lectures, and workshops organized by Haymarket Books and left groups from all over the country. Socialism 2023 will facilitate exchanges between existing activists and organizations and welcome new politically curious people as part of rebuilding our radical traditions and movements.

We need visionary politics, collective strategy, and compassionate communities now more than ever. In a moment of political uncertainty, Socialism 2023 will be a vital gathering space for today’s left. Join thousands of organizers, activists, abolitionists, and socialists to learn from each other and from history, assess ongoing struggles, and build community. Learn more here, and register by Friday 7/7 for the Early Bird rate!