This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is produced by local members of the chapter's Publications Working Group. The Weekly Update publishes every Friday at 9am. Want to fight fascism from the heart of empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!

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Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.

UP FRONT

DMV-area locals prepare for weekend of action, January 18-20, to protest Trump’s inauguration

The Trumpist right is descending on the District ahead of Inauguration Day, bringing with it threats of mass deportation, attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, a greedy expansion of the US imperial project, and a commitment to the agenda set by Musk, Bezos, and the billionaire class. The right appears ascendant; the center has proven that it cannot hold.

But the left is organizing resistance. Metro DC DSA and comrades will be coordinating in protests locally and around the country over the course of inauguration weekend to show out in force as Trump is inaugurated for his second term. Tens of thousands of working people are expected to turn out in solidarity and resistance to send a message to the incoming Trump administration that attacks on the working class, bodily autonomy, the environment, immigrants, labor unions, and tenants will not be tolerated.

Saturday, January 18: The People’s March is taking place from 10am to 3pm. Metro DC DSA will be hosting one kickoff location at Farragut Square (912 17th St NW) and then merge with other marchers at 15th St NW & Pennsylvania Ave NW to continue on to the Washington Monument (2 15th St). RSVP here to receive details about the kickoff location for the DSA contingent.

Sunday, January 19: DSA and the Movement Infrastructure Project will be hosting a discussion and workshops from 2pm to 5:30pm on determining how socialists meet the moment and organize through the next Trump administration. This is a great opportunity to meet people coming in from the marches who might be new to organizing and bring them into longer term campaigns. RSVP here to receive location information.

Monday, January 20: On Inauguration Day, January 20, DSA chapters around the country will be joining thousands of people in a mass mobilization to oppose Trump’s far-right, billionaire agenda. Locally, DSA members and allies will be meeting at Malcolm X Park (16th St NW). The local left plans to stand with thousands of working people in the collective struggle to end US-backed war and militarism, the privatization of public goods, attacks on our immigrant neighbors, and to defend DC Home Rule and the rights of all oppressed peoples. Please RSVP here for the day of action and to receive details about the meeting point for the DSA contingent.

Ceasefire agreed in Gaza, but deal in danger as Netanyahu reneges; fight for free Palestine continues with BDS event on Monday, January 27

On Wednesday, January 15, following 15 months of genocide in Gaza, a 42-day ceasefire agreement was reported with confirmation provided by representatives of Hamas and Israel negotiators. According to reports, the ceasefire is set to begin on Sunday, January 19. However, following the announcement of a deal, Israel continued to bombard the Gaza strip; the Gaza Health Ministry reported that Israeli attacks killed 81 Palestinians in the 24 hours following the ceasefire announcement alone. And at the time of writing, Netanyahu has postponed the Israeli cabinet vote to ratify the ceasefire agreement, putting the deal in danger. While Netanyahu blames Hamas, reporting by Al Jazeera and Israeli media outlets indicates: [Al Jazeera] “Netanyahu has faced great domestic pressure to bring home the scores of captives in Gaza, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions. … The party of Bezalel Smotrich, the country’s finance minister, says it is ready to leave the government if they don’t get some sort of assurance from Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel will go back to full-scale war after phase one of this deal.”

A ceasefire deal, if finalized and implemented, provides hope for an end to genocide, bombardment, and starvation in Gaza, all of which are funded and facilitated by the United States government. It also presents a crucial moment for Palestinian solidarity in the US and worldwide: The time is now to push forward in the fight for a permanent ceasefire, an end to Israeli apartheid and a free Palestine.

DMV-area comrades can get involved on Monday, January 27, 7pm, during the Stop Fueling Genocide: The BDS Campaign Against Chevron and Our Role in the DMV Socialist Night School. This political education event, hosted by MDC DSA’s Internationalism Working Group and allies, will cover how locals can participate in a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign right here in the DMV. Hear from speakers on BDS campaigns from the past and present in a conversational setting, and learn how to plug into DMV area Palestine solidarity organizing. Along with acting as a campaign launch, the event will foster discussion of the BDS campaign targeting Chevron, as well as Chevron’s pattern of environmental destruction throughout the Global South. RSVP to the Socialist Night School here.

Canvass for DSA-endorsed PG County Council candidate Shayla Adams-Stafford on Sunday, January 19

Take a break from DSA’s inauguration weekend of action and fight for socialist change locally: Join Metro DC DSA and our Prince George’s County Branch to knock doors for Shayla Adams-Stafford, the working-class champion we need representing District 5 on the Prince George’s County Council. Canvassers will knock doors to tell voters about Shayla — a former Washington Teachers Union shop steward who has led the fight for care (not policing) in PGC’s public schools, and fought back against developers to get strong project labor agreements on public school projects — on Sunday, January 19 at 10am, starting from the parking lot of Landover Metro Station. Canvassing will take place until about 1pm, followed by a debrief and hangout session. Dress warmly and bring snacks and water; hand warmers will be provided. RSVP here.

BRIEFS

Cuba removed from US State Sponsors of Terrorism list following years of action from organizers

The Biden administration took the long overdue step of removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terror list this week — undoing one of Trump’s final, cruel acts in office. Without the unjust restraints of the SSOT designation, Cuba will be able to import much-needed fuel and supplies, access lines of credit to invest in the country’s aging infrastructure, and begin to implement the nation’s climate goals.

DSA’s International Committee wrote: “This is the result of the tireless work of organizers in DSA and the Cuba solidarity movement. Together, we sent 2,600 letters, visited our reps, and gathered over 50 signatures from politicians and unions urging Biden to lift the SSOT.”

Now it’s time to lift the blockade on Cuba once and for all. As Trump returns to office, it’s more important than ever to get involved. For more on how to get plugged in, fill out this Internationalism Working Group interest form and visit the #internationalism channel on the chapter Slack.

Organize Against Pepco in 2025 with We Power DC — Saturday, January 25th, at 3 pm

Last December, DC regulators approved another rate hike for Pepco. But corporate deference is waning: Councilmembers have voiced distaste about DC’s investor-owned utilities, and a PSC commissioner voted against raising rates. This year, organizers are capitalizing on that momentum.

Learn more at MDC DSA’s public power campaign’s first event of the year at We Power DC 101. The event will be held on Saturday, January 25th, at 3pm at Sudhouse on U St. Attendees will learn about DC’s path to a public power alternative: an electric grid owned fully by our local government. Organizers envision a future with lower rates, community control, greener energy, and no shareholder influence. Plenty of big cities already operate under this model, like Austin, Seattle, and the entire state of Nebraska.

We Power organizers will provide a brief presentation on the current state of energy distribution in DC, the grave ills that Pepco and the investor-owned utility model have wrought on working-class people, and We Power DC’s campaign for municipalization. Following the presentation, organizers will be hanging out for drinks and a chat. RSVP for the event here.

New to DSA and looking to connect with others? Join the new member cohort this February; applications due January 26

Everyone new to Metro DC DSA is invited to apply to join the new member community cohort. The cohort will participate in weekly sessions throughout February. The first session covers the concept of organizing; the second provides an overview of socialism and capitalism; and the final one explains how MDC DSA works and provides opportunities to talk to people who run chapter campaigns. At least one session will be followed by a social outing. Applications are due by January 26.

Bottle Deposit legislation introduced in DC Council

Yesterday, DC’s Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau announced new legislation titled the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act. If enacted, the legislation would provide cash returns to locals who return plastic and glass bottles at designated redemption centers and at reverse-vending machines. The legislation designates a nonprofit agency to set-up the system to be overseen by the DC Department of Energy & Environment. Similar programs initiated in other cities show stark increases in the rate of recycling for beverage containers (estimated to hit 85% under this proposal, up from 24% currently); these programs also contribute to poverty relief, providing an alternate means of income to the poor, elderly, or unemployed (see: Redemption, a documentary released back in 2013). Read more about the program from the Anacostia Park Community.

Union-busting Compass Coffee owner accused of “family racketeering enterprise” — workers continue to organize through anti-union behavior

From 730DC: “A co-founder of Compass Coffee is accusing the DC coffee chain’s remaining owner Michael Haft of misusing millions of dollars in Covid relief funds, in a civil claim filed under the RICO Act. The claim accuses Haft and his [famously fractious] wealthy local family of using the funds to pay off their own debt and invest in union-busting local grocer Union Kitchen.” This is the same Haft that hired more than a hundred friends of management, including CEOs and lobbyists, during Compass workers’ union organizing, flagrantly diluting the pro-union vote.”

Comrades had previously covered union drives at area coffee shops in the Washington Socialist. As reported by Gabby C and Sam G, Joseph Babbins, a supervisor with Compass Coffee United, said last June amid the union’s organizing campaign: “Our stores are literally deteriorating around us … They’ve [management] prioritized expanding and boosting their own public image instead of taking care of our customers who are supposed to come first, and as long as our machinery keeps breaking down, we cannot serve quality drinks.” (Also read: Reflections on Wydown Workers United)

In the months since, Compass Coffee United has reported a constant effort to fire and intimidate union organizers throughout the local chain. The union fired charges with the National Labor Relations Board related to management’s union busting and challenged ballots cast by new hires Compass Coffee United alleges were brought on to defeat their campaign.

March for “Life” Counterprotest — Friday, January 24, 12 to 2pm

Metro DC DSA’s Bodily Autonomy Working Group will be counterprotesting the March for ‘Life’ on Friday, January 24, at 12pm outside the Supreme Court. This anti-abortion group does not speak for the majority of Americans, who believe abortion access is non-negotiable and that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies. Together we will make our voices heard to defend reproductive rights. RSVP here.

Washington Socialist Winter 2025 issue

Last week, Metro DC DSA’s Publications team released the newest Winter edition of the Washington Socialist, the chapter’s long-form archive of socialist writing and analysis from local lefties.

NEW! Nosferatu – a symphony of chaos — new this week, Tom McMahon reviews the new Nosferatu flick, observing an allegory for proto-capitalist alienation.
NEW! North Brentwood’s Windom Road Barrier Monument — Patricia M takes a look at a bold public art installation in PG County’s North Brentwood neighborhood. What roles does dialogic public art play in memorializing the collapse of corporate forces?
Making Sense of Abounding Crises — Claudia S brushes up on dialectical Marxism.
2024 Local Convention Recap — Gary zZz summarizes results from the chapter’s 2024 convention.
Theories of Washington’s Socialists — Sam Dee recaps the ideas, theories and modes of praxis kicked up by the publication.
Creatures of the World, Unite! — Julia P sees how far can we take Marx’s fundamental theories? From Julia P.
Organizational Underdevelopment; Or: A Response to Two Sams — In studying the shortcomings of both his proto union and the Metro DC DSA, Maxwell Rott lands on a theory he calls “organizational underdevelopment.”
Turning Inward to Avoid Reaching Out — chapter member Patrick Dalton talks up the need for externally focused campaigns over internal socialist posturing.

INFO ACCESS

Learn more about our local MDC DSA chapter — structure, campaigns and working groups, Night School, and reading groups — HERE. Even longtime comrades may find it a learning experience. New member or interested in joining? Sign up for our next Why You Should Join DSA: New Member Orientation on Wednesday, January 22 at 7pm. MDC DSA members: Join our all-member Slack for real-time info on working group and campaign events, convo, and inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get Slack access. Chapter members are also invited to read — and edit — MDC DSA’s internal wiki. Email [email protected] to get set up, or ask in #helpdesk.

MDC DSA Publications is information central for not only MDC DSA but the entire DMV left, and is always ready to onboard new socialist communicators; #publications is our working group’s Slack channel. Weekly Updates like this one are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Updates are on the web here. Not subscribed? DSA member or not, sign up to get the Update here. Submit your Update suggestions or chapter political blog REDBUG tips to our tip line. The Washington Socialist, published since the 1970s, offers articles on a quarterly schedule; the Winter 2025 edition is now live and will be updated on a rolling basis, meaning timely submissions may get added as appropriate. Check our archive to see what we write — and what you can write. Anyone, MDC DSA member or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions anytime to [email protected]. Get your socialist self on the record. Donate to our Comradery page if you would like to financially support socialist publishing in the DMV.

DMV LEFT BULLETIN

Polar Bear Plunge to Keep Winter Cold | Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Register today for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s 20th annual Polar Bear Plunge for Our Climate on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 10:30am. You’ll be joining hundreds of your fellow climate activists at National Harbor just outside of Washington, DC, to dip your toes into the cold waters of the Potomac River while also raising vital funds for climate campaigns. Sign up to plunge here; if interested in supporting those raising money for CCAN, you can also donate to a plunger here.

Reel and Meal at the New Deal | New Deal Cafe

On Monday, January 20 at 7pm, the Reel and Meal hybrid film series at Greenbelt’s New Deal Cafe presents three short films: Just Another Bombing: Donal and Iona’s Story, about two children whose home was destroyed by the KKK in 1964; and two PBS films illuminating the Project 2025 handbook. In person: 113 Centerway, Greenbelt. RSVP for the virtual screening here.

Homegrown Strategies: Resilient Resistance | Homegrown Revolutions

Join Homegrown Revolutions at Friends Meeting of Washington on Sunday, January 19 from 3 to 5pm for an interactive training dedicated to building the resilience, safety, and community needed in the months and years to come. This in-person training will discuss how to take care of ourselves before, during, and after protests, and how to create grassroots movements that are effective, sustainable, and fun. Register for the training here.

Organizing to Win: A Practical Introduction on January 21 | Rising Organizers

On January 21, 6pm, at MLK Library, join Rising Organizers and take a deep dive into the core principles of community organizing, talk about building people power, and brainstorm ways to move people from inaction to action. Learn how to activate yourself and people you may know that feel fired up and ready to fight, but don’t know what next steps they can take. RSVP here.

Free DC Orientation on January 22

Free DC is setting out to build the cultural and political movement it will take to make DC’s demand for full democratic representation un-ignorable. Learn more at their virtual orientation on January 22 from 6-8pm, including how you can be part of the movement to build power to protect our communities from a hostile administration. Sign up here.

Threats to Reproductive Rights and Bodily Autonomy in the Trump Era | Claudia Jones School for Political Education

Join the Claudia Jones School on Sunday, February 1, at the MLK Library for a teach-in on reproductive rights and bodily autonomy in the Trump era, where they will counter popular misinformation on reproductive rights, the history of the “pro-life” movement, legal and political threats, and tie-in threats to DC’s autonomy. Register here.

ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES

ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES are articles and opinion pieces of interest to DMV leftists but not, generally, appearing in local media. They should have links without paywalls. Readers are invited to submit candidates at our tip line.

Should Cities Open Their Own Grocery Stores? Forty million Americans live in food deserts. Can government-owned grocery stores fix this? Groceries are about 20 percent more expensive than they were pre-pandemic. Residents who’ve seen their community grocery stores close must trek long distances for fresh food. A New York Assembly member and Chicago’s mayor have proposed creating city-owned grocery stores to bring residents affordable, fresh food. Government-owned groceries may be a new idea for big cities, but not for rural America. A handful of small towns and cities have tried similar ideas, but with mixed success. Governing magazine via Portside

An entry from the Progressive Maryland blog “News You Can Use” – Tax increases are not popular, as “Poll: Taxes to erase deficits pose political problem for Moore” shows, but taxes on the wealthy and corporations may get more traction. The Maryland Center on Economic Policy has a proposal. Update Thursday: “Gov. Wes Moore [in his address to legislators] Wednesday proposed a budget he said will promote long-term economic growth and provide tax cuts to many, but it will be balanced on tax increases on high-income earners in the state.” Maryland Matters

MD House Appropriations panel gets a crash course on potential Trump cuts to Medicaid. No one knows for sure what cuts President-elect Donald Trump has in store for Medicaid after he is sworn in to his second term Monday. But Maryland officials are pretty sure it’s not going to be good for the state’s bottom line. That was the takeaway from a House Appropriations Committee briefing Tuesday from the Department of Legislative Services, who said cuts could end up costing from tens of millions to a couple billion if the state decided to pick up the affected services. States Newsroom/Maryland Matters

Reading Mike Davis by firelight. David Wallace-Wells recalls the prophecies of the radical geographer, who died in 2022, about the recurrent, opulent ornaments of his home town: “Ecology should doom development in a place like the Santa Monica Mountains, Davis believed; instead, imperious cultural logic has repeatedly dictated the opposite.’Each new conflagration would be punctually followed by reconstruction on a larger and even more exclusive scale,’ he wrote, ‘encouraged by artificially cheap fire insurance, socialized disaster relief and an expansive public commitment to ‘defend Malibu.’” NYT Opinion

The 51 best songs to come out of DC over the past year. From The Worthwhiler, catch up on DC’s vibrant creative scene: “Heritage sites like U Hall and Twins and 18th Street Lounge and the list goes on had been ingloriously shuttered. More than a handful of venerated bands had bailed for greener pastures, and still more were one foot outside the beltway. Affordable rehearsal space became as rare as a good house show…but hope floats for a reason.”

DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Friday, January 17

6 – 8pm | DSA Wheatpasting ahead of People’s March

Saturday, January 18

10am – 3pm | The People’s March DC: DSA Contingent

Sunday, January 19

10am – 1pm | Canvass for endorsed candidate Shayla Adams-Stafford

11am | January Canvass for Gateway Tenants’ Union

2pm | The Road Ahead: Organizing Through a Second Trump Term

7 – 8pm | MDC DSA Internationalism Working Group Monthly Meeting

Monday, January 20

11am | We Fight Back DC: DSA Contingent

7pm | Trans/Queer Liberation Bi-weekly Meeting

Tuesday, January 21

6 – 7pm | NoVA Medicare for All Working Group Meeting

Wednesday, January 22

7 – 8pm | Repro Justice Campaign Meeting

7 – 8pm | Why You Should Join DSA: New Member Orientation

Thursday, January 23

6pm | Social Housing Organizing Meeting

Friday, January 24

12 – 2pm | March for “Life” Counter-protest

Saturday, January 25

11am – 2pm | Canvass for endorsed candidate Shayla Adams-Stafford

1:30 – 4:30pm | Stomp Out Slumlords Anti-Eviction Canvas

3 – 5pm | We Power DC 101

Sunday, January 26

12pm | Rockville Rent Stabilization Canvass

Monday, January 27

7pm | Stop Fueling Genocide: The BDS campaign against Chevron and our role in the DMV

Tuesday, January 28

7 – 8:30pm | DSA NoVA M4A Organizer Training

Thursday, January 30

4:30 – 5:45pm | Tell Chevron: Stop Fueling Genocide/Divest from Israel

Friday, January 31

6pm | MDC DSA Chapter-wide Happy Hour

This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is produced by local members of the chapter's Publications working group. The Weekly Update publishes every Friday at 9am.

Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.

Want to fight fascism from the heart of the empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!

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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 its chains, shatters them and stops inebriated to breathe the breeze of a vast and free horizon.
- Virgilia D'Andrea