To me, the labor movement was never just a way of getting higher wages. What appealed to me was the spiritual side of a great cause that created fellowship. You wanted the girl or the man who worked beside you to be treated just as well as you were, and an injury to one was the concern of all.



-- Rose Schneiderman



Comrades,







By coincidence, this regular biweekly newsletter falls on the last day of 2020. It might be a good opportunity to reflect on all that happened this year, but your inboxes are probably full of such reflections.







We want to look forward, not back, except to say thank you for what you contributed to this chapter, this organization, the movement for socialism, and the causes of justice and democracy. When many of us felt isolated, we knew at least we were not alone ([link removed]) . And though we often felt powerless against terrible physical and economic violence, we could still be reminded of our collective strength ([link removed]) . Our sense of connection in struggle was like a hand clasp and a strong heartbeat. Thank you for being a part of it in 2020, and carrying it into this new year as we jump right back into building our org and our movement.







Join us this Sunday as we kick off a campaign for statewide Single Payer healthcare in California ([link removed]) and get introduced to the Decade of the Green New Deal ([link removed]) ! Next weekend, at our January General Meeting, we'll debate and vote on a resolution to endorse the formation of a statewide California DSA. And last but not least, don't forget to take the EBDSA Labor Census ([link removed]) , no matter your employment or union membership status, to inform and support our strategic organizing for years to come! More details at the end of this email.







Solidarity, and Happy New Year!



News and Information



Here's some of the latest news and information from East Bay Majority ([link removed]) , East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective







** HOW TO WIN THE HOLIDAYS



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A guide to talking to your friends and family about socialism.







Read more ([link removed])



Featured Events



While we are still unable to meet face-to-face, events are still going on that you can be a part of. RSVP below to stay updated. You can also keep track on our Events page ([link removed]) .



** MEDICARE FOR ALL PETITION KICK OFF: CALIFORNIA CAN LEAD THE WAY!







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Sunday, January 3 | noon–1:30 p.m.



Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿



California can lead the way to Medicare for All by being the first state to implement such a program. But getting our politicians to buck their donors and lead the way on Medicare for All, we are going to need a mass working-class movement. Join us January 3 at noon to join that movement with the Democratic Socialists of America!







In order to establish a single-payer healthcare system in California, we need our governor to request a federal waiver that allows our assembly members to act. Now is the time for working people up and down our state to demand from governor Gavin Newsom what we desperately need: free, universal healthcare funded progressively through a public single-payer. Newsom ran on single-payer healthcare and must keep his campaign promises!







In the era of COVID-19, single-payer has taken on a new urgency. It has revealed again the fundamental inequities created by our private insurance-based system that provides only the healthcare you can afford. Fourteen million Americans and over 5.4 million Californians have lost their health insurance this year, and too many who are insured still can’t afford the care they need.







Join East Bay DSA for a massive Zoom kick-off event for our campaign to win single-payer healthcare (a Medicare for All style system) in California. Hear from Michael Lighty, front line workers, and other exciting guest speakers. Learn about our plan to win and see how you can make the difference. Alongside our coalition partners in Healthy California Now, we are also excited to launch a key part of our campaign: our petition to Governor Gavin Newsom.







RSVP ([link removed])







** (NATIONAL DSA) DECADE OF THE GREEN NEW DEAL: YEAR ONE







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Sunday, January 3 | 4–6 p.m.



Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️



Join the Green New Deal Campaign Committee and guests to usher in the New Year and the Decade of the Green New Deal!







Building on our nationwide Fight for Our Lives action and Georgia mobilization, we'll talk about how you and your chapters can link together in advancing our core demands. Climate change is here and so are we – rally for Green Jobs, a People's Bailout, and Public Power as our runway to the future we deserve.







RSVP ([link removed])











** GREEN NEW DEAL FOR TRANSIT MEETING







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Monday, January 4 | 7–9 p.m.



Online via Zoom — RSVP for info ([link removed])  ♿



Join us to win power for:



* Free Public Transit



* Greatly expanded service, accessibility, and schedule



* Protection of union workers and expansion of union jobs



* Social equity to overcome transportation discrimination



* Conversion of Public Transit to Zero Emissions vehicles







RSVP ([link removed])











** GREEN NEW DEAL READING GROUP: OUR HISTORY IS THE FUTURE BY NICK ESTES, PART II







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Tuesday, January 5 | 7–9 p.m.



Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿



Nick Estes’s book, Our History Is the Future, is about how two centuries of Indigenous resistance created the movement proclaiming “water is life.” In it, Estes traces the traditions of Indigenous resistance that led to the #NoDAPL movement. Our History Is the Future is at once a work of history, a manifesto, and an intergenerational story of resistance.







We will be reading the final chapters ahead of this meeting. Anyone interested in learning and discussing with others is welcome to join us. (If you missed the previous meeting, catch up and join us!)







RSVP ([link removed])  Attend on Zoom ([link removed])











** VIRTUAL MASK BUILD







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Wednesday, January 6 | 7–9 p.m.



Online via Zoom — register here in advance to receive materials and info ([link removed]) ♿️



Join the Green New Deal committee for a virtual mask assembly party! The COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying with hundreds of thousands of deaths likely over the coming months, and the U.S. continues to experience PPE shortages, especially of high-grade face masks. The failures of the capitalist system are devastatingly clear. But with mutual aid, we can take the safety and wellbeing of our community into our own hands, while developing relationships across the East Bay and building our own organizational power.







We will be assembling hundreds of no-sew, submicron "N85" masks for distribution with community partners. All we need is your help!







This is a great event for new members to attend. Training and materials are provided, no experience necessary. During the build, we'll hang out on an online call together to talk about mutual aid, socialism, and whatever else you'd like to!







Please RSVP at the link below several days before the build so we provide materials via a touchless kit drop-off at your door! We request that attendees commit to both the January 6 and January 14th mask builds.







RSVP ([link removed])











** THE ORGANIZER'S TOOLBOX: HOW TO HAVE A ONE-ON-ONE



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Saturday, January 9 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.



Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿



The Labor Ed Study Series: Lessons from the 1930s for the 2020s presents a film screening of The Killing Floor, which highlights the plight of workers fighting to build an interracial union in the meatpacking industry in the years leading up to the Chicago race riot of 1919.







The screening is open to everyone. Participants of our Labor reading groups are encouraged to join and reflect on this period leading up to the Great Depression, as we currently read about Black workers and the fight against racism in the 30s. We'll host a short discussion after the film for those who stick around.







See the reading ([link removed])  RSVP ([link removed])  Attend on Zoom ([link removed])











** JANUARY VIRTUAL GENERAL MEETING







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Sunday, January 10 | 1–3 p.m.



Online via Zoom — register here ([link removed]) ♿



Join us for a voting General Meeting of East Bay DSA! We will debate and vote on resolutions and hear reports from projects and committees around the chapter. Please see the agenda below — we will debate and vote on a resolution to endorse the formation of a statewide California DSA.







The Steering Committee recently approved recommended special rules for our Virtual General Meetings, as well as a new amendments process ([link removed]) that allows members to submit amendments to the agendized resolutions up to one week after the release of the agenda. Amendments will not be allowed from the floor during meetings under these rules. If you would like to submit an amendment for consideration at the January GM, please send it to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 4, 2021.







The meeting will be conducted via Zoom — please register and find the call-in info below!







See the agenda ([link removed])  RSVP ([link removed])











**



------------------------------------------------------------







INTRO TO DSA



Wednesday, January 13 | 6:30–8 p.m.



Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿️



The membership of DSA, the largest socialist organization in the United States, is rapidly growing by the thousands. Democratic Socialist politicians like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush are raising the expectations of millions of people across the United States and bringing them into a political awakening. Millions of working-class Americans are calling for Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, universal rent control, and more.







But what is democratic socialism? What does it mean to be a member of DSA? How do socialists look at the crises of police brutality, economic recession, and COVID-19? And what will be the best course of action when Biden takes office? Let's talk about it.







Join us to discuss what our political moment calls for, meet new people, and get plugged into our fight for democratic control of the things that we need for all of us to live a dignified life.







RSVP ([link removed])  Attend on Zoom ([link removed])



Upcoming Events











** MEDICARE FOR ALL COMMITTEE MEETING







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Monday, January 11 | 6–8 p.m.



Online via Zoom ([link removed]) ♿



With the pandemic and its multiple, intersecting crises, and the polling popularity of Medicare for All, our commitment to the movement is more important than ever. Come learn about our committee's efforts, as well as local, state, and national initiatives around Medicare for All and single-payer healthcare. All are welcome!







RSVP ([link removed])  Attend on Zoom ([link removed])











** MOBILIZER TEAM PHONEBANKING



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Tuesday, January 12 | 6–8 p.m.







Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿️



The Mobilizer team's mission is to build the personal connections that help DSA members get more involved in our chapter and politically active. We have one on one conversations with both new members and existing members of our chapter where we learn about what drew them to the struggle for socialism and help them think about how they want to take the next step to get more engaged. In this weekly phone bank, we call our members and train new Mobilizers how to make calls. Come help us build a strong chapter and movement while having great conversations!







RSVP ([link removed])











** GREEN NEW DEAL COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING (VIRTUAL)







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Wednesday, January 13 | 6:45–8:45 p.m.







Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ([link removed]) ♿











Our Green New Deal Committee meets on the second Wednesday each month. We will discuss eco-socialist issues, upcoming events and actions, committee priorities, and campaigns. All are welcome! Please RSVP to receive the URL to the meeting or email [email protected].







RSVP ([link removed])



CATCH UP ON NIGHT SCHOOL



With social distancing guidelines still in place, now's as good a time as any to catch up on our Socialist Night School.







Catch up on past night school readings and videos below.







Watch past Night School videos ([link removed])







Catch up on Night School readings ([link removed])



Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.



DSA now has 85,000 members nationally, and we're still growing. There's never been a better time to get involved than right now! Join our national organization by clicking below and become an official socialist organizer.



Join DSA ([link removed])



Caucus Corner



Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website ([link removed]) to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.



Announcements



THE EBDSA LABOR CENSUS



Building working class power and the movement for socialism requires organizing in our workplaces. And knowledge is power—so, if you're a member, help us build it in 2021 by filling out the EBDSA Labor Census ([link removed]) ! The chapter-wide Labor Census is geared to help us better understand where members work, the kinds of jobs we do, the level of organization that exists in our respective workplaces, and interest in potential workplace organizing. The data will allow us to support comrades organizing in unionized as well as non-unionized workplaces, facilitate the formation of 'labor circles,' and inform strategic organizing campaigns. We have developed appropriate measures to ensure members' information remains confidential and secure.







Take a few minutes to fill out the Labor Census ([link removed]) if you are an EBDSA member and haven't already. If you would like to get involved with the census in other ways, please contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .



MEET WITH A MOBILIZER!



Are you a new DSA member? Or are you looking to get more involved with East Bay DSA's projects and campaigns? Sign up to talk to a mobilizer!







Here are three reasons to sign up to talk to a mobilizer:



1. Meet a fellow socialist organizer



We want to build a movement of millions of working class people and change the exploitative and oppressive system in which we live, but we do that first and foremost by building one-to-one connections with each other.







2. Answer your questions



Learn more about DSA, the local East Bay chapter, and our different committees and projects.







3. Get more involved



The main thing a mobilizer will help you with is getting more involved in DSA. Maybe there’s a campaign or project you’re particularly interested in, or maybe you’re a blank slate and you don’t really know what to do. Either way, a mobilizer will help you figure it out.







Sign up to talk to a mobilizer! ([link removed])



If the Left is going to get anywhere, if it's going to recapture the role it once had as the engine of social justice, it will only do so by replanting itself within laboring communities. As of yet, nobody has shown any evidence that changes of the scale we need — to put people over profits, to save the environment, to eradicate social oppressions — can be achieved without taking on capital. And how do you do that if you don't harness the capacity of the one social force that can bring capital to heel: the class that generates its profits?



-- Vivek Chibber







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