Twin Cities
Democratic Socialists of America
Little Red Letter #119
The Snow and Cold are Here, But the Organizing Doesn’t Stop
Readers, it has been a quieter couple weeks for the chapter, and a shorter newsletter today. We hope you have all been able to take time to be with your friends and loved ones. The snow and cold have finally arrived, but winter doesn’t mean we go dormant.
Members received notice yesterday that the next Twin Cities DSA General Meeting will be held on December 6, at 6pm at the Minneapolis Central Library. We’ll take nominations and hear speeches from candidates for the vacant Co-chair position, revisit the business we could not get to at our September Annual Convention, and hear speakers from UMN YDSA who are involved in campus organizing in support of Palestine, as well as workers involved in the union campaign at First Avenue who are organizing with UNITE HERE towards their first contract. We look forward to seeing everyone!
This past weekend Twin Cities DSA co-sponsored a teach-in and panel discussion with American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota held in solidarity with Palestinians and all who want to live in a world free of colonialism, war, racism, and oppression. Among the questions that were explored were How Israel become an apartheid state, how the is Palestinian struggle related to the movement for indigenous rights as well as people of color and working class people in the US and around the world, and what does decolonization look like?
We were joined by panelists Nick Estes, U of M Assistant Professor, Co-Founder of the Red Nation, author of “Our History is the Future”, Jessica Rosenberg, Rabbi and member of Jewish Voices for Peace, and Sana Wazwaz, Palestinian-American Activist, member of American Muslims for Palestine – MN, as well as Joel Sipress – Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, member of Twin Ports DSA and Jewish Voices for Peace to give an initial historical background. We thank our guests and everyone who attended both in person and online.
A Turning Point for Workers
From Kip H, a look at the labor militancy of the early 1900’s, the renewed labor militancy we are experiencing today, and the potential for the pace and depth of the class struggle to intensify dramatically as worker’s across industries look to actions like the UAW strike as a source of inspiration.
TCDSA committees and working groups need members to get involved in order to create the multi-racial, worker-powered socialist future we’re all aiming for. Below are some opportunities to be part of the exciting work going on in our chapter right now!
- TechOps Committee
- Get Involved
Slack Channel: #techops
Want to help make hybrid meetings run well?
Over in tech ops, we’re putting together an A/V Team (Audio/Visual) that will help make hybrid meetings possible. Especially for chapter meetings, there’s a lot to take care of! We need people who can keep track of the zoom chat, setup the microphone & camera, monitor volume levels, advance slides, and more.
If you have any interest in this work: please head over to #techops on slack or email operations@twincitiesdsa.org with subject line “Hybrid Meeting Help”
- Get Involved
- Internal Organizing Committee
- Get Involved
Our softball and frisbee leagues have wrapped up, and while we’re still doing informal pickup basketball for as long as the weather permits, we’re exploring some winter league sports options. There’s a volleyball league that runs mid-January – early April.
If you’d be interested, please fill out this survey to learn more about the league options and to express interest by the end of the week!
- Get Involved
- Twin Cities DSA Bowling Social
- Saturday, 12/2 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Memory Lanes, 2520 26th Ave S, Minneapolis
RSVP for the next game here: tcdsa.org/bowling
With summer sports and daylight hours winding down, we wanted to find a forum for continued activity during the winter and invite you to join us for an afternoon of bowling and general comradeship at Memory Lanes!
The chapter will be renting two lanes for two hours, and is asking that individuals cover the cost of their shoe rental. A tip jar to contribute to lane costs will be available for anyone willing/able. Each lane accommodates up to 6 bowlers per Memory Lane rules, so depending on arrival time, etc., we could potentially accommodate 24 people for an hour each.
It’ll be a super open format— just show up and do any or all of the following: bowl, chill, talk with other TCDSA members about organizing initiatives, eat, drink, generally have something fun to look forward to to combat the shorter and darker days.
We’ll see how turnout for this first event goes and adjust from there as possible/needed. Please RSVP to give us a sense for turnout ahead of time.
Memory Lanes: https://www.memorylanes.com/
- Saturday, 12/2 3:00 – 5:00 PM
- East Phillips Health Team – Tuesday, 11/28, 6:00pm – 7:30pm
- Note, this is NOT the DSA Health Justice WG.
Goal: To improve health outcomes in East Phillips by reducing air pollution in the neighborhood. Jointly led by TCDSA, Seward Vaccine Equity Project (SVEP), and East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI).
This group meets every other Tuesday from 6 to 730pm. It is on Zoom, but not always on DSA accounts. Please email eastphillips@twincitiesdsa.org for access to the Zoom link.
- Note, this is NOT the DSA Health Justice WG.
- West Metro & Wright County working group – Tuesday, 11/28, 6:30pm – 8:00pm – Maple Grove Library – Zoom Registration
- Palestine solidarity, guest REI union member, internal organizing, and more!
This meeting will be hybrid. We’ll be in person at the Maple Grove library and on Zoom.
- Palestine solidarity, guest REI union member, internal organizing, and more!
- Internal Organizing Phonebank – Wednesday, 11/29, 6:00pm – 7:00pm – Zoom Registration
- Join the Internal Organizing Committee for a Lapsed Member Phonebank to call TCDSA members with recently-expired dues. We meet on Zoom to go over the script, mute ourselves and make phone calls, and then return to debrief how our calls went. A brief training is provided and no prior experience is required. These phonebanks are a chance to meet other members to TCDSA, hear what they need from our chapter and what brings them to socialism. Register for the Zoom meeting here.
IO phonebanks are held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. For more information about joining this meeting, see the #internal-organizing Slack channel.
- Join the Internal Organizing Committee for a Lapsed Member Phonebank to call TCDSA members with recently-expired dues. We meet on Zoom to go over the script, mute ourselves and make phone calls, and then return to debrief how our calls went. A brief training is provided and no prior experience is required. These phonebanks are a chance to meet other members to TCDSA, hear what they need from our chapter and what brings them to socialism. Register for the Zoom meeting here.
- Electoral Committee General Meeting – Wednesday, 11/29, 6:00pm – 7:30pm – Zoom Registration
- The TCDSA Electoral Committee holds a general meeting the last Wednesday of every month at 6PM.
- St. Paul Branch Meeting – Wednesday, 11/29, 7:00pm – 8:30pm – Zoom Registration
- The St. Paul Branch of TCDSA meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month.
- Health Justice Reading & Discussion Group: Bodily Autonomy Part 2 – Thursday, 11/30, 7:00pm – 8:00pm – Zoom Registration
- Here are a variety of materials to review and consider for the discussion.
Our goal is for the Reading and Discussion group to be as accessible and inviting for everyone, so we provide multiple texts and audiovisual materials. Pick and choose which ones are most interesting to you. If you don’t have time to read, watch, or listen, you are still welcome to join us and provide your perspective.
- Here are a variety of materials to review and consider for the discussion.
- Steering Committee Meeting – Sunday, 12/3, 2:30pm – 4:00pm
- Check #steeringcommittee for the zoom link and agenda. If you are a member and need access to slack, sign up at tcdsa.org/slack
Log on early for a “Leadership Operations Skill-Share” where a leader in TCDSA does a skill-share about skill that is important for chapter operations. These skill-shares will be from 2:10-2:30pm before the SC meeting begins
- Check #steeringcommittee for the zoom link and agenda. If you are a member and need access to slack, sign up at tcdsa.org/slack
- Environmental Justice Group (f/k/a East Phillips Urban Farm Group) – Monday, 12/4, 7:00pm – 8:30pm – Zoom Registration
- The Environmental Justice group meets every other week on Monday at 7p. Right now we are focusing most on shutting down the HERC and supporting Camp Nenookaasi Ikwe in East Phillips, and are also helping with the Reimagining of I-94 and shutting down major polluters in East Phillips. Join us to discuss how best to support the residents and realize this environmental and economic justice vision.
This group’s meetings are hybrid, in-person at Boneshaker and on Zoom.
- The Environmental Justice group meets every other week on Monday at 7p. Right now we are focusing most on shutting down the HERC and supporting Camp Nenookaasi Ikwe in East Phillips, and are also helping with the Reimagining of I-94 and shutting down major polluters in East Phillips. Join us to discuss how best to support the residents and realize this environmental and economic justice vision.
- Minneapolis Rent Control Working Group – Tuesday, 12/5, 6:00pm – 7:00pm – Zoom Registration
- Join the Minneapolis Rent Control Working Group as we fight for strong rent control in our city! Meetings on Zoom on the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm.
Go to tcdsa.org/events to see everything!
Members and newsletter subscribers should have received this in their email. If you did not and believe you should have, please check spam and promotion folders before contacting operations@twincitiesdsa.org.