On Sunday, September 8th members of Metro Atlanta DSA took to the streets and canvassed Atlanta neighborhood Cabbagetown to rally support for Senator Bernie Sanders for president in 2020.
“Senator Sanders is the only candidate who will stand up for our right to healthcare, to a voice on the job, and to a liveable planet,” said chapter leader Alexander Hernandez. “He’s also the only one with the vision to fix the damage done by Trump’s GOP, his parrots like Kemp, and conservative Democrats. But he’ll need our help even after he’s elected. That’s why we’re in the community building a working class movement for not just 2020, but beyond.”
Metro Atlanta DSA is just one of dozens of DSA chapters all over the country who knocked on doors this weekend to support Sanders. “We want to help Bernie win, full stop” said newly elected DSA National Political Committee member Megan Svoboda. “He’s the best chance we have to beat Donald Trump. But we’re also organizing to build a bigger base for democratic socialist politics, because it’s going to take a movement to win a Green New Deal, support union organizing, and make sure this country is no longer dominated by millionaires and billionaires. Senator Sanders is the only candidate who has stood consistently with working-class people and who knows that a mass movement is needed to change this country.”
By David H.
Metro Atlanta DSA, through its Ecosocialists working group, joined a
broad coalition of organizations to rally in response to the call by the
Indigenous Peoples of Brazil to protest the right wing Bolsonaro Government.
The Amazon Rainforest is burning. Fires have almost doubled compared
to last year. These fires are destroying the homes of indigenous
people who have had to strive persistently to protect the land, their
rights, and their very lives. These fires are eliminating wildlife and
their habitats too swiftly and broadly to allow for recovery. When
healthy, the vast Amazon cleans air and draws down carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere, benefiting the rest of the world. But instead this
rainforest is being incinerated at an alarming rate.
These fires are no accident. Beef and soy companies — with the support
of companies like Costco, Cargill, and BlackRock, with permission from
the Bolsonaro government — set fires to clear away forests for
industrial agriculture.
The National Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) has
called for international solidarity in response to the fires and
ever-increasing threats. Amazon Watch and Extinction Rebellion have lead
the call for a Global Day of Action for the Amazon.
In Atlanta, at noon on Sept. 5 outside the Brazilian consulate, a
broad coalition of organizations gathered in solidarity with the
Indigenous People. Signs saying “Bolsonaro stop Cargill’s fires” spoke
to the deadly alliance formed between Bolsonaro’s government and big
corporations like Cargill and called upon Bolsonaro to end these
atrocities.
Much pressure is needed to win this fight. This became even
more clear when the protesters engaged with the Brazilian Consul.
Unexpectedly, he turned up at the demonstration and engaged in
conversation with us. Not surprisingly, however, he iterated the
government’s perspective, emphasizing that the Brazilian government does
everything it can to stop the fires and falsely stating there were fewer
fires than in the past. When corrected upon the false numbers the Consul
stated that we would do better to get our information from
Brazilian media outlets. It was soon clear that his ears are deaf to any
facts, reminding us very much of our own current government. Suitably, Bolsonaro
has been nicknamed the Trump of Brazil. in many ways these two
governments are aligned, and we know that their political ideology, which
is dangerously close to fascism, will just bring destruction to the
world. With the burning Amazon we see it right in front of our eyes.
Today we showed the Brazilian government that the world is watching! We
hope that the Consul of Brazil will deliver the message conveyed to him
by the protesters: The world is watching and demands that the Brazilian
government stop facilitating big agribusinesses’ destruction of the
Amazon, now! The Bolsonaro government must act upon the calls of the
Indigenous Peoples of Brazil and must stop the destruction of one
of our world’s major carbon sinks. It must stop destroying
indigenous livelihood and jeopardizing humanity’s future by exacerbating
climate change.
Supporting organizations:
Extinction Rebellion, Amazon Watch, Mighty Earth, Sierra Club – Beyond
Coal, Metro Atlanta Sierra Club, Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of
America, Science for the People Atlanta, Dogwood Alliance, Rainforest
Action, XL Dissent, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, Friends of the
Earth U.S., Stand4Forests, Fulton County Democrats, The Climate Reality
Project: Atlanta, Center for Sustainable Communities – Atlanta.
Georgia Tech’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America attracted more than 90 people to their fall semester kick-off meeting Aug. 26. At the chapter’s Saturday pre-kickoff business meeting, they decided on these priorities:
• Electoral / Bernie 2020
• Campus labor
• Campaign to end the ban on undocumented student enrollment
• Political education
In the aftermath of hosting our national convention, MADSA members met Aug. 24 to plan for future actions and new leadership, while CWA staff handled strike business in their offices next to the union hall where we meet. (The strike has since been settled)
We voted to hold an Atlanta action to “stop the war on immigrants” Oct. 12, in response to a call from national DSA’s Immigrant Rights committee. Sign up with José Perez if you want to join the planning group.
MADSA working groups reported on their plans: Eco-Socialism — Green New Deal town hall watch party at the Ga. Beer Garden Sept. 4; Electoral — Cabbagetown Canvass for Bernie Sept. 8; Immigrant Justice — in addition to Oct. 12 planning, on Sept. 7 MADSA will again visit detainees at Stewart Detention Center, hosted by El Refugio; Education — will soon start another ABCs of Socialism study series; Mutual Aid — supplies snacks for meetings and will no doubt hold more brake light clinics, TBA; Housing Justice — is supporting the Housing Justice League’s citywide tenants’ union organizing.
In other news: We are working with groups planning support for the local response to a Nazi/KKK gathering coming to Dahlonega Sept. 14; a MADSA Afro-Socialist working group is forming; and the Douglass-Debs awards dinner committee is asking for donations of seed money from “patrons” to cover initial expenses for this popular annual networking event, planned for Nov. 9 at Paschal’s restaurant (details TBA).
Finally, to strengthen our officer team’s capacity we voted to begin the process of modifying our bylaws to add a co-chair, to be included provisionally in the September (online) election for new MADSA officers.
MADSA and YDSA joined a march against racism hosted by the Alliance for Black Lives. We marched with our banners, flag and signs together with 200-300 people representing 34 organizations. Speakers addressed many aspects of the struggle, from mass incarceration and police murders to immigrant justice, expressing hope that “together we can end the structural racism that contributes to police brutality, mass incarceration, injustice, economic oppression, and inequities.”
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Photo: Reid Freeman Jenkins Reid photogrphing. Photo: Steve Eberhardt
Sixteen of us attended the DSA national convention in downtown Atlanta Aug. 2-4 as elected MADSA delegates, and a slew more volunteered to help make the event a success. We came from many different perspectives but shared a common goal: To continue the momentum that grew our organization from a brave remnant of about 7,000 members a few years ago to about 56,000 today, including 29 federal, state and local elected officials. We are fighting for social justice and economic democracy – can’t have one without the other we socialists say – and changing the political dialogue in this country. Our City of South Fulton comrade Councilman khalid gave both an opening and a closing speech, and several of us were quoted by the New York Times, the Atlanta Constitution, the Guardian (UK), CNN and other news outlets. We passed too many resolutions to summarize easily here; come to our monthly meeting Aug 24 for a report. Photo: Steve Eberhardt
The American political establishment has a long history of cynical attacks based on race, gender, national origin, sexuality and more to divide working people against each other. President Trump’s recent statements are the latest chapter in that shameful history. While the animus dividing our society didn’t begin with President Trump, we are seeing from him now a dangerous escalation in targeting both specific elected officials and entire communities, such as the recent ICE raids on undocumented persons. The President, clearly unbothered by the humanitarian disaster he’s created at the border and many other crises, has taken time to attack Representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, and Ayanna Pressley.
While President Trump has gleefully had TV sparring matches with many prominent Democrats, these women and their agenda clearly pose an existential threat for him and his political establishment. His attacks this week included telling these women to “go back” to the country they came from. All of them are American citizens and three were born here.
Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America makes clear our full support for Reps. Omar, Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortes, and Pressley and our opposition to these attacks by Trump and the Republican Party. Most Republican party officials and Republican media outlets have sadly and predictably either joined with Trump or excused his actions.
We also denounce statements by Democratic Party members drawing false equivalence between Trump and these representatives, or implying that their anti-capitalist or anti-imperialist positions warrant such attacks. We also encourage the progressive caucus to stand united in solidarity, and not cave to any pressure to denounce each other.
This kind of dehumanizing language doesn’t belong in a locker room, let alone the halls of power. We would defend anyone against attacks like these, but the political and personal courage of these representatives deserves particular acknowledgement. They are at the forefront of the struggle to democratize the economy, rebuild and strengthen our safety net, and protect the vulnerable.
We invite people disgusted by these attacks to not just work towards President Trump’s removal next fall, but to also join us right now — organizing against facism, racism, neoliberalism, xenophobia, and every other form of oppression that has empowered him and his accomplices.
Georgia organizations wishing to co-sign this statement can send an email to info@madsa.ga.
Hundreds protested the Trump administration’s atrocious treatment of legal asylum seekers and other immigrants, especially children, at the “Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Concentration Camps” at Plaza Fiesta in Chamblee July 12, despite the heat and a rain shower. The New Sanctuary Movement of Alanta and about two dozen social justice and immigrant rights organizations sponsored the event, joined by other progressive organizations and many MADSA members. Ga. Representative (District 99) and candidate for Congress Brenda Lopez Romero was keynote speaker. Other speakers included several faith leaders; Roxana Chicas of New Sanctuary; Carlos Medina of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR); two candidates for the U.S. Senate: former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry; and Amilcar Valencia, Executive Director of El Refugio, among others. See Lopez Romero’s speech here.
The Lights for Liberty event took place as Atlanta braced for a weekend of raids on immigrant families announced by President Trump. GLAHR is organizing “ICEwatch” patrols to follow (not confront) ICE and document its activities. Some MADSA members participated Saturday morning. “Ice patrol with GLAHR was great,” says Jeff R. “They’re going all this week in the morning and they think immigration raids will start [Sunday].”
ICEwatch patrols meet 6am at the GLAHR office. To volunteer, contact Kevin Joachin (229-646-0045). Members please say you’re with DSA. Do not volunteer if you are undocumented.
Another protest against the immigrant concentration camps: “Never Again,” will take place at noon on Monday July 15 in front of the ICE office in downtown Atlanta, in coordination with actions nationwide led by Jewish groups, including some against banks that finance the private detention centers.
Today, April 19th, is the 76th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was the largest single revolt by Jews during WWII and it was mostly organized by the Bund, a secular Jewish socialist movement. Irena Klepfisz was born in the Warsaw Ghetto and fled with her mother to the United States when she was eight. She is now a noted poet, writer, Yiddish translator, anti-occupation activist, known for her work in lesbian, feminist and Jewish spaces. This personal interview touches on Irena's childhood, the "zeitgeist" of American Jewish bundist life, coming out in the 1970's, her activism against Israel's occupation, and how she makes sense of the contemporary resurgence of interest in Yiddish. Part 2 of this interview series will feature Daniel Soyer, who will provide a historical and academic perspective on the Jewish Labor Bund.
We’re lacing up our bowling shoes and getting to work! Help us to #FundAbortionBuildPower. Your participation could be the difference between someone getting the abortion they need, and being forced to go without.
Send a message that you believe we all should be able to access abortion no matter how much money we make or where we live. Join us on April 6th to bowl for abortion access!
