When the capitalist media finally pronounced the resounding defeat of fascist Donald Trump, workers around the world breathed a sigh of relief – but only for a moment. Millions continue to suffer through the COVID crisis despite the changing leadership. Workers face mass evictions and unemployment, police repression, and intensifying climate change. The working class must demand that Biden and Harris make real change and break from the neoliberal status quo that brought us Trump and his neofascist movement in the first place.

If the US government can afford to bail out corporations with hundreds of billions of dollars in support, it can afford to bail out the working class. We demand COVID relief now in the form of a $15/hr minimum wage and $2000 monthly survival checks. We demand a safe, livable planet for all, and a Green Jobs Guarantee that puts millions of people to work building the green infrastructure necessary to halt climate change and achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030. We demand the passage of the Emergency Healthcare Guarantee Act and a Medicare For All single-payer healthcare system that guarantees healthcare as a right, not a privilege. We demand a People’s Bailout!

In order to win the COVID relief we deserve, we must overpower the billionaire class. We, the Metro Atlanta DSA, know that this struggle must begin with the immediate defeat of the Republican candidates in the January 5th runoff elections. Control of the US Senate hinges on Georgia, and a Republican-held Senate would be a massive barrier to passing even the most modest reforms. We recommend voting against all Republican candidates on the ballot, in order to make progress possible. However, we do not endorse or support any candidates running in the election. If the Republicans lose the election, our next immediate task will be campaigning against the incoming neoliberal capitalist senators to pass real COVID relief for workers.

Throughout this election cycle, we are organizing to combat racist voter suppression, and to help working Georgians cast their votes in the runoff elections. We are holding socially distanced canvasses and lit drops every weekend, making phone calls and sending texts to voters, and raising awareness about the January 5th election while building support for key socialist issues such as the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a living wage. 

If you would like to get involved in our campaign, please join DSA, join our chapter, and check our calendar for upcoming events. We are a volunteer-led organization and we rely on dues and donations from working people to fund our activities. Please consider donating to support our campaign. You can email jan5runoffs@madsa.ga for more information.

Workers will fight for the dignity we deserve. Workers will win. Solidarity.

After exit polls from the November election showed 72% of voters wanted Medicare for All, Medicare for All Indiana and the Religious Socialism Committee of Central Indiana DSA convened on November 24th a Multifaith Forum on Medicare for All, recorded and available as our podcast episode. Panelists discussing their faith’s shared commitment to universal healthcare as a moral imperative included: Rabbi Jordana Chernow-Reader, Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation; Rev. David W. Greene, Sr., Purpose of Life Ministries (Second Baptist) and President, Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis; Hebah Kassem, Muslim Medicare for All Activist and DSA member; and Fr. Charles Allen, Episcopal Priest and Member, Religious Socialism Committee of Central Indiana DSA. The moderator was Fran Quigley, director of the Health and Human Rights Clinic at Indiana University McKinney School of Law and member of the Religious Socialism Working Group and Central Indiana DSA.

On January 5th, Georgia will be at the center of national attention for runoff races that will decide the party leadership of the United States Senate. While Metro Atlanta DSA holds no allegiance to any capitalist political party, we recognize the significance of these races and the issues at stake.

In addition to the US Senate, there is also a closely contested election for Public Service Commission, an agency which oversees utility rates, power company regulations, and access to broadband across the state.

Metro Atlanta DSA believes the working class should be informed about the workings of government, and the issues at stake in elections. Our members have worked to put together the following voter guide that discusses the races on the ballot, the significance of the offices being decided, and provides information about how to reliably and safely vote in this election.

Over the course of this runoff campaign, Metro Atlanta DSA plans to be actively organized in supporting voting rights, as well canvassing and phone banking voters about key working class issues at stake. Join MADSA if you want to be involved!

Jewish Traditions of Socialism Our latest episode of ‘Heart of a Heartless World’ is a recording of our October 26th webinar conversation between Rev. Andrew Wilkes and Rabbi Andy Bachman, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Project and former senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim, about how Jewish traditions of socialism, from Martin Buber’s reflections on Utopia to the labor organizing and organic intellectuals of the early twentieth century, have helped create a political economy where workers’ dignity and decision making power is prioritized and can, going forward, inform and inspire contemporary movements of religious socialism.

John D'Emilio joins "Heart of a Heartless World" to discuss the history of Bayard Rustin, a Quaker and democratic socialist who introduced nonviolent tactics to the civil rights movement and organized the March on Washington. After years of organizing protests, Rustin argued after Lyndon B. Johnson's election that the left needed to move "from protest to politics" and engage directly with the political system while building broad-based coalitions. In this episode John D'Emilio charts the similarities between Rustin's engagement with LBJ's administration and the left's challenge with an incoming Biden administration. John D’Emilio is a pioneer in the field of gay and lesbian studies and is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he taught in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program and the Department of History. He is currently president of the board of the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, a Chicago community-based LGBTQ history archives and cultural center. Resources: John D'Emilio, Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin (2003): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/L/bo3644370.html Interview with John D'Emilio with Meagan Day, "Capitalism made gay identity possible. Now we must destroy capitalism." (2020): https://jacobinmag.com/2020/08/gay-identity-capitalism-lgbt John D'Emilio, "Capitalism and Gay Identity" (1983): https://sites.middlebury.edu/sexandsociety/files/2015/01/DEmilio-Capitalism-and-Gay-Identity.pdf John D'Emilio, Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago's LGBTQ Archives, (2020): https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/Q/bo44312771.html

Our latest episode of ‘Heart of a Heartless World’ is a recording of a webinar DSA’s NYC chapter hosted with faith leaders on how American apocalyptic thinking gets in the way building a better future, how to decolonize the apocalypse, and the potential for societal transformation through a just transition towards ecosocialism. On October 13th Ryan Felder (3rd Year MDiv at Union Theological Seminary) facilitated the panel which included Rev. Chelsea MacMillan (interfaith minister, Extinction Rebellion Activist, and co-founder Brooklyn Center for Sacred Activism), Shay O’Reily (Lutheran lay leader and climate organizer), and Nathan Albright (writer with The Flood and Catholic Worker). 
 Our next webinar discussion will feature Rev. Andrew Wilkes and Rev. Sekou, artist, author, and public theologian, in conversation about the ethical and religious streams of the Black radical tradition on Thursday, November 19th. For more information and to register: https://www.religioussocialism.org/next_religious_socialism_webinar_the_spirit_of_black_radical_traditions

Trump and the Far Right are doing everything they can to subvert the will of the people. We must be prepared to fight any effort to subvert the democratic will of the working class. We cannot allow the Republican party to disenfranchise people with the same Jim Crow playbook they've been using for generations in order to continue their deadly authoritarian agenda on every level of government.

Sign the pledge now to show your support for counting every vote and are willing to mobilize if any attempts are made to steal the election. Add your name now to pledge your commitment to take action to ensure that every vote is counted.

No matter what happens, we will continue to fight for democracy, Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and more. A better world is possible.

The Democratic Socialist of America Chapters of North Carolina
Asheville DSA
Charlotte Metro DSA
Greensboro DSA
Piedmont DSA
Wilmington DSA
Winston Salem DSA

This November, Georgia residents will vote on two constitutional amendments and a referendum. Many of our members have requested a guide to help clarify these. Two members of MADSA’s electoral working group, Eli and Jim, did the research and put together a guide to explain the ballot initiatives, including a list of pros and cons of each from a socialist perspective. Two additional referendums from the Dekalb and Gwinnett county ballots are described as well.

In addition, MADSA has endorsed Zan Fort for Georgia’s 39th Senate District Special Election! Our work will continue beyond November to build a movement that fights for working class interests, but in elections and outside them. Join MADSA if you want to be involved!

If you have any questions or concerns about our voter guide or larger electoral work, feel free to reach out at electoral@madsa.ga

Our latest episode of “Heart of a Heartless World” is a recording of our September 30th webinar conversation with Bhaskar Sunkara, founding publisher and editor of Jacobin magazine, and Rev. Andrew Wilkes. They discussed the role of religion and faith traditions within the wider socialist movement and Left politics.

The Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists are excited to announce their endorsement of Zan Fort for Georgia’s 39th Senate District.

What is the 39th Senate District race?

With Nikema Williams leaving this seat to fill John Lewis’ former seat, District 39 residents will vote on November 3rd to fill her seat in the 39th district.

Early voting in Georgia begins October 12.

What is the 39th district?

District 39 spans west Atlanta (view a map here). Visit your GA My Voter page to confirm your district.

Why are we supporting Zan Fort?

Zan is a lifelong Atlanta resident with a long family history of union membership and ties to the Democratic Socialists of America. Zan’s platform includes progressive policies such as:

• A $15 minimum wage
• Medicare for All (pushing to expand Medicaid in GA and protecting the ACA until we can pass Medicare for All federally)
• An extended moratorium on COVID-19 evictions
• Banning violent police practices such as chokeholds, no-knock warrants, and ending qualified immunity.

Get involved by joining #local_elections_wg on Slack (or email membership@madsa.ga if you don’t have Slack access yet), or look for the latest text banking and canvassing events in our newsletter!