by Liz Henderson

In pre-grocery store days, March was the hungry month when people had to rely on the supplies of food they raised and stored themselves. With year-round production of fresh vegetables on area farms (as well as local stores, of course), we no longer have to face a bleak menu of sprouted potatoes and shriveled turnips. With a little planning, we can eat the highest quality locally grown food all year round.

Pick a few local farms, get to know the farmers and buy direct at one of the farmers markets—the Public Market and the Brighton Farmers Market run all winter—a farm’s on-farm market, or by joining a community supported agriculture project (CSA).

In terms of mutual benefit and value, joining a CSA is an excellent way to ensure a steady supply of local farm food. Although fewer exist than in the past, there are several CSAs that you can join and March is a good time to do it. Joining a CSA is like joining a club connected to a farm—you pay in advance for a weekly packet of the produce that the farm has to offer. You agree to share the risks and potential bounty from the farm. Most CSAs offer different size shares with varying amounts of choice, and allow you to pay in a lump sum or by installment. Some accept EBT (food stamps).

CSAs in the Rochester area:

Mud Creek – pick-up at the Abundance Food Coop on South Ave or at farm in Victor, accepts EBT

Growing Family Farms – pick-up at farm in Hilton, or the Brighton Farmers Market or Living Roots Wine & Co. in Rochester, certified organic

Fellenz Family Farm – pick-up at Brighton Farmers Market, Pittsford, Canandaigua, Geneva, and at farm in Phelps, certified organic

Porter Farms – 10 pick-up sites around the Rochester area, certified organic

Sunscape Farms – pick-up at farms in Penfield and Greece

G & S Orchards – pick-up at farm’s market in Walworth, also u-pick berries and tree fruit, June – October

Enka:ri Farm – pick-up at farm in Marion, takes SNAP

Homesteads for Hope – pick-up at farm on Manitou Road or at Richly Blessed Community Market, 1050 East Ave, Asbury First United Methodist Church

Kirby’s Farm Market – pick-up at farm’s market in Brockport 

Lagoner Farms – no longer has a CSA but the farm has purchased Amazing Grains Bread Company in Fairport NY and will be selling farm products both at the on-farm market in Williamson and at the Fairport bakery

Small World Food – sells ferments – kimchi, sauerkraut, and others; made from local farm produce at their HQ [936 Exchange Street, Suite A-101, Rochester] and at a stand at the Public Market on Saturdays where they also carry produce and mushrooms from local farms

Grow Your Own

Community gardens like 490 Farmers welcome new members—you can get a 4’ x 8’ bed to use. Or you can take out a permit on one of the many available city-owned lots. There is no deadline for new permits! bit.ly/roccommgarden. 

There are many opportunities to learn more about gardening! 490 Farmers offers weekly workshops on Wednesdays at 5. The Taproot Collective (bit.ly/taprootcoll) provides regular workshops in gardening skills and many chances to volunteer. You can reach them at info@taprootcollective.org. 

You can borrow the tools you need by joining the SouthEast Area Coalition (SEAC) Tool Shed at 1255 University Ave. For more information email SEAC  or call  271-TOOL (8665).

The Cornell Cooperative Extension offers classes, master gardeners to answer your questions, and the website – monroe.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture – has resources for soil testing, garden pest identification, and general garden information as does the website of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York nofany.org/upcoming-events. Blocks In Bloom is a beautification program established by Cornell Cooperative Extension-Monroe County for lower-resourced neighborhoods; a minimum of six homes must participate as a group. For information, email Ashly Piedmont at Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The Rochester Central Library and City Branch Libraries offer gardening books and periodicals as well as gardening programs. For more information visit the Rochester Public Library Program Calendar or email Renée Kendrot.

Full Day Gardening Conference – March 22, 2025

The 2025 Rochester Urban Agriculture Conference & Seed Swap, hosted by the Rochester Urban Agriculture Working Group/UAWG is happening on Saturday, March 22nd, from 9am-4pm at East High School, 1801 E Main Street.  The conference features a seed swap where you can get the seeds you need for your garden for free, interactive workshops—some in Spanish—and booths and display tables of local horticultural/agricultural organizations, products, and services.  The event is free and includes lunch 

UAWG Conference English 2025.pdf 

UAWG Conference Spanish 2025.pdf 

The post Getting Grounded: Plan for a healthy food supply for 2025 first appeared on Rochester Red Star.

Mahmoud Khalil, Columbia University activist, was unjustly arrested by ICE on March 8th in what is a clear attack for his pro-Palestinian work on campus in the spring of 2024.

Mahmoud  was forcibly abducted from his New York apartment and now detained in Louisiana. ICE even threatened his wife with arrest, a US citizen who is 8 months pregnant. The Trump admin is attempting to revoke Mahmoud’s green card and deport him without criminal charges and without providing evidence.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump applauded ICE for this arrest and promised more to come. In an earlier post, he claims they will freeze all federal funding for any school, colleges, or universities that allow so-called “illegal protest.” Coming from the guy that pardoned even the most violent of the January 6th Insurrectionists, we know this isn’t about legality but simply silencing speech he disagrees with.

First they came for Mahmoud Khalil and I’m gonna fucking say something!

Our comrades in NYC DSA have set up a few ways for you to take action now!

Call your members of Congress – using the provided script, demand action to secure Mahmoud’s release and protect the rights of activists.

Email your elected officials – urge them to take immediate action to stop the targeting of student activists and immigrants.

Let’s make one thing clear: we will not allow our communities to be silenced or terrorized. The fascists in the White House are hoping this will have a chilling effect on political speech and protest. And that’s why we need to be fired up!

The post Free Mahmoud Khalil – Protect Student Activists appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

On March 8, two plainclothes agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered a Columbia University apartment building and arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate. Khalil was a prominent leader of the Gaza solidarity encampment protesting the genocide in Gaza and the university’s ties to Israel. Initially, the agents informed Khalil that the State Department was revoking his student visa. Khalil is, in fact, a green card holder. In a clear violation of due process, the State Department under Marco Rubio is now saying it will revoke green cards for those who speak out in favor of Palestinian liberation. This development is part of a larger pattern where DHS is disappearing people regardless of the facts. When Khalil’s wife, eight months pregnant, attempted to visit him at an ICE detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, she was told he was not there. While a judge has temporarily blocked his deportation, Khalil is currently being held incommunicado in Louisiana, half a continent away from his home and family.

The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil is a brazen and extralegal assault by the Trump administration on immigrant rights and the Palestinian liberation movement. Our chapter condemns the actions of DHS, ICE, and the Trump administration, and demands the immediate release of Khalil from detention. After the wave of protests last year, Columbia University created the Office of Institutional Equity, which weaponizes the Civil Rights Act to suppress criticism of Israel. In doing so, Columbia has paved a path for escalated government suppression of our right to protest.

Here in the Bay Area, we have seen a climate of fear take hold as ICE has built a new detention center nearby and sent agents into our communities–all this while Berkeley, UCSF, and other local institutions have cracked down on protest. Bay Area tech companies like Google and Facebook have systematically suppressed any criticism of their contracts with ICE and Israel, censoring social media and firing their own workers.  

As socialists, we understand that the cause of liberation abroad is inextricably linked to the cause of liberation at home. The tragic and chilling case of Mahmoud Khalil makes these connections between immigrant justice and Palestinian liberation viscerally obvious. As Israel has dropped American bombs on Palestinians whom Israel continues to imprison inside the Gaza Strip, the U.S. government has contracted with Israeli weapons manufacturers like Elbit Systems and spyware and hacking outfits like Paragon and Cellebrite to build its wall with Mexico and terrorize immigrant communities throughout the United States.

While both major parties have instituted the current regime of repression, a different future is possible. Instead of building walls, we need to tear them down and build socialism instead. We need to take on our struggles locally and globally, and realize that they are one and the same. Our chapter stands strong in its commitment to justice for immigrants here at home, for the people of Palestine, and for all marginalized groups suffering under the yoke of capitalist oppression and imperialist aggression. We demand an end to their repression by university administrations across the country. We demand an end to American universities’ complicity in Israeli apartheid, occupation, and genocide. We also demand an end to that apartheid, occupation, and genocide. Finally, we demand the abolition of ICE and an end to the assault on immigrants.

Free Palestine. Abolish ICE.

Solidarity,

DSA SF

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, March 12 (6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): March General Meeting (In person at Kelly Cullen Community, 220 Golden Gate)

Thursday, March 13 (5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.): Palestine Solidarity and Anti-Imperialist Working Group (Zoom)

Friday, March 14 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Education Board Open Meeting (Zoom)

Sunday, March 16 (1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): DSA SF Socialist Job Fair (In person at 215 Golden Gate)

Monday, March 17 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): Electoral Board Meeting (Zoom)

Monday, March 17 (6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group Regular Meeting (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister)

Monday, March 17 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Labor Board Meeting (Zoom)

Tuesday, March 18 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): Abolish Rent Reading Group – Session 2 (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Wednesday, March 19 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What Is DSA? (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Wednesday, March 19 (6:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Tenant Organizing Working Group Meeting (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Thursday, March 20 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Immigration Justice Priority Working Group Meeting (Zoom)

Friday, March 21 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): Maker Friday (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Saturday, March 22 (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.): No Appetite for Apartheid Training and Outreach (522 Valencia)

Check out https://dsasf.org/events for more events and updates.

Events & Actions

No Appetite for Apartheid Training and Outreach

Come and canvass local businesses with the Palestine Solidarity and Anti-Imperialist Working Group! No Appetite for Apartheid is a campaign aimed at reducing economic support for Israeli apartheid by canvassing local businesses to boycott Israeli goods. On Saturday, March 22, we’ll be doing a training on how to talk to stores in the neighborhood, then going out and talking with stores together. Meet at 522 Valencia at 10:00 a.m. and we’ll debrief after canvassing at 2:00 p.m.

Behind the Scenes

The Chapter Coordination Committee (CCC) regularly rotates duties among chapter members. This allows us to train new members in key duties that help keep the chapter running like organizing chapter meetings, keeping records updated, office cleanup, updating the DSA SF website and newsletter, etc. Members can view current CCC rotations.

To help with the day-to-day tasks that keep the chapter running, fill out the CCC help form.

This month our podcast looks back at the Bowdoin College encampment in early February that took over a portion of Morrell Lounge demanding the institution publicly stand against scholasticide in Gaza and divest from certain arms manufacturers who have been supplying Israel’s criminal acts there. This episode maps out the encampment day by day, adding context and clarity to the brave action taken by students.

The post Maine Mural: Bowdoin College Encampment appeared first on Pine & Roses.

The following is reprinted from Brendan’s Substack.

March is Irish American Heritage Month. As an Irish-American who is very proud of my family’s heritage, I always enjoy St. Patrick’s Day and the month of March. However, every year I find myself torn between pride and frustration. I cannot help but cringe at the commercialization of the holiday. Walking through my local Walmart, I am bombarded with gaudy green t-shirts saying “luck of the Irish,” alongside cartoon leprechauns and four-leaf clovers. At my doctor’s office the waiting room walls are adorned with little leprechauns, rainbows, and pots of gold. 

While festive, these images have become a shorthand for Irish identity for many people, reducing a rich, vibrant history and culture down to a palatable cartoonish punchline. Some of the imagery is downright baffling. A skull and crossbones wearing a leprechaun hat? Slogans like “Let the Shenanigans Begin”? Not to mention the copious allusions to drinking, terrible puns, and strangely suggestive slogans. It’s an endless sea of clichés, not designed to honor our heritage but to sell cheap merchandise. 

This is not to say I dislike all kitschy displays and celebrations, nor do I wish to take away the fun from those who wish to celebrate this way. Nor do I even find these things offensive. But do these symbols and images reflect the diversity and complexities of Irish culture? The resilience of the Irish people? The legacy of the immigrant experience? The rich musical, literary and artistic traditions of Ireland and the diaspora? Or, do they represent the worst aspects of capitalism’s tendency to commodify everything, including cultural identity? Reducing Irishness down to the color green, a four-leaf clover, the concept of “luck” and drinking beer, all to sell consumer goods and generate profits. It has made Irish identity something to be consumed, rather than embraced and understood, and deprived Irish-Americans of a deeper connection to their heritage and identity. 

Sadly for many people, this is the only kind of interaction with Irishness they can really have. There is so much to celebrate about Irish culture and heritage and the role it has played in our society. But while capitalism has denuded so much of Irish culture and identity and turned Irishness into these cliche trinkets for mass consumption, it has created a two-tiered system for cultural engagement. While plastic shamrocks, green beer, and “Irish I was Drunk” t-shirts are marketed to working class people as the only ways to engage with Irish heritage, while deeper engagement with Irish culture (be it Irish dance lessons, Irish language courses, forums about Irish history and heritage, etc.) are gatekept and reserved for those with means and privilege as cultural capital. It is in a sense the continuation of the divide between the lace curtain Irish and the shanty Irish. 

There are excellent groups like the Maine Irish Heritage Center working to build deeper engagement with Irish culture by offering free or low cost Irish language courses and ceili dances, but they struggle to keep the lights on. As my friend James McClay at the MIHC said to me recently, “It’s pretty damn ironic that every year, mountains of tacky plastic crap rake in cash, yet actual Irish organizations are scraping by and struggling to increase membership, participation and raise funds.” 

Capitalism’s corrosive role in St. Patrick’s Day is all the more perverse in my mind when one considers this is in many ways a continuation of the destructive power capitalism has had in Irish history. We can never forget that it was not merely a blight that caused an Gorta Mór (commonly called the Irish Potato Famine or the Great Hunger), but capitalist exploitation and British colonial rule that saw food being exported while people starved, all to fuel the expansion of Britain’s industries and empire. It was capitalism that forced the Irish diaspora from Ireland’s shores.

None of this is to say that St. Patrick’s Day must be a somber day to reflect on Ireland’s history, and I certainly intend to enjoy myself. I plan to march in the parade in Portland (with some fellow Irish American radicals and DSA members), carrying the Starry Plough flag and wearing my kilt (yes, I know it’s Scottish in origin, but it’s become a more universal symbol of Celtic heritage). I’ll be down at my local Irish pub having a few pints and a glass or two of whiskey with my friends, eating some corned beef and cabbage, showing off my starry plough tattoo, singing along to rebel songs and playing my fiddle. St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration after all, but it can be both meaningful and festive at the same time. We can, and we ought to demand a holiday that celebrates the richness of our cultural inheritance in a manner that is accessible to all. 

We need to reclaim space in the celebrations from capital and commercialism, where the Irish-American legacy is more than something to be bought and sold. It’s a living tradition to be experienced, understood, and celebrated in all its complexity. However, we cannot perpetuate capitalism’s cultural divide between the lace curtain and the shanty Irish. We cannot merely turn our noses up at people who want to celebrate with green beer and plastic shamrocks and become the same pretentious gatekeepers of cultural engagement. 

At the end of the day, our heritage should be a shared experience, not a commodity, and our traditions should be for the people, not just those who can afford to engage with them at the highest level, nor can we let it be reduced down only to cheap green trinkets. Ultimately, this process of cultural reclamation requires broader, community-based, collective solutions. Still, there are immediate steps individuals can take as well, however limited they may be, to reclaim space on St. Patrick’s Day. Rather than shaming people for wearing a plastic leprechaun hat or drinking green beer, we can engage them in conversations about Irish history, culture, and identity. We can attend events hosted by groups working to foster cultural engagement, like the Maine Irish Heritage Center. We can learn even just a handful of Irish phrases and incorporate them not only into our celebration, but into our everyday lives. We can learn, sing and share Irish songs like “The Foggy Dew” and “Óró Sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile,” standing in strong contrast with the often overused, sanitized or commercialized tunes that dominate St. Patrick’s Day (like “Danny Boy” or Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl”). Even what we wear can be a statement, choosing shirts and symbols which honor Ireland’s rich cultural traditions and radical history. 

When I march in the parade with my Starry Plough flag, I hold that flag up to remember the radical and revolutionary history of Ireland and the Irish diaspora. I will be wearing a shirt featuring Bobby Sands and Che Guevara, honoring two great symbols of revolutionary Irish spirit, and a Palestinian Keffiyeh in solidarity with those engaged in the same anti-imperialist struggle today. But I am not doing so to show off or say I’m smarter or more Irish than others. I hold that banner high to stand as a visible symbol of the ongoing resistance to capitalism and a declaration of my belief that we must reclaim Irish culture from the forces of commercialization, and I will be inviting those watching to sing along as we sing “Come Out Ye Black and Tans” and “The Men Behind the Wire.” These are just some of the small ways I will try to celebrate this holiday in a way that is more reflective and authentic.

True cultural reclamation means making space for everyone to engage at a deeper level, regardless of their background or financial means. It means ensuring that working-class Irish-Americans can access their heritage beyond what is sold to them in stores. At the heart of it all, St. Patrick’s Day should be a day of joy, solidarity, and remembrance. Whether it’s through marching, singing, dancing, or simply raising a glass with friends, we can honor our ancestors and our heritage in a way that is both accessible and authentic. By pushing back against commercialization while embracing the holiday’s fun and community spirit, we can build a celebration that is truly for the people, one that remembers our struggles, triumphs, and rich, living heritage.

The post Commercialization of Irish American Culture appeared first on Pine & Roses.

Hey Comrade,

The last few weeks, DSA Cincy has turned out at multiple protests alongside working class people in Cincinnati to oppose the Trump administration and its policies. In the past week alone, DSA Cincy members have shown out in solidarity to a protest by the organization 50501 on March 4th, an action by UC workers on March 7th, an event for International Working Women's Day on March 8th, and a protest to oppose white supremacy on March 9th. DSA has spoken and/or tabled at all these events, built strong relationships with organizers across our city, and have made sure to continue circulating our petition to protect immigrant and trans communities in Cincinnati. Needless to say, it's been a busy time for the chapter!

We're going to continue to be part of the fight for a better world. Democratic socialists are ready to fight for a socialist future, and for a movement that can defeat the forces of billionaires and fascists we've seen coalesce in this administration. We hope to see you join the fight with us at some of the opportunities we've got ahead of us. And, please sign our petition to show Cincinnati is ready to fight back as well!

Comrade, sign on to our petition

• Our regular general meeting is this Sunday, March 23rd 2 PM, at the Downtown Library, the address of which is 800 Vine Street. Join us in the 3 South Huenefeld Tower Suite! Childcare will also be provided. RSVP for the general meeting here!
• Are you a tenant nervous your landlord will find a reason to take away your security deposit? Our Community Support and Direct Action Working Group is holding an information session called Tips and Tricks to Get Your Deposit Back this Friday, March 14th 6:00 PM, at 4216 Montgomery Road in Norwood.
• DSA Cincy is hosting a movie night with Topia Coffee Cooperative! Join us for a showing of Judas and the Black Messiah this Saturday, March 15th at 6:00 PM, at Topia Coffee Cooperative! Space is limited to just 20 people, so make sure to RSVP above so your spot is reserved!
• Worried what to do if ICE raids your workplace? Join DSA Cincy's Labor Working Group for a training session on what to do in just such a scenario. Trainings will be hosted at multiple times to fit different work schedules, all at the Newport Library at 901 E 6th St. Time slots include:
  • Monday, March 17th at 10:00 AM
  • Thursday, March 20th at 6:30 PM
  • Saturday, March 22nd at 4:00 PM

The Antonio Gramsci Reader: Selected Writings 1916-1935

We need to free ourselves from the habit of seeing culture as encyclopedia knowledge, and men as mere receptacles to be stuffed full of empirical data and a mass of unconnected raw facts, which have to be filed in the brain as in the columns of a dictionary, enabling their owner to respond to the various stimuli from the outside world. This form of culture really is harmful, particularly for the proletariat. It serves only to create maladjusted people, people who believe they are superior to the rest of humanity because they have memorized a certain number of facts and dates and who rattle them off at every opportunity, so turning them almost into a barrier between themselves and others.

-Antonio Gramsci

The right to unionize is protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA, also known as the Wagner Act).

The post What is the NLRA? appeared first on EWOC.

North New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America (NNJ DSA) condemns in the strongest possible terms the flagrantly illegal abduction by ICE of recent Columbia University graduate and green card holder, Mahmoud Khalil, from his university housing. Furthermore, we demand his immediate release. 

Mahmoud was targeted for his leadership in the movement for Palestinian liberation, a movement which imperialist elites of both the Democratic and Republican parties have ruthlessly targeted.This response to punish student protests is a clear sign that the Trump administration is continuing down the road of fascism. 

Early news reports stated that Mahmoud was taken to Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC), although it is currently unclear where ICE has taken him. EDC, a notorious private prison operated by Core Civic, should by all rights be closed. The state of New Jersey passed a law prohibiting ICE detention in the state and closed three of its four immigrant detention centers after a massive popular uprising against ICE in which DSA played a significant role. 

Two facts are laid bare by ICE’s actions:

1. The distinction between a person who is in the United States legally, and a person who is not, is a political one, not a matter of procedure or of following the rules. Anyone who poses a challenge to the regime can be made ‘illegal’ at the convenience of the ruling class.
2. The struggle for freedom for immigrants in the United States and the struggle for freedom of Palestinians in their own land are interconnected. As long as we fail to see that we are fighting against one unified army of reaction, we will not be able to advance a single inch.

NNJ DSA is committed to finishing the job and closing all immigrant detention centers in the state. We are further committed to resisting ICE and supporting our immigrant neighbors during this crackdown and in the future. We unequivocally and unapologetically support the movement for Palestinian liberation and will  fight the continued persecution of Palestinian solidarity. 

Freedom for Mahmoud!

Freedom for Palestine!

Abolish ICE!

Solidarity forever!

sbobet

data.txt

slot depo 5k

sbobet

sbobet slot depo 5k depo 10 bonus 20 slot depo 10k depo 25 bonus 25 depo 20 bonus 20 depo 50 bonus 50 depo 10k link alternatif sbobet sbobet wap mix parlay agen sbobet depo 30 bonus 30 mix parlay 88 depo 20 bonus 30

sbobet slot-depo-5k depo-10-bonus-20 slot-depo-10k depo-25-bonus-25 depo-20-bonus-20 depo-50-bonus-50 depo-10k link-alternatif-sbobet sbobet-wap mix-parlay agen-sbobet depo-30-bonus-30 mix-parlay-88 depo-20-bonus-30

alo789 mb66 bongdaso66 fabet vf555 aog777 bet168 tp88 viva88 333win suncity888 sumvip ev88 by88 999bet dooball66 w69 ufa191 gb69 panama888 tiger711 lsm44 dafabet sbfplay99 m168 zbet911 ufaland davin888 winner55 myplay168

The post Statement Regarding the Abduction of Mahmoud Khalil first appeared on North NJ DSA.

Let’s celebrate and pay tribute to International Women’s Day — a day of resistance, formed by the militant struggles of working-class women. From the 1909 garment workers’ strike in New York to the Petrograd protests that ignited the Russian Revolution, International Women’s Day has always been a call to action against exploitation and oppression. Now, as reactionary forces try to erase the successes of this radical history by dismantling our hard-won rights, we must reclaim its true spirit in the ongoing fight for socialism.

The revolutionary origins of International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) has its roots in the struggle of working-class women. In 1909, 20,000 female garment workers, the majority young immigrants, staged a mass strike in New York City, demanding better wages and safer working conditions. This collective action inspired the Socialist Party of America to declare February 28, 1909, as the first “National Women’s Day,” and committed the Party to the demand for women’s suffrage.

A year later, at the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference, German socialist Clara Zetkin proposed an annual, global day of action, an “International Working Women’s Day”. This was first observed March 19, 1911, with mass demonstrations across Europe, where women demanded the right to vote and for social security for mother and child, including maternity leave and health insurance.

The significance of March 8 was cemented in 1917, when Russian women textile workers in Petrograd took to the streets demanding “bread and peace.” This became the catalyst for the movement leading to the October Revolution, and in 1921, the Second International Conference of Communist Women officially declared March 8 as International Women’s Day; a date finally adopted by the United States in 1994 thanks to a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles).

International Women’s Day is now celebrated worldwide, a testament to the revolutionary potential of working women and their fight for liberation. Unlike bourgeois feminists that seek reforms within capitalism, as socialists we view International Women’s Day as part of the broader struggle to overthrow capitalism itself, and the abolition of both wage slavery and domestic oppression through the socialization of education and care work.

The struggle continues

Women remain at the forefront of the anti-capitalist struggle, resisting the ruling class’s attempts to maintain power through culture wars and the marginalization of vulnerable communities. 

It’s clear that neither the Democratic nor Republican Party are in the struggle for women’s liberation. Since 2020, both Democratic and Republican administrations have seen over 1,500 anti-trans bills introduced nationwide. Trans women face ongoing attacks on their health, safety, and well-being, including restrictions on sports participation, travel, and access to gender-affirming care. The Supreme Court’s striking down of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, during the Biden administration, came after a deliberate multi-decade campaign of negligence by the Democratic Party. We can see what the Republicans accomplish when they hold 50 senate seats, but when the Democrats under Barack Obama held 59? Nothing. When you strip away all their cynical rhetoric, we see the predictable result of Obama’s choice was a severe blow to reproductive justice and bodily autonomy. In so doing, Democrats collaborated in removing federal abortion protections and in leaving marginalized communities even more vulnerable. And once again, Trump’s current cruel and harsh immigration policies disproportionately harm women and children.

Though these attacks often claim to protect “women’s rights,” the same forces restrict bodily autonomy, deny abortion access, and deny the rights of trans people to exist, all while ignoring domestic abuse and sexual violence in a capitalist system in crisis.

As socialists, we know this struggle is part of a larger fight — not just for women’s rights, but for the liberation of all people from the chains of capitalism. Winning women’s liberation requires unity among people of all genders, and the fight for gender equality is not solely women’s responsibility; it serves the interests of the entire working class. Everyone, regardless of gender, must actively participate by keeping these issues central in our organizing, discussions, and education. And we must resist the ruling class’s divisive tactics, meant to pit men against women, in our fight for collective freedom.

Further Reading

As the far-right seeks to erase history and liberals water down the legacy of progressive and socialist movements in the U.S., it is crucial we honor and elevate the contributions of women in the fight for justice. In the face of efforts to dismantle hard-won rights for women and gender-diverse people, restrict bodily autonomy, and erase the contributions of Black women and other women of color, we wanted to share this reading list curated by Lux Magazine and the DSA AfroSocialist and Socialists of Color Caucus for their Socialist Legacy of Black Feminism course.

WEEK 1 

1. Introduction to How We Get Free Black Feminism and The Combahee River Collective (2012) edited and Introduced by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
2. “Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s Ideas, Unifying Socialist and Identity Politics, Are Suddenly in the Spotlight” (2021) by E. Tammy Kim in Lux Magazine
3. “Mapping Gender in African American Political Strategies” by Leith Mullings in The Socialist Feminist Project: A Contemporary Reader in Theory and Politics

WEEK 2

1. “Identity Politics and Class Struggle” (Abridged) (1997) by Robin D. G. Kelley in New Politics
2. The Master‘s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master‘s House (1979) by Audre Lorde
3. “Nothing Short of Liberation” (2015) by Khury Petersen-Smith and Brian Bean in Jacobin
4. “Looting for Our Lives” (2021) by Marian Jones in Lux Magazine 

SUGGESTED READINGS

• “A History of Black American Feminism” from Black Feminist Politics from Kennedy to Clinton by Duchess Harris
• Claudia Jones and Ending the Neglect of Black Women
• “The Two Faces of Kamala Harris” (2017) by Branko Marcetic in Jacobin
• “No Time for Despair” (2017) by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor in Jacobin 
• “Sisterhood: Political Solidarity Among Women”​ Chapter 4 of Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984) by bell hooks
• “Intersectionality and Marxism: a Critical Historiography” (2018) by Ashley J. Bohrer in Historical Materialism Issue 26(2): Identity Politics
• “Unite and Rebel: Challenges and Strategies in Building Alliances” (2006) by Elizabeth (Betita) Martínez in Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology
• Coalition Building Among People of Color: A Discussion with Angela Y. Davis and Elizabeth Martinez (1994)