Calendar
Join Catalyst for a day-long workshop on understanding race and the 2020 elections – what’s at stake and what we can do about it.
* Are you struggling to figure out how to engage in the 2020 elections?
* Are you wanting to understand the importance of the 2020 election, rooted in longer-term racial justice movements?
* Are you looking to connect with local organizations and other people doing electoral work with a long-term vision?
* Do you want to feel inspired to go out and beat white supremacy at the ballot box and beyond?
Co-hosted by Bay Resistance, San Francisco Rising Action Fund, and The Center for Political Education
Do you have a goal to clear debt, start a business, and/or enhance your quality of life? Do you face barriers to loans from traditional financial institutions? Want to improve your credit score? Ever heard of a lending circle? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the East Oakland SuSu Lending Circle Program is just for you!
Join us for an orientation to learn exactly how East Oakland SuSu Lending Circle Program works.
*Light refreshments provided.
*Ages 18+ welcome.
*Facilities are wheelchair accessible.
ABOUT
The East Oakland SuSu Lending Circle Program is a self-help tool connecting East Oakland residents of color, particularly Black low and middle income individuals who fall between 30-80% of the area AMI and small business owners to collectively pool monetary resources for personal and group economic advancement. The program offers individuals a 0% interest savings loan combined with free monthly financial empowerment workshops and resources to expand participant financial awareness in personal budgeting, debt management, first time home ownership, and small business incubation. Typical monthly payments range between $50-$200 over 6-12 months. We encourage participants to save within our three savings tracks: business development, debt management, and a better quality of life. Using culturally relevant and traditional practices stemming from West Africa and the Caribbean, the SuSu program is also designed to establish a culturally safe and fun way to build trust in group economics.
WHAT IS SUSU?
Su – Su /‘soōsoō/ – is an informal means of collecting and saving money through a savings club or partnership. This means of saving money is a cultural tradition that is widely used in the Caribbeans, West and East African territories, to name a few.
Thu Feb 20th 6:30pm – 8:00pm MEETING
The East Oakland SuSu Lending Circle Program connects East Oakland residents of color, particularly Black low and middle income individuals who fall between 30-80% of the area medium income (AMI) and small business owners, to collectively pool monetary resources for personal and group economic advancement.
Join the 2020 cohort of the East Oakland SuSu Lending Circle Program to socially lend with your community! In partnership with Esusu, the lending circles are FDIC insured and help boost your credit score.
- Complete the participant questionnaire by February 13, 2020.
- Download the Esusu application.
- Attend the orientation on February 20, 2020, 6:30 PM at EOC’s office @ 7800 MacArthur Blvd.
- Lending starts February 22!
- Attend the monthly workshops– as little or many as you can.
Learn more at eastoaklandcollective.com/econempowerment
This workshop is part of a series of workshops in which we are developing the skills to reduce reliance on policing that is often harmful to our community members.
In this workshop, we’ll work together to identify elements of white supremacy culture and police and law enforcement culture. Then we’ll engage with just transition culture. Finally, we’ll examine the cultures of our own organizations and map them toward a just transition, imagining together some steps in that journey.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Patricia St. Onge is the founder and a Partner at Seven Generations Consulting and Coaching, where all of the work is culturally based. Deeply rooted in the concept of Seven Generations, we honor the generations who have come before us, are mindful of those yet to come, and recognize that the impact of the decisions we’re making now will last for seven generations.
Patricia has worked to support progressive social justice movements for all of her adult life. She’s worked as Executive and Interim Director of more than a dozen non-profits and a contributor to many publications on cultural competence and social change. She is a Board member at the Highlander Research and Education Center.
Of Haudenosaunee (Mohawk) and Quebecoise descent, Patricia is a member of Idle No More and The Peoples’ Nonviolent Response Coalition. Between them, she and her life partner Wilson Riles, have nine grown children and six grandchildren. She is part of a growing community called Nafsi ya Jamii (The Soul Community), an urban farm and retreat center in East Oakland, CA.
ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP SERIES
A growing coalition of organizations in the Bay Area is coming together to explore alternatives to calling the police to our campuses and into our neighborhoods. Over the coming year, we will be offering a series of workshops to explore alternatives to calling the police. Some of these workshops will provide deepening analysis and a grounding in alternative ways of thinking about community safety. Others will provide practical skills. All of them will lift up a transformative justice framework and emphasize the importance of self and community care.
The Coalition includes First Congregational Church of Oakland, Kehilla Community Synagogue, Qal’bu Maryam, Jewish Voice for Peace, Skyline Community Church, Oakland Peace Center, Oakland LBGTQ Community Center, SURJ-Bay Area, the Omni Collective, Berkeley Free Clinic, and PLACE (People Linking Art, Community, and Ecology). We are eager to partner with additional organizations so please contact us if you are interested!
This training will take participants through many of the strategies, tools and considerations of non-violent direct action, including power and privilege, de-escalation, blockades, legal, direct action organizing models, and the opportunity to form affinity groups. This training will be an important place to get plugged into for upcoming actions in late April and beyond.
WHO: Diablo Rising Tide. diablorisingtide@riseup.net
RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/rsvp-non-violent-direct-action-training-on-april-18/
This training will take participants through many of the strategies, tools and considerations of non-violent direct action, including power and privilege, de-escalation, blockades, legal, direct action organizing models, and the opportunity to form affinity groups. This training will be an important place to get plugged into for upcoming actions in late April and beyond.
WHO: Diablo Rising Tide. diablorisingtide@riseup.net
RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/rsvp-non-violent-direct-action-training-on-april-18/
*Specifically for outreach workers and anyone dealing with police and trying to safe on the streets*
Topic: Copwatch Know Your Rights Training
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 839 5062 6113
Password: 804253
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What do we mean when we say "#DefundTheSheriff?" Join us on Saturday for this intro to the Alameda County Budget. #DefundThePolice REGISTER: https://t.co/JCHKQsUETx pic.twitter.com/xktvRSC7bG
— Ella Baker Center (@ellabakercenter) June 18, 2020
EBDSA members have the opportunity to help pass the largest tax increase in history on California’s wealthiest commercial property owners, raising $10-12 billion per year for public education and social services. With the Movement for Black Lives uprising deepening into the call for defunding the police, it will be necessary to expand revenues required to build alternative, sustainable public services, and practices. Progressive taxation—especially taxing the rich—is an essential path to accomplish that goal. “Schools and Communities First” (SCF), on the November 3 ballot, is backed by labor and opposed by the most reactionary sectors of capital.
A three-part education series will provide background for EBDSA participation in the campaign. Part I reviews the story of austerity politics and increasing inequality in California with Prop 13—which SCF proposes to reform—from 1978 to the present. Part II looks at the history of public-sector unionism and how a left-wing labor-community coalition won Prop 30, a ‘tax the rich’ ballot measure, in 2012. Part III will supply an overview of the SCF campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively. Biweekly on ZOOM, beginning Monday, June 29, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for EBDSA Labor Committee.
Where: Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81851574731?pwd=Y1RITkRZQjZPSFRvQmxoMENXeXpGUT09
Join the Gray Panthers.
Alex Werth from East Bay Housing Organizations will discuss “Eviction Moratoriums 101” – a presentation on the status of renter protections in Alameda County, Berkeley, and Oakland. Slides available with q and a.
If you knew Margy Wilkinson, who died Saturday night, we will take a little time to remember her.
As time permits, we will conclude with member concerns, and action opportunities, including Berkeley Tenants Convention Online candidates forum July 5
To join Gray Panthers Zoom Meeting
Time: July 1, Wednesday 1:30 — This is a recurring meeting most Wednesday’s
For Zoom online:
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Meeting ID: 510 842 6224
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Meeting ID: 510 842 6224
Other announcements and updates will follow as time permits.
Memory of Margy Wilkinson of Friends of Adeline
Want to know more about OPD’s share of the Oakland budget? Want to learn about the history of APTP’s Defund OPD campaign?
Register for our Defund OPD Teach-In at https://t.co/yGOmYamK7D#defundopd #defundpolice pic.twitter.com/IaMyT2XcUm
— Defund OPD (@DefundOPD) July 3, 2020
***>> EMAIL STRIKE.DEBT.BAY.AREA@GMAIL.COM FOR ZOOM INFO A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. <<***
Strike Debt Bay Area hosts a non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included Doughnut Economics, Limits, Banking on the People, Capital and Its Discontents, and How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century.
For our July, August and September discussions we will be reading ‘The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy’ by Stephanie Kelton. (Find it at your local bookstore or through this site.)
For July, we will have read the first two chapters.
For August, we will have read chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6,
For September, chapters 7 and 8.
The book is easy reading, and it would be easy to catch up. Join us – all are welcome!
Stephanie Kelton’s brilliant exploration of modern monetary theory (MMT) dramatically changes our understanding of how we can best deal with crucial issues ranging from poverty and inequality to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, climate change, and building resilient infrastructure. Any ambitious proposal, however, inevitably runs into the buzz saw of how to find the money to pay for it, rooted in myths about deficits that are hobbling us as a country.
Kelton was chief economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee (minority staff) and an advisor to the Bernie2016 presidential campaign. Kelton is a regular commentator on national radio and television and speaks across the world at large gatherings of people interested in global finance, political economy and public policy. She has superb connections in all areas of print and broadcast national media. Her op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg.
For July, we will also have read two shorter pieces, following up on themes we have taken up in previous readings:
- The Neoliberal Era is Ending – What Comes Next? by Rutger Bregman
- From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Caring.
EBDSA members have the opportunity to help pass the largest tax increase in history on California’s wealthiest commercial property owners, raising $10-12 billion per year for public education and social services. With the Movement for Black Lives uprising deepening into the call for defunding the police, it will be necessary to expand revenues required to build alternative, sustainable public services, and practices. Progressive taxation—especially taxing the rich—is an essential path to accomplish that goal. “Schools and Communities First” (SCF), on the November 3 ballot, is backed by labor and opposed by the most reactionary sectors of capital.
A three-part education series will provide background for EBDSA participation in the campaign. Part I reviews the story of austerity politics and increasing inequality in California with Prop 13—which SCF proposes to reform—from 1978 to the present. Part II looks at the history of public-sector unionism and how a left-wing labor-community coalition won Prop 30, a ‘tax the rich’ ballot measure, in 2012. Part III will supply an overview of the SCF campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively. Biweekly on ZOOM, beginning Monday, June 29, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for EBDSA Labor Committee.
Where: Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81851574731?pwd=Y1RITkRZQjZPSFRvQmxoMENXeXpGUT09
Join Berkeley Copwatch!
Register today for our new Berkeley Copwatch Volunteer Training 2020!
If you’ve been looking for a way to plug into the movement that is happening NOW, this could be what you’re looking for.
Topics Include:
1. Know Your Rights
2. How to Film Police
3. Shift Procedures
4. Overview of Berkeley Municipal Codes
5. De-Escalation Techniques
and much more!
Think globally, ACT LOCALLY!
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcuceysrj0uGNaFx1Bb7m9SXbOVALR6vFrl
DONATE NOW!
EBDSA members have the opportunity to help pass the largest tax increase in history on California’s wealthiest commercial property owners, raising $10-12 billion per year for public education and social services. With the Movement for Black Lives uprising deepening into the call for defunding the police, it will be necessary to expand revenues required to build alternative, sustainable public services, and practices. Progressive taxation—especially taxing the rich—is an essential path to accomplish that goal. “Schools and Communities First” (SCF), on the November 3 ballot, is backed by labor and opposed by the most reactionary sectors of capital.
A three-part education series will provide background for EBDSA participation in the campaign. Part I reviews the story of austerity politics and increasing inequality in California with Prop 13—which SCF proposes to reform—from 1978 to the present. Part II looks at the history of public-sector unionism and how a left-wing labor-community coalition won Prop 30, a ‘tax the rich’ ballot measure, in 2012. Part III will supply an overview of the SCF campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively. Biweekly on ZOOM, beginning Monday, June 29, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for EBDSA Labor Committee.
Where: Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81851574731?pwd=Y1RITkRZQjZPSFRvQmxoMENXeXpGUT09
***>> EMAIL STRIKE.DEBT.BAY.AREA@GMAIL.COM FOR ZOOM INFO A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. <<***
Strike Debt Bay Area hosts a non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included Doughnut Economics, Limits, Banking on the People, Capital and Its Discontents, and How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century.
For our July, August and September discussions we will be reading ‘The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy’ by Stephanie Kelton. (Find it at your local bookstore or through this site.)
For July, we will have read the first two chapters.
For August, we will have read chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6,
For September, chapters 7 and 8.
The book is easy reading, and it would be easy to catch up. Join us – all are welcome!
Stephanie Kelton’s brilliant exploration of modern monetary theory (MMT) dramatically changes our understanding of how we can best deal with crucial issues ranging from poverty and inequality to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, climate change, and building resilient infrastructure. Any ambitious proposal, however, inevitably runs into the buzz saw of how to find the money to pay for it, rooted in myths about deficits that are hobbling us as a country.
Kelton was chief economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee (minority staff) and an advisor to the Bernie2016 presidential campaign. Kelton is a regular commentator on national radio and television and speaks across the world at large gatherings of people interested in global finance, political economy and public policy. She has superb connections in all areas of print and broadcast national media. Her op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg.
For July, we will also have read two shorter pieces, following up on themes we have taken up in previous readings:
- The Neoliberal Era is Ending – What Comes Next? by Rutger Bregman
- From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Caring.
Learn about why a for-profit PG&E will never work for the people or the planet and be a part of winning a Community-owned, Community-controlled PG&E.
Where: Zoom: RSVP for link for 8/19
The Political Education Committee is proud to invite you to East Bay DSA’s Socialist Day School on Saturday and Sunday, August 29-30!
A lot has happened this year, from Bernie failing to win the nomination, to the economic and health disasters triggered by coronavirus, to the mass mobilization against the structural racism perpetuated by police violence. Discussion and debate of our strategies and tactics are crucial–now more than ever! The moment demands that we seriously engage with strategic debates and that we look critically at the theory which guides us.
We have designed a weekend-long event to ensure that we have the tools to do so. The weekend will focus on two topics: Electoral Politics and Mass Movements in America, and Socialist Anti-Racism & Mass Uprisings. Attendees will engage in free-form discussion on a set of readings that cover key debates, sharing and comparing their thoughts in an effort to develop a more solid understanding of strategy and theory, both as individuals and as a chapter.
It is evident that we now face a situation that requires rigorous analysis and critical understanding. So join us as we rise to the occasion!
Find the readings here: https://tinyurl.com/DaySchoolReadings
To register for this event please fill out this registration form.
Day 2 Sunday, August 30th: https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1427/2020-08-30-socialist-day-school-day-2/
The Political Education Committee is proud to invite you to East Bay DSA’s Socialist Day School on Saturday and Sunday, August 29-30!
A lot has happened this year, from Bernie failing to win the nomination, to the economic and health disasters triggered by coronavirus, to the mass mobilization against the structural racism perpetuated by police violence. Discussion and debate of our strategies and tactics are crucial–now more than ever! The moment demands that we seriously engage with strategic debates and that we look critically at the theory which guides us.
We have designed a weekend-long event to ensure that we have the tools to do so. The weekend will focus on two topics: Electoral Politics and Mass Movements in America, and Socialist Anti-Racism & Mass Uprisings. Attendees will engage in free-form discussion on a set of readings that cover key debates, sharing and comparing their thoughts in an effort to develop a more solid understanding of strategy and theory, both as individuals and as a chapter.
It is evident that we now face a situation that requires rigorous analysis and critical understanding. So join us as we rise to the occasion!
Find the readings here: https://tinyurl.com/DaySchoolReadings
To register for this event please fill out this registration form.
Day 2 Sunday, August 30th: https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1427/2020-08-30-socialist-day-school-day-2/
***>> EMAIL STRIKE.DEBT.BAY.AREA@GMAIL.COM FOR ZOOM INFO A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING. <<***
Strike Debt Bay Area hosts a non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Previous readings have included Doughnut Economics, Limits, Banking on the People, Capital and Its Discontents, and How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century.
For our July, August and September discussions we will be reading ‘The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy’ by Stephanie Kelton. (Find it at your local bookstore or through this site.)
For July, we will have read the first two chapters.
For August, we will have read chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6,
For September, chapters 7 and 8.
The book is easy reading, and it would be easy to catch up. Join us – all are welcome!
Stephanie Kelton’s brilliant exploration of modern monetary theory (MMT) dramatically changes our understanding of how we can best deal with crucial issues ranging from poverty and inequality to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, climate change, and building resilient infrastructure. Any ambitious proposal, however, inevitably runs into the buzz saw of how to find the money to pay for it, rooted in myths about deficits that are hobbling us as a country.
Kelton was chief economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee (minority staff) and an advisor to the Bernie2016 presidential campaign. Kelton is a regular commentator on national radio and television and speaks across the world at large gatherings of people interested in global finance, political economy and public policy. She has superb connections in all areas of print and broadcast national media. Her op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg.
For July, we will also have read two shorter pieces, following up on themes we have taken up in previous readings:
- The Neoliberal Era is Ending – What Comes Next? by Rutger Bregman
- From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Caring.