February

Hi John,

We made it through the longest year that was January! We had a great first General Meeting, or GM, of 2025 where we voted on restructuring our 2SLGBTQIA+ Committee to a more flexible Working Group to better provide what our queer comrades are looking for right now, and our Little Lefty Library which is an amazing collection of books, zines, graphic novels, etc. all with the goal of furthering our chapter's political education and knowledge. Currently the Library is open for members to check out books during planned meetings or events. Check out our amazing book list here.

Steering Committee hosted it's first Organizing 101 meeting, where we discussed the difference between mobilizing activism and long-term strategic organizing. We plan to offer more 101 political & organizing educational meetings as well as community-based socials. Keep an eye out for those! Here is a short video from  Kwame Ture about mobilizing versus organizing. 

Building a socialist community means working hard and playing hard.

Recently, chapter members attended Mass MoCA's Free Day together to spend some time enjoying art and hanging out together. We had two mini members come with their parents', which was a bundle of energy and imagination! The group explored exhibitions such as Road to Hybridadad by Osman Kahn, and the fire next time by Steve Locke, both of which felt poignant as a bunch of socialists experienced them! A few members also attended "The Fire Next Time, ANAÏS DUPLAN READS JAMES BALDWIN" which was a wonderful event where An Duplan, a poet and professor at Bennington College, read excerpts from Baldwin's seminal work.

• Palestine from the Perspective of Civil Rights & Black Power Activists (Virtual) - 02/04/25, 6:30pm - Black History Month is a perfect time to think deeply about what solidarity and liberation look like across different struggles. Join Berkshires DSA on Tuesday, February 4th at 6:30pm for a reading and discussion of this topic from the Zinn Education Project. REGISTER HERE.
  
• Group Red & Discussion: How Fascism Works (Virtual) - 02/23/25, 11:00am - Comrades will be diving into "How Fascism Works"by Jason Stanley using historical references and we'll have an open discussion about how to combat fascism. Registration form to follow.
• Labor Book Club: Joyful Militancy (Virtual) - 03/20/25, 7:30pm - Join Western Mass Area Labor Federation's Education Committee and Berkshires DSA's Labor Working Group for their reading and discussion of "Joyful Militancy: Building Thriving Resistance in Toxic Times" by carla bergman and Nick Montgomery. REGISTER HERE.
• Presentation by Western MA ACLU Immigrant Protection Project Coordinator (In Person) - 02/10/25, 7:00pm - Greylock Together is hosting this presentation at Williamstown First Congregational Church Community Room on Monday, Feb. 10 at 7pm. Javier Luengo-Garrido will speak on ACLU's work in western MA protecting civil rights & civil liberties under threat of pending action of new presidential administration. 

We know that the current political and social events are a culmination of the rot of capitalism and the bloat of the oligarchy. Our chapter has been working on two Commissions focusing on vulnerable populations, and we are committed to being active in protecting our neighbors, friends, family, and comrades. Check out some direct ways to support our community members.

• Check out WANDER, a beautiful trans-owned cafe & community space in downtown Pittsfield with a coffee/tea/kombucha bar, homemade pastries, and cozy nooks to tuck away in. And for my Berkshire townies, they even have a Berkshire Mall food court table!
• Know Your Rights and resources from Berkshire Immigrant Center is an important thing to read up on, regardless of your status. The more of us that know the law means the less that ICE can violate those rights.
• Tell Governor Healy that we want MA to be/stay a "sanctuary state"!
• Support Invisible Kids Academy from the Congo. From the co-director: "The Academy is found in central Africa in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the CONGO (DRC), North Kivu province, City of Goma. It is an academy that guides orphans in the social areas of art, music, and dance and helps them get a good education." Currently, Goma is the hotspot for aggressive fighting.

I have taken a very common road to socialism, one wrought with grappling with my values, my upbringing, and my religion. I am thankful for the people who have helped me, and those who have left me to continue onward without them; both of these kinds of people allow you to keep going! 

Now, as I am learning to organize I am also learning to step into the unknown. I am learning more about the Berkshires and western MA despite living here most of my life, about the passionate left who sometimes refuse to compromise to the detriment of their own progress, and about how wide the divide is regarding SRA. 😂 I am so grateful to all of you and I know we will continue to learn how to survive and how to take care of each other. I'd like to pass on this Substack by JM Heatherly Resist Burnout: Care, Coping, and Wellness in Dark Times. If this topic does not feel right for you, please skip it - wellness and Whiteness can miss the mark when it comes to "self care". 

And of course, I cannot leave you without something funny!

With rugged hope,

Heidi