Events

RESCHEDULED FROM MAY 10 TO MAY 13. Welcome to the Jane McAlevey Reading Group! We are reading through Raising Expectations, a chapter at a time. Please acquire the book if you have not already done so. We will be discussing chapters 11 through to the end of the book. If we have time, we also have some supplementary material to look at, provided to us by Steph:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ge_2pGXigaWEiB8qhnmE8yY1F7C7dlpO/view?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQGtIuNGJsN7p2WL4-mDuYcCDYSVwNj40dioPc9lZs-lWa2Dybn_9snGoFyeK2g5jlLMZJqdW8xJFk3/pub

In this group, we will be discussing In Defense of Housing: The Politics of Crisis, by Peter Marcuse and David Madden. It explores the historical and structural roots of the current housing crisis, as well as laying out the psychology of tenancy and homeownership. It also provides strategic advice for how to think about the steps required to solve this crisis. For this meeting, we will be discussing chapter 4. More limited facilitation notes will be provided this time, as a change of pace.

Join Pittsburgh DSA for our May General Meeting! At 6 PM there will be a Potluck and social hour before the meeting business starts at 7:00. Bring friends and family who want some free food and drinks.

Once the meeting gets going we will have committee report backs, a political education segment, and discussion over any business brought to the chapter internally and externally.

After the meeting ends there will be a post-meeting hangout at the Evergreen Café (7330 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15208)

This meeting will be hybrid--the in-person portion will be at Community Forge, 1256 Franklin Ave., Wilkinsburg, PA 15221. To access the virtual portion, RSVP for the Zoom login!

The War at Home (1979) follows the anti-war movement in Madison, Wisconsin from 1963-1978. Using a combination of on-camera interviews (with student activists, politicians, a police chief, and more) news footage, and other first hand sources, it chronicles the steady escalation of tactics by both students and the state as the war raged on. For those who are unacquainted with the era (and even those who are), its shocking parallels and lessons for the moment we now find ourselves are not to be underestimated. Be sure not to miss this film screening if you can. We will also have Carl Davidson, a notable member of the SDS and a participant in the Anti-War movement, come to speak with us. Food will be provided if I'm not too broke to buy it.

RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuq4Z1cJr16WnKN7GUZY31W24o07JHbimCQlzKKf7J3hA5GQ/viewform

Ever wanted to learn about how to organize a powerful campaign to demand change and build the consciousness and organization of the poor and working class? Ever tried to do this, but hit some challenges along the way? Us too! (Because it's really hard to do -- if it were easy we would already have the world we deserve!)

Join us for this 4 session series to dive into strategy, planning, and tactics of organizing a powerful pressure campaign around an issue or policy.  We will draw on historical and more recent examples to pull out important lessons and ongoing challenges. 

This is not an organizing 101 class, but everyone is welcome! There will be some homework, but we know everyone is busy so not too much. The content will be geared to folks with some experience participating campaigns who are interested in stepping up to lead them and even folks who have led past efforts but want to engage in collective study and reflection together as we build this movement together.  

Class Dates:

• Wednesday, May 8th, 6-8pm - Hybrid, In-person at Community Forge & Zoom

• Wednesday, May 22nd, 6-8pm - Remote over Zoom only

• Wednesday, June 5th, 6-8pm - Remote over Zoom only

• Wednesday, June 12th, 6-8pm - Hybrid, In-person at Community Forge & Zoom