Podcasts about chicago dsa

BrownTown continues to dialogue about the relationship between electoral and radical politics with Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Alderperson-elect Jessie Fuentes. With the historic 2023 Chicago municipal elections in the rearview, the team situates what this never-before-seen cohort of socialist and progressive alderpeople and new mayor means in terms of the city's social movements and political history. If electoralism is a mere tool in the toolbox in the work towards collective liberation, what potential does this new energy from Chicago's Left have to facilitate the conditions for political and social transformation?In this fourth installment, BrownTown and the alders discus everything from the decades-long history of mayors and movement, voter turnout, the power of relationships in organizing, to pop culture-saavy internet memes. We've witnessed the number of socialist and progressive alders grow exponentially from 2015 to 2019 to 2023. As insiders, Byron and Jessie share about going from movement to municipal government while all four unpack the nuances of sustaining a liberatory praxis in relationship to the state apparatus. Originally recorded April 6, 2023, two days after the municipal run-off elections. GUESTSAlderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) came to the US alone as a teenager where he found care in teachers, coaches, and community members who gave him shelter, guidance, taught him English, and a pathway to a good education. He eventually settled in Pilsen, a historic immigrant working class neighborhood in Chicago, and worked as an adult education teacher, founding the bilingual adult education program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Byron became politically active when he successfully lead community efforts to keep a neighborhood public school open after then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel attempted to close it. Later, he served as the Director of the Pilsen Alliance and co-founding the campaign to Lift the Ban on rent control in Illinois. As alderman, Byron was the Chief Sponsor of an ordinance to curtail harassment of homeowners who have been targeted by predatory developers. He is a member of the Chicago DSA. Byron holds a BS in Mathematics and Business Administration, an MS in Economics, and is currently a PhD candidate in Urban Education Policy. Follow Byron on Facebook (political), Instagram (personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up to date with his City Council work and 25th ward services at 25thward.org.Alderperson-elect Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) is a queer Latina grassroots organizer, educator, and public policy advocate with over a decade of experience in education, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, community development and sustainability. A child of Humboldt Park and a seasoned organizer, Jessie's lived experience overcoming poverty, violence and generational trauma, coupled with her professional accomplishments, prepared her to serve the residents of the 26th Ward. Through personal resilience, community support, and restorative justice she was able to turn her most challenging life experiences into tools to uplift others facing similar life circumstances. Jessie sees her new role in City Council as a message to young people that transformation and change are possible and that one's life circumstances do not dictate their destiny. Follow Jessie on Facebook (personal, political), Instagram (personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up to date with her upcoming City Council work at Jessiefor26thward.com. Mentioned or alluded to in episode:Previous installments: (1.0 with Camille Williams (2018), 2.0 with Ald. Maria Hadden (pre-COVID 2020), 3.0 with Stephanie Skora (fall 2020))Chicago's Progressive Alderpeople Retain Seats, Look To Expand Influence On City Council — And Even Mayor's Race (Block Club Chi)Caullen's election Instagram highlights -- memes and commentary :)Commentary | An appeal to Chicago's Black voters: don't fear your liberation by Damon Williams (TRiiBE)The Revolutionary Column | The War on Gangs stunted our growth by Bella BAHHS (TRiiBE)Midwest Socialist Article on 2023 Municipal Elections by Chris O.Brandon Johnson's Ground Game Defeats Obama Machine in Chicago by Luke Goldstein (The American Prospect)Election Night Coverage: Morgan Elise-Johnson (of the TRiiBE) on WTTWEve Ewing's Instagram post on electoralism and movementBenji Hart's Twitter post -- election highlights and reflective thoughtsEpisode Note: Byron SIGCHO-Lopez is NOT RAYMOND Lopez, despite what David may say... Opinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen, Byron, and Jessie as individuals, not their organizations or places of work.--CREDITS: Intro soundbite from Brandon Johnson's April 4, 2023 mayoral election victory speech. Outro song Chi City by Common. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles. Episode photo by Davon Clark.--Bourbon 'n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

Starting late last year in Buffalo, NY, a union wave has spread all over the country as workers at an ever-increasing number of Starbucks coffee shops are getting organized and making demands on their boss and on the multi-national corporation that employs them. This movement is gaining speed every day - and to help us understand what's going on from a worker perspective, we're joined live in the studio by James, a worker-organizer with Starbucks Workers United in Buffalo. Another national movement is mobilizing to defend access to abortion as the right-wing assault on this fundamental right continues to escalate. With landmark legislation Roe V. Wade on the verge of being rolled back, socialists are continuing to organize for grassroots solutions to this national crisis that center anti-racism, abolition, and a no-holds-barred approach to guaranteeing access to safe abortion. We'll hear from Ali of Chicago DSA and Chicago for Abortion on this crucial struggle. On this show, Jack makes a brief announcement about the New Deal for CUNY. Learn more and get involved at bit.ly/action-nd4c. Find a local abortion fund to support if you can: https://abortionfunds.org/funds/ Follow along with James and the Starbucks partners at @SBWorkersUnited. Current Starbucks partners can email sbworkersunited@gmail.com to get connected to an organizer. This episode is dedicated to the memory of our NYC-DSA comrade, Alex Z. 

Adwoa Agyepong (organizer with #DefundCPD, Chicago AfroSOC, and Chicago DSA) shares the Ghanaian pop music she'd have play at her funeral, her perfectly relivable memory of drinking sunset mimosas in New Orleans, and a good old-fashioned self-acceptance journey from being the person she hated the most to the person she loves the most. This episode is wholesome, warm, and inviting, just like Adwoa! Check out Adwoa's extended episode at https://www.patreon.com/davemaher (patreon.com/davemaher). Transcript: https://app.podscribe.ai/series/1246109 (This Is Your Afterlife on Podscribe) --- Adwoa would love you to read and sign these petitions! https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/cancel-shotspotter-and-support-community-led-solutions-to-address-gun-violence-in-chicago?source=direct_link (Cancel ShotSpotter and support community-led solutions to address gun violence in Chicago) https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/pass-the-peace-book-ordinance-now (Pass the Peace Book ordinance now!) (Peace Book = "a restorative justice centered violence prevention ordinance") Follow me @thisisdavemaher on https://www.instagram.com/thisisdavemaher/ (Instagram) and https://twitter.com/ThisIsDaveMaher (Twitter), and subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Hella Immaculate, at http://thisisdavemaher.com/ (thisisdavemaher.com). --- Intro Song = Future: "Use Me" Transitional Music = James Blackshaw: "The Cloud of Unknowing" Outro Song = Johnnie Frierson: "Miracles" Support this podcast

GUESTBettina Johnson is a Chicago born and raised abolitionist organizer, Co-founder and current Steering Committee member of Liberation Library and on the Steering Committee for the AfroSocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). She is also on the Steering Committee of Chicago DSA’s #DefundCPD Campaign, and Co-lead for the Training Committee of the Black Abolitionist Network-steered #DefundCPD CampaignOVERVIEWBrownTown invites Bettina Johnson to talk all things #DefundCPD campaign, nuances and strategies for abolitionist organizing, non-hierarchal structures, building responsive institutions, and training the newly politicized.Bettina begins by sharing her journey growing up in Chicago and finding her movement home in various organizations. The gang compares and contrasts their work and thoughts on abolition and broader "defund police" campaigns pre- and post-George Floyd uprisings before digging into the momentum theory of organizing--turning the energy and politicization of highly visible moments into sustainable movements.As Bettina notes, "we need as many people and as many entry points to start that [politicization] process that feels good for people." BrownTown and Bettina discuss various entry points into grassroots work and the non-hierarchal structures and autonomous actions that folks are encouraged to take within more current and common decentralized movements. Near the end of the conversation, the gang gets in the weeds about #DefundCPD in Chicago and other defund campaigns nation-wide naming the specific campaign goals as abolitionist steps and not a reformist reforms. However, they center nuanced inter-movement discussions about the role of "refunding" and what responsive institutions should and could like that that do not re-ify the harm of the prison-industrial complex under a different name.#DefundCPD educated, organized, and mobilized thousands of Chicagoans around the abolitionist demand to defund the Chicago Police Department on the heels of a global uprisings against state violence and white supremacy and for Black lives. Now, a campaign coming out of hibernation in April 2021, what lessons have we learned from 2020? Why is hibernation necessary for movement work? Building upon years, decades, centuries of work, what types of organizing strategies and tactics need we build on or alter in terms of autonomous coalition-building, trust in camaraderie, and exhausting all of our skills in our work towards liberation? Here's their take.--Follow Bettina on Twitter!Follow Liberation Library on their site, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.Follow Chicago's AfroSocialists & Socialists of Color Caucus via Linktree, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.Follow the #DefundCPD campaign via Linktree, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.--CREDITS: Intro/outro song Fuck Tha Police by NWA. Audio engineered by Genta Tamashiro with assistance from Kiera Battles.--Bourbon ’n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Support

This bonus episode features audio from a virtual event on 2/24/21, hosted by Chicago DSA and the DSA AfroSOC caucus in conversation with members of the #StopGeneralIron hunger strike. For the past 27 days, Southeast Side residents have been on a hunger strike to demand the City of Chicago deny the final permit for an environmentally destructive recycling plant owned by General Iron. The hunger strikers are denouncing environmentally racist policies that continue to allow polluting industry to accumulate in Chicago's communities of color. The city has lacked transparency, participation and fairness in its permitting process for the proposed relocation of General Iron. The hunger strikers say they are willing to risk their well-being during a global pandemic to put an end to racist zoning policies that have continued for decades. The proposed site for the massive industrial metal shredder would be next to residential areas, schools, parks, and the Calumet River. Existing pollution threats continue to burden the Southeast Side and residents have continued to express serious concerns about the rushed permitting process that has shut out community feedback. Thanks to the hosts and panelists for letting us share their stories and perspectives on AirGo! SHOW NOTES Come to a socially distant rally at Mayor Lightfoot's house (3325 w Wrightwood Ave) on 3/4/2021 at 5pm! Support the hunger strike by donating to their GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-hunger-strikers-for-environmental-justice Follow the campaign on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CHIhungerstrike

PLANTING THE SEED: Conversations with DSA - Episode II In the second installment of "Planting the Seed," a miniseries exploring the organizing work of Democratic Socialists of America, Aaron (@posadist_trapgd) brings in Kenzo Shibata (@KenzoShibata) of the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago DSA to discuss CTU's efforts to ensure safe conditions for teachers, staff, and students as Chicago's Democratic mayor, Lori Lightfoot, pushes for a reckless re-opening. How does solidarity with one's community aid in organization efforts? What the educators on the frontlines teach us about direct action, mutual aid, and class consciousness? [NOTE: This interview was recorded on 2/5, so some information may not reflect the most recent state of affairs.] Check out Kenzo's podcast/stream, CLASS TIME, on Twitch, Twitter, & Patreon. Donate to the CTU's GoFundMe to provide aid for teachers who have been locked out of their classes. Visit DSAUSA.com for more information on how to get involved with DSA. Suggested Reading: Losing is Part of Fighting by Kenzo Shibata, via Substack (Published on 2/11)

We have a special episode this week! We have uploaded the audio from a recent teach-in hosted by Chicago DSA regarding the ongoing war in Yemen. This was a part of a national DSA action in coordination with chapters across the country. Enjoy! Join DSA! www.dsausa.org/join

Pardon the Ignorance: Brandyn Buchanan (Not Safe for Wonks), Matt Tapia(Midwest Socialist), Will Bloom (Chicago DSA Labor)

On this episode we talk with Jasson from Chicago DSA's Defund Campaign and AfroSOC to talk about anti-racist, abolitionist, and coalition building organizing. For a link to Jasson's original thread click here: https://twitter.com/IolaElla/status/1330923402098581506?s=20

Matt talks with Chicago DSA's Political Education Coordinator Sveta S. on the importance of education in our organizing.

Welp folks, the election is over. The gang sits down to chat with special guest, and modest Election Expert, Ragged Jack about the outcome here in NV, Joe Biden's win, what it means for the left, and what the left should do in the future during a Biden presidency.We mention lacking broad analysis of how local races turned out in terms of Dems retaining, gaining seats, Republicans gaining seats, etc. and here's a decent article get help get you up to speed. Our outro music comes courtesy of Chicago DSA.Special thanks to Blair Dewane of Las Vegas band Rusty Maples for letting us use his song "Little More" as the intro.Email us at: buildpodbetter@gmail.comOur Linktree with links to all our social media

Mike Stephen talks to Lucien Liz-Lapiorz of the Chicago DSA about a new interactive map that shows which landlords own what properties in Chicago, discusses lessons learned from the March primaries with City Bureau reporter Alex Arriaga, and discovers the Secret History of The Resurrection Band.  And in the OTL Wrap Party segment, Mike and Producer Collin reflect on this week's show and discuss the power of using data to change society. The local pandemic tunez come from The Strangelets.

Matt sits down with Robin P., co-chair of Chicago DSA about her recent article at MidwestSocialist.com (https://midwestsocialist.com/2020/08/28/were-comrades-not-coworkers/) about comradeship and taking care of each other in a socialist organization.

I'm "joined" by DSA National Political Committee leaders Kristian Hernandez and Sean Estelle, Chicago DSA leaders Abby Agriesti, Anna Forsher, Leonard Pierce to talk about organizing during quarantine and how we got HOSED by the Billionaire Governor of Illinois, J.B. (Jowly Billionaire) Pritzker.

We sit down with Melinda Bunnage and Robin Peterson, co-chairs at the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America to talk all things DSA including the campaign for Bernie, Medicare for All,… The post Scapi Radio 01.27.20 Chicago DSA appeared first on Scapi Magazine.

Chicago DSA has launched its chapter campaign to Democratize ComEd, Chicago's investor-owned "public" power distribution utility. In this episode, Sarah sat down with two Chicago DSA organizers, Sean Estelle and Sveta Stoytcheva, as well as Timothy Denherder-Thomas from Cooperative Energy Futures. We discussed what it means to be a 'Public Utility' versus a Publicly-Owned Utility, the legal process of democratization, and the history and challenges of Minneapolis's fight to take back its grid.

Join us as we sit down to conjure the first guest in our brand new series Socialist Seance! We're joined by Laura Colaneri. We talk reproductive justice, South American fascism and the Gothic, and activism. You can find Laura on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RawrLawra or her academic website at https://voices.uchicago.edu/lcolaneri/ Find out more about the National Network of Abortion Funds here: https://abortionfunds.org/ If you're in the Chicago area, you can find the Chicago DSA on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChicagoCityDSA and catch up with their latest events here https://chicagodsa.org/events/

Although data on hate crimes is limited and often underreported, we know that hate crimes have been on the rise in the United States since the election of Donald Trump, in particular hate that targets people of color, religious minorities and the LGBT community. Chicago is one of over two dozen cities that experienced a decade-high number of hate crimes in 2018. For this LIVE In The Thick show at DePaul University, Maria and Julio are joined by two guests who organize against this very hate, Isabella Gomez, actress from Netflix's One Day at a Time and LGBT activist, and Ugo Okere, former alderman candidate for the 40th Ward in Chicago and organizer with Chicago DSA.Special thanks to spoken word artist, Darius Parker with Kuumba Lynx for sharing his powerful words in this live show. ITT Staff Picks:How Chicago’s new democratic socialist city council members can change the city’s politics, from The Washington PostSeeking justice in Illinois after hate crimes, via Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil RightsExplaining the numbers behind the rise in reported hate crimes, from PolitiFactFor information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You may have heard the news by now. Chicagoans just elected 6 members of Democratic Socialist of America to their City Council. I sat down with four Chicago DSA organizers who worked on the campaigns of some of our recently elected aldermen. Rebecca and Caitlin worked on the Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez campaign in the 33rd ward. Lillian served as field director for the one socialist incumbent who ran, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) and Robin was the field director for Jeanette Taylor in Chicago’s 20th Ward. We discussed what worked, what didn't and what it means to have DSA members in elected office.

Trump breaks the news that windmills cause cancer. Oh, and there are oranges in the Mueller report. Socialists win big in Chicago! Chicago DSA members will now hold 10% of Chicago’s alderman positions.  Why don’t you put that in your pipe and smoke it, Rham? Working Families Party-backed candidates win big in Milwaukee's school board elections. They now control 5 of the 9 seats on the board. That’s good news in the wake of the loss of a State Supreme Court seat in the badger state. White power symbols found after fire destroys part of the Highlander Research and Education Center outside of Knoxville, TN. Highlander was instrumental in training activists for the civil rights movement and has been one of the most important organizing institutes in U.S. history. Bernie Sanders leads the field of presidential candidates in fundraising with $18.2 million dollars. MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt tweeted out this week, “If we used the metrics of ANY other year and applied them to Bernie he would be called a frontrunner ( came in 2nd last time;  almost won Iowa, won NH; near the top of early polls; huge fundraising numbers; proven appeal to the base of the party) And yet he gets ignored. It’s absurd” As “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg’s presidential campaign shows surprisingly good fundraising numbers, a new poll shows that nearly 70% of Americans are just fine with a gay presidential candidate. It was not such a good week for former Vice President Biden who’s rapidly earning the nickname of “Creepy Uncle Joe.”   Pam Iovino defeats D. Raja in the special election for the PA 37th Senate District.  It’s the first major red to blue flip for the 2020 cycle that puts the Pennsylvania Senate in play.  Iovino withstood attack ads linking her to AOC, Bernie, the Green New Deal, Universal Healthcare, support for abortion, and socialism. Mike Turzai was caught calling pro-choice advocates “Nazis” at a Real Alternatives awards dinner and when called out on it, he said that his quote was “taken out of context.” A new poll shows that Pennsylvanians are become increasingly concerned about climate change. What do you say, Governor Wolf? Still going with the “drill, baby, drill,” approach? Bernie Sanders agrees to do a Fox News town hall in Bethlehem, PA on April, 15th. Yeah, that’s tax day.  The Sanders Campaign also hired Becca Rast from Jess King’s campaign to run Sanders’ national field campaign. Congratulations to the faculty and staff at the Community College of Philadelphia who finally have a tentative agreement after three long years of negotiations. It was only when they were on the brink of striking that the City got serious about negotiations. The Robots are coming...Well, they’ve actually been here for a while in Giant Food Stores across PA. But they will begin arriving in “waves” soon, according to Giant’s parent company Ahold Delhaize USA. UFCW is not fooled by the company’s claims that the robots will not lead to the loss of jobs. In December, Walmart rolled out their 360 autonomous, mini-Zamboni-like robots who clean floors and “collect data.” According to a report by McKinsey Global Institute, as many as $800 million people may lose their jobs to robots by 2030.  What do you think, can we get that UBI, like yesterday? Yang, 2020. Looks like the Lunar South Pole is a potential landing site for NASA’s 2024 humans-back-to-the-moon goal. Why? Protection from radiation and promising potential for water ice. That means...rocket fuel. Yes, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Moon officially needs to be required reading. Despite last weeks ISS wardrobe malfunction which prevented the history all-women space walk, NASA says another medium-sized space suit not likely anytime soon. If you’re getting a little uneasy about inaction on climate change, you might be comforted...or horrified...by this week’s United Nations roundtable about creating “Floating Cities” to handle mass refugees and the flooding of coastal cities. And, you bet there’s a company called Oceanix - no, this is not Peter Theil’s baby. They have plans. “He who controls the spice, controls the universe!” Totally psyched that Dune is going into production. The new version of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi series will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, who did an awesome job with the 2017 sequel of Blade Runner. Sean has been playing with his new toy with awesome results. Shout out to my colleague Sandi Leonard and her co-creators for their really cool role playing game, MajiMonsters. It's like a cross between Dungeons and Dragons and Pokemon. Very cool. The game is available from DriveThru RPG after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Free Will releasing “Acai Mash” on Saturday. This beer is brewed with 850 pounds of acai puree, milk sugar, and vanilla. It comes in at 7.5% ABV and will be available in 4 packs at both the Perkasie and Peddler’s Village locations. If you’re looking for something a little different, you might want to check out Free WIll’s special event, a “Toast to Cheese,” next Wednesday, April 10 as part of their cellar pairing series. There will be 4 courses of fine, locally produced cheese from Calkins Creamery (Honesdale, PA). Each accompanied by a delectable bite of specialty toast and, of course, some of our favorite brews.

This week we cover the 3 worst takes about proposals for a Capital Gains Tax in NZ. Later in the episode we speak with Rachel Johnson of the Chicago DSA about recent elections in the city, and what it might mean for leftist electoral politics. Opening track - "Sorry" by Comfort Fit

In the state of Illinois, it is illegal to institute rent control but recently Chicago voters have repeatedly expressed their support for lifting that ban. On this week’s episode of the podcast we spoke to Simone, a landlord and lifelong Chicagoan, who supports lifting the ban. We also talked to Heather McClaren about Chicago DSA’s work as a member of the Lift the Ban Coalition. We touch on the history of powerful real estate interests in Chicago, recent trends in gentrification, how the coalition hopes to move forward and the arguments that are often made against rent control. The “Lift the Ban” coalition is led by the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Northside Action for Justice, and Pilsen Alliance. Current membership includes: Action Now Institute, American Indian Center, Autonomous Tenants Union, Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, Coalition for Equitable Community Development, The Community Law Project, Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, Little Village Community Development Corporation, Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Northwest Side Housing Center, ONE Northside, People for Community Recovery, SEIU HCII, Somos Logan Square, 33rdWard IPO, 25th Ward IPO, United Working Families, and Westside Health Authority.

On this episode of the podcast @sarahjhurd and Midwest Socialist editor and chief @charlesraustin talk to newly selected chair of Chicago DSA’s Electoral Reform Committee Jamal Abed Rabbo about his efforts to bring ranked choice voting to Chicago (and everywhere else). We spent the first 13 minutes discussing a commentary published in the Tribune called “It’s the Spoiled Children of America Who are Drawn to Socialism”. So, if you’ve heard enough half-baked critiques of the new left, feel free to skip to the “technocratic babble” which starts at 13:30. ARTICLES CITED: http://www.midwestsocialist.com/2018/05/25/third-parties-cant-compete-without-electoral-reform/ http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-thomas-socialism-spoiled-children-0727-20180726-story.html https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/11/bernie-sanders-democratic-labor-party-ackerman https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/07/electoral-rules-third-party-ballot-line-ocasio-cortez-dsa http://peoplespolicyproject.org/2018/07/22/nordic-state-ownership-of-enterprise-is-a-real-thing/

End of the world getting you down? We may never truly know what the future holds, and to some of us, the looming threat of an apocalypse is the most effective birth control. In this episode of Popaganda, Soleil digs into parenting and the end of the world: whether that means a total lifestyle change or global environmental calamity. First, she talks with Chicago DSA podcast producer Eleanor Russell about the ways in which reproductive justice is tied with economic justice. Then, she discusses the revelatory work of Octavia Butler and her imaginings of the future with essayist Jade Sanchez-Ventura. Along the way, she muses about Cormac McCarthy’s book, The Road; familiar dystopias; and Cardi B’s drive to have it all. SHOUT-OUTS Talkin’ Socialism, the official podcast of the Chicago DSA. You can read Jade Sanchez-Ventura’s brilliant essay, “Raising Babies in End of Days,” over at Mutha Magazine. Here’s more info on the anthology, Octavia’s Brood. More on the racist undercurrents of overpopulation discourse. The Revolutionary Women book of stencils mentioned by Jade.

Seven long years of civil war in Syria have displaced millions of people and empowered terrorists groups such as the Islamic State. But amid the chaos, a Kurdish-led coalition in the northern part of the country has established a self-governing democracy known as the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, or Rojava, dedicated to a socialist feminist vision of society built around grassroots civic participation. In this episode, Chicago DSA’s Charles Austin speaks about the movement for democracy and equality in Syria with activists in Chicago and a member of the YPG combat forces in Rojava.

Philip Dinolfo talks with the Chicago DSA jazz trio about socialist culture, and the band plays in our studio.

Sean Duffy and Sarah Hurd lead a roundtable discussion about 2017 with members of the Chicago DSA leadership, looking back at a year of massive growth and organizing in fallout of the 2016 election and the Trump administration.

I was looking for a job and then I found a job...Chicago DSA members describe the dehumanizing, irritating and unjust circumstances of their employment. Freelance writer, campaign worker, programmer, financial services, selling cookbooks over the phone. If it's a job, it's bullshit.

Philip Dinolfo interviews Professor William Nickell about the centennial of the October Revolution, and Chicago DSA members read revolutionary texts at the Hideout.

Tom Broderick, a good man and the longtime host of Talkin' Socialism, died on November 25, 2017. The Chicago DSA will continue Tom's show with a new team of podcasters. Today's episode is a tribute to Tom, recorded in his home on December 3, 2017. New episodes will be published every Monday.