Meeting held 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM 05/05/2024 at Daniel Boone Regional Library.
Working Group Reports
- Recruitment and Retention
- Drop Ins are now “Office Hours”: These meetings are a chance for new and potential members to have a less intimidating introduction to the chapter. They will now give us a chance to work on projects or bring up new ideas for things for us to work on. We are now doing them every third Sunday of the month at 2:00 PM at Shortwave on 9th.
- Earth Day Recap: 25 signatures for the Neighborhood Pledge. Connected with several organizations. Moms Demand Action is interested in knocking doors for the Cori Bush campaign.
- Email list management: Suggestion to keep two email lists. One for active members and one for general interest.
- Organize CoMo Event. May 19th, 12:00 PM, Ficklin Shelter at Cosmo Bethel Park. Attendees to include: Jobs with Justice, Local Motion, Bail Fund, Friends of John Brown, Sierra Club, CoMo for Progress, DBRLWU.
- Juneteenth Participation? Potential tabling opportunity at Cosmo Bethel Park on the 19th. Would split the table with Missouri JwJ.
- Ashland Pride on 7/21? Vendor signup link no longer active. We have received requests to attend.
- Labor
- LIUNA negotiations with City and MU: Had an action last night to seek binding arbitration. Upcoming action will be coordinated next Thursday.
- Efforts to unionize the Rose Brooks Domestic Violence Shelter in Kansas City have been met with union busting efforts by management. Members of MidMo DSA have spoken out publicly about the misinformation being spread by management.
- Union contract negotiations have begun at High Profile Dispensary. Management’s lawyers did not show up for the first round of negotiation.
- Electoral
- MidMo DSA/Mizzou YDSA Members gathered over 7,000 signatures for the Healthy Families ballot initiative, which seeks to put a 15 minimum wage and guaranteed paid sick leave on the ballot in November. The campaign turned in 210,000 signatures on Wednesday. MidMo DSA members gathered over 300 signatures in just one month for the Reproductive Rights campaign to restore the right to an abortion in Missouri. Mizzou YDSA gathered nearly 300 as well. On Friday, the campaign turned in over 380,000 signatures to the Secretary of State.
- Canvassing for the Neighborhood Pledge campaign in Columbia’s First Ward election begins May 25th. We will discuss elements of the Pledge and our script for the doors in a meeting on Tuesday, 5/14 at 1PM.
Treasurer’s Report
- Largest ever dues share, as well as our resources from our solidarity drive with the Reproductive Rights campaign gives us far more resources to work with in the next year.
- Chapter Vote to use $900 send 3 members (2 MidMO DSA, 1 Mizzou YDSA) to the Jobs with Justice Leadership Training: Unanimous Approval.
Website/Social Media Discussion
- Discussed need to prioritize website and email content, including newsletter and posts of General Meeting Agenda/Minutes. Considering a potential website redesign, need someone to lead a team.
- Discussed minimizing presence on Twitter, using only as a mirror to link website/email posts. Website/email posts should also be mirrored on other social medias (instagram, facebook).
- Discussed future video content, and trainings through Vidwest.
Member Reports
- Disability Commission: Annual Senator Chuck Graham award coming up. For anyone who has done work for inclusion and accessibility in the field of disability. Seeking nominations!
- Unhoused advocacy coalition: Potential coalition lead by Calvary Epicopal. Downtown churches coordinating around unhoused issues. Advocating for Housing First solutions.
- Board and Commission vacancies: Working to build an organization to advocate for LGBTQ issues locally. Trying to increase representation on boards and commissions. Columbia Disability Commission was the only board or commission to publicly endorse the LGBTQ Sanctuary City Ordinance authored by Mizzou YDSA, due to lobbying by a MidMO DSA member serving on the commission. Members are encouraged to apply for board and commission seats.
- Ride United, A Public Transit Event: May 13th, 5pm-7pm, Wabash bus station. Voice what your dream transit system looks like!
- Bail fund event: National Bail Fund network is doing short trainings on abolition-minded reforms. Bail Fund will present on these issues in the fall.
- Mizzou YDSA: Wrapping up their year, have elected new Steering Committee. Reminder of their huge victory in successfully authoring Columbia’s LGBTQ Sanctuary City ordinance. Committed to an action with Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine everyday this week in Speaker’s Circle from 12-2pm: Liberated Zone. Encouraging students to vote in Columbia in Ward 1 elections and in November General Election.
- July is our bi-yearly convention. Amendments to chapter bylaws must be submitted by June. Resolutions can wait until the convention.
- Chapter Liaison to the national DSA Trans Rights and Bodily Autonomy Commission is seeking assistance and chapter recommendations.