Earlier last month, several of our members volunteered at Room and the Inn to help them check in some unhoused friends as the city braced for severe winter storms. Stay tuned for upcoming volunteer opportunities!
On January 18, we proudly cosponsored the People’s Rally here in Columbia where many speakers, including our own Kenzie Ortiz, spoke about the need to organize on multiple fronts–from trans rights to economic equality–in the wake of a second Trump term.
Just a couple weeks ago, a few of our members got to attend the Columbia Values Diversity Awards to help cheer on Mizzou YDSA and Missouri Jobs with Justice, who were both nominated!
What We’ll Be Doing:
Our next General Meeting will take place at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, February 11 at Daniel Boone Regional Library. This month we will be discussing our canvassing campaign for city workers, options for our medical debt elimination campaign, and the upcoming city council elections. All dues-paying DSA members and everyone else interested in learning more about DSA are welcome! RSVP here or use this link to join us virtually
Want to learn more about DSA or interested in getting more involved? Have an idea for something you think DSA should be doing in the community? Just want to grab coffee and chat with some fellow lefty folks? Join us at 2:00 on Sunday, February 16 for our monthly DSA Office Hours at Shortwave on 9th. RSVP here
The Columbia Ceasefire Coalition is holding weekly marches to demand that Columbia city officials call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Those interested in attending should meet at Speaker’s Circle before 2 PM every Saturday to join the march to City Hall.
If you like our newsletter and the work we’re doing in the community, please consider becoming a dues-paying member of DSA. Socialists believe in one struggle: the struggle of working people against domination by the powerful few. Workers fighting for their fair share of the profits, women and LGBTQ+ folks fighting for bodily autonomy, protestors fighting for a free Palestine, BIPOC activists fighting to end white supremacy, renters fighting for affordable housing, environmentalists fighting to combat climate change, and organizers fighting to end mass incarceration are all engaged in this same struggle. To win these fights, we must stand in solidarity. Mid-Missouri DSA shows up for local workers demanding a fair union contract. We march every Saturday to end the bloodshed in Gaza. We gather signatures and knock doors to raise the minimum wage, guarantee paid sick leave, and restore the right to reproductive freedom. We fought to make Columbia an LGBTQ+ Safe Haven and expand access to Plan B. Around the country, DSA works to advance the fight for justice at home–winning things like historic tenant protections and climate investments–and abroad–joining campaigns like the Uncommitted Movement. DSA electeds like AOC and Rashida Tlaib have lead the charge for Medicare-for-All, a Green New Deal, student debt cancellation, union rights, and a ceasefire in Gaza. We are committed to engaging in this one struggle, standing side-by-side with one another to organize and fight for a better world. Will you join us?
What Our Friends Are Doing:
For the past several months, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks have been holding daily peace vigils in support of the people of Gaza from 12:15-12:45 PM by the City Hall Keyhole. All are welcome to join any day you can!
The Boone County Community Bail Fund provides essential services to low-level offenders who would otherwise be held in jail simply because they cannot afford to post bail. The Bail Fund posts bails of up to $3,000 for Boone County residents and arranges reminders and rides to help them appear at subsequent court dates. You can support them by making a one time or recurring donation or by contacting them at comobailfund@gmail.com to volunteer to answer phones, provide rides, help with fundraising, or otherwise get involved!
CoMo Mobile Aid Collective provide direct aid and immediate assistance to unsheltered friends here in Columbia. Their street teams proudly serve 200+ meals every week throughout the year, their mobile medical clinic of qualified nurses, EMTs, and medical students have a variety of assistance available, and they partner with Unchained Melodies Dog Rescue to ensure beloved pets have access to food, flea and tick treatment, first aid, vet appointments as needed, and lots of treats. You can support their efforts by making a one-time donation or becoming a monthly donor!
Abortion Help Mo can help you find an abortion care provider and help you pay for your care. You can go to their website or text Right By You‘s confidential and anonymous helpline at 855-458-0866 for assistance. You can also donate to the Missouri Abortion Fund, which provides financial assistance to Missouri residents who cannot afford the full cost or abortion care.
Have you been mistreated by your employer or landlord? You’re not alone! Contact the Columbia Solidarity Network to see if they can help! Call or text (573) 246-0646 or emailcolumbiasolidarity@gmail.com.
On April 21, we took part in the Columbia Earth Day Festival, where we spoke many members of our community about what DSA is doing here and around the country to build a better world, including the fight for a Green New Deal. While there, we also directed volunteer efforts to collect signatures to collect signatures for the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom initiative petition campaign to adopt a constitutional amendment to restore the right to abortion in Missouri and raised money for the Missouri Abortion Fund.
On April 29, Mizzou YDSA co-hosted an emergency protest and walkout alongside six other student organizations to stand in solidarity with people the people of Gaza enduring an ongoing genocide, as well as other student protestors across the country who have been brutalized by police and arrested on their university campuses in the last week. Protesters called for the University of Missouri System to disclose and divest their endowments from Israeli enterprises. Mizzou YDSA co-chair Ian De Smet, pictured below, spoke during the protest, explaining, “Those bombs dropping on Gaza, they have the seal of the United States government, and we, as citizens, have the responsibility and the power to stand up.”
Want to learn more about DSA, what we’ve done around the country, and what we’re doing here in mid-Missouri? Already pay dues and want to meet other local members or find ways to get involved? Been a member in the past and want to get reengaged? Just think Bernie and AOC are cool and want to talk with some likeminded people? Come grab a coffee and chat with some of our members at our next Office Hours event on Sunday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. at Shortwave on 9th.
The Columbia Ceasefire Coalition is holding weekly marches to demand that Columbia city officials call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Those interested in attending should meet at Speaker’s Circle before 2:00 p.m. every Saturday to join the march to city hall.
Join us on Monday, May 13 for Ride United: A Public Transit Event. Come by the Fretboard Courtyard from 5:00-7:00 p.m. for an empowering public transportation rally advocating for a robust and accessible transportation system!
Hear inspiring guest speakers share their insights on the importance of inclusive transit, and learn how you can contribute to building a better-connected community. Enjoy snacks while networking with like-minded individuals and connecting with partner organizations dedicated to enhancing public transportation. Together, let’s amplify our voices for equitable and efficient transit options that benefit us all!
On Sunday, May 19, we will be hosting Organize CoMo–an event to bring together local progressive organizations to meet one another and learn about each other’s organizations and what we can all do to support them. Each organization in attendance will be given a brief opportunity to give a brief pitch about what their organization does and how people can support it. Once the list of attending organizations is finalized, we will be sending around a link for other members of the public who are interested in attending to RSVP.
The Boone County Community Bail Fund has resumed bailouts! As a member of the National Bail Fund Network, the Bail Fund provides essential services to low-level offenders who would otherwise be held in jail simply because they cannot afford to post bail. The Bail Fund posts bails of up to $3,000 for qualified detainees and arranges reminders and rides to help them appear at subsequent court dates. You can support them by donating or by contacting them at comobailfund@gmail.com to volunteer.
CoMo Mobile Aid Collective provides direct aid and immediate assistance to unsheltered friends here in Columbia. You can support their efforts by becoming a monthly donor!
For over two months, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks has been holding daily peace vigils in support of the people of Gaza from 12:15-12:45 p.m. by the Keyhole sculpture outside City Hall. All are welcome to join any day you can!
The Missouri Supreme Court set an execution for David Hosier of June 11, 2024. Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty has created a clemency petition to send to Governor Parson. Please sign and share!
