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.
Earlier this month, three of our members and one member of our Mizzou YDSA affiliate completed the Missouri Jobs with Justice leadership training, where they learned invaluable skills and strategies for organizing campaigns. We’re excited for them to start applying what they’ve learned in our fight to raise the minimum wage, guarantee paid sick leave, and end the abortion ban this November!
Meanwhile, a few of our other members joined some of our comrades from Mid-Missouri John Brown Gun Club to help feed our unhoused neighbors at Loaves and Fishes.
At Break the Chains on June 15, we tabled alongside Missouri Jobs with Justice and talked to folks in our community about ways to get involved with organizing and building power for working people!
Just this past weekend, some of our members joined our St. Louis DSA comrades across the state in their weekly canvas to re-elect Cori Bush, where they were greeted by Representative Bush herself! Stay tuned for future opportunities to help the Bush campaign before the August 6 primary.
What We’ll Be Doing:
Our next general meeting will take place at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, July 2 at the Daniel Boone Regional Library. At this meeting, we will be electing our new steering committee to lead the chapter in the upcoming year, as well as new Electoral, Labor, and Recruitment chairs. All dues-paying DSA members are welcome! You can use this link to join us virtually.
Join us on Sunday, July 21 from 9 AM to 2 PM at Ashland City Park to celebrate Ashland Pride! We will be tabling to talk about what we are doing here in mid-Missouri to organize for a better world and how you can get involved.
In the coming weeks we will be launching our People’s Platform Campaign, where will be knocking doors and talking about voters about the initiatives on the November ballot to raise the minimum wage, provide paid sick leave, and create a constitutional right to reproductive freedom in Missouri. Be on the lookout for volunteer opportunities very soon!
This month, LiUNA Local 955 will be hosting two town halls for their members. The first on July 13 at 1 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia will be for MU workers to discuss concerns related to parking fees and good-faith bargaining and will feature several local state legislative candidates, including Kathy Steinhoff, Adrian Plank, John Potter, David Tyson Smith, Gregg Bush and Jeff Basinger. The second on July 21 at 2PM at a venue TBA will be for Columbia city workers to discuss wage compression and the underfunding of public transit and will feature several city council members. Pleasure come show your support for the workers we rely on to keep our community running!
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.
Congresswoman Cori Bush, a DSA member, is facing a primary challenge from St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell. Representative Bush has been a critical voice in Congress in support of a ceasefire in Gaza, the fight to ensure housing for every American, protecting and restoring reproductive and trans rights, and so much more. We encourage anyone who is able to consider financially supporting her campaign or signing up to canvas on July 13, 20, or 27 in St. Louis!
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 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 provides 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.
Have you been mistreated by your employer or landlord? Contact the Columbia Solidarity Network to see if they can help! Call or text (573) 246-0646 or email columbiasolidarity@gmail.com.
For over three months, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks has been holding daily peace vigils in support of the people of Gaza from 12:15-12:45 PM by the Keyhole sculpture outside City Hall. All are welcome to join any day you can!
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.
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.
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.
At the General Meeting, we discuss chapter business, recap the previous month’s activities, and plan for the month ahead. DSA Members and interested community members are encouraged to attend to learn more about our chapter and the work we do to build a community that works for the working class!
