ORGANIZING NOTES
April 29, 2025
|
Sisters and Brothers,
In unprecendented times, we have to act in unprecedented ways. And, with your support, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. Our grassroots political revolution is aggressively taking on Trump and the oligarchy – and we’re making real progress. Read on
|
Bernie Sanders Shares His Strategy to Build Progressive Power in Red Districts
|
Senator Bernie Sanders has unveiled a new strategy aimed at expanding the progressive movement deep into traditionally Republican strongholds. Over the past two months, Sanders has traveled to 11 states, speaking to more than 250,000 people (many of them Independents and Republicans) with rallies focused on fighting oligarchy and building a grassroots revolution.
But Sanders emphasized that this is not just about rallying crowds. His team is actively hiring local organizers in key Republican-held districts, building sustainable coalitions, holding town halls, and launching canvassing and phone banking operations. The goal: to create lasting progressive infrastructure where it’s needed most.
Simultaneously, Sanders has issued a call for thousands of new progressive candidates to run for office at every level of government, building a bench that challenges both Republican dominance and Democratic complacency. Despite resistance from the political establishment, Sanders insists the status quo cannot continue, and that working families across America are demanding real change.
Progressives are encouraged to get involved and amplify this movement.
Read the full message from Bernie Sanders here.
|
Can The Democratic Party Change It’s Spots?
|
A paradox of Massachusetts politics is that while the Democratic Party has the most progressive party platform in the country, iron-clad majorities in the two state legislative houses and holds the governorship, its policies are far from progressive. As evidence of this remember that single payer has been in the platform for 40 years, the legislature gave money raised by the millionaire’s tax back to millionaires, and the legislature refuses to allow an audit of its practices.
How to change this and move toward more progressive policies is the political conundrum of our time. Some people think a third party is needed to shake things up. But this is a huge challenge without Ranked Choice Voting. Others think that if we had fusion voting, as practiced by the Working Families Party in New York and a few other states, we would do better. Still others are working to make the Democratic Party a more effective voice of the people.
The most recent effort to do this comes in a call to recruit union members and allies as delegates to the Party Convention in November. The goal then is to pass a resolution that empowers the Party to fund local organizing on behalf of working class supportive bills; a raise in the minimum wage, an end to wage theft (a huge problem in construction), and a significant increase in the tax on overseas corporate profit.
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has endorsed this effort with a call for all members to step up. Our Revolution and Progressive Democrats of America (MA) have joined this effort. Now, several local Democratic Town and Ward Committees have joined in. A big boost to this effort came from the Cambridge City Democratic Committee which enanimously endorsed the proposal.
You can still join in. You can see if your local caucus to elect delegates will occur soon. Even if you missed your caucus, you can ask to become a delegate through the Add-On process. Check it out!
See you at the Convention
|
Will Universities and Colleges Stand Up?
|
The Trump administration has launched a series of actions intended to destroy thousands of colleges and universities pursuing science-based scholarly research and academic freedom, to be replaced by ideological institutions that reflect the thinking of the President. Whether these institutions will struggle individually or pursue a common path of resistance is still to be determined.
Trump’s chief weapons are two charges: 1) that colleges and universities act unconstitutionally in pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and 2) that colleges and universities foster antisemitism by permitting criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian demands for a homeland.
At first, it seemed that the MAGA’s blitzkrieg attack would get little opposition. Threatened by a significant loss of federal funding, Columbia University rapidly acquiesced to the demands to drop affirmative action and limit campus expressions of political dissent. For several weeks, Harvard said nothing in response to similar demands.
Soon, there were signs of broadening resistance to Trump. College and university presidents wrote a public letter of opposition to the administration’s demands. Originally signed by 100 presidents, the letter now bears over 500 signatures. Simultaneously, 4000 Jewish faculty members signed a statement rejecting the mistaken practice of equating opposition to Israel’s genocidal war or Palestinian demands for statehood as “antisemitism”. There were demonstrations by students, faculty, and staff near or on multiple campuses. A Cambridge rally supporting Harvard drew 1000 in the rain and was even endorsed by the city council.
The governing body of Harvard, known as Harvard Fellows, included several who supported Trump. When the government upped its demands, requiring tighter control of university practices, the Fellows were provoked and refused to acquiesce; instead sued for a restitution of lost grant funding and relief from the demand that it end its DEI-based admissions and hiring policies.
Some universities took explicit actions of opposition. Tufts University provided a detailed, factual account of the kidnapping and threatened deportation of a Turkish graduate student for exercising her First Amendment rights by co-authoring an Op-Ed calling for support of a Palestinian homeland. But many others, including Tufts, are accepting federal mandates to eliminate DEI offices and practices. DEI offices on hundreds of campuses have closed with faculty and staff fired or reassigned. Diversity-based training programs, including those self-financed, as at Tufts, have been suspended.
What has not developed is a multi-school, unified opposition. This is necessary because only a few elite universities, such as the Ivy League schools, have the financial resources necessary to survive the loss of federal research and grant funding. A unified effort may yet emerge. Members of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the voice of higher education, were reported to be meeting to discuss a common strategy. The lesson from Germany in the 30s is that attempts to accept “small” demands from would-be autocrats in hopes of preserving an institution’s essential functions lead to the erosion of all autonomy. Stay tuned in.
|
Stand with Seaport Hotel Workers: Demand Accountability from Fidelity
|
At the Seaport Hotel in Boston, the people who make events and hospitality run smoothly (banquet servers, convention staff, and support workers) have been fighting for fair treatment. The hotel, owned by Fidelity’s parent company FMR LLC, cut many of these workers from full-time to part-time, stripping them of health insurance, paid time off, and long-term job security.
In January 2024, after months of organizing, Seaport workers voted to unionize with UNITE HERE Local 26. But management refused to recognize the union or come to the table. Despite the National Labor Relations Board ruling that the hotel broke federal labor laws, Seaport continues to ignore its obligation to negotiate. Workers have called for a public boycott, and they need our support.
Fidelity has the power to step in. As the parent company, they can pressure the Seaport Hotel to recognize the union and start good-faith negotiations. Public pressure matters.
Take action today. Write to Fidelity and tell them you stand with Seaport workers. Use the script below or write your own. Send your message to: jesse.stanesa@fmr.com and fidelitymediarelations@fmr.com.
|
The Importance of Addressing Foreign Policy
|
Firstly, congratulations to all those who joined an amazing organizing effort that culminated in a huge turnout around the country and the world on April 5. Many of us found ourselves in joyful seas of people in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. The coalition of over 150 groups that contributed to this effort is exactly what the Movement needs, and all should appreciate the success of this action.
However we respectfully disagree with Hands Off’s support for NATO. Originally formed as part of the Cold War standoff between the Soviet Union and the US-led Western bloc, NATO not only failed to disband with the fall of the Soviet Union, it increased from 16 members in 1991 to 32 members today. Despite promises not to expand eastward, it ploughed ahead against the advice of senior, experienced U.S. diplomats who warned that this would inflame tensions with Russia. While Russia bears full responsibility for invading Ukraine, in violation of the UN Charter, we cannot deny the disastrous role played by NATO in provoking and then prolonging the war in Ukraine.
Further, we are upset that, although, here in Boston, Representative Ayanna Pressley’s speech called for Hands Off Palestine and we saw many placards in support of the Palestinian people, the national Hands Off call contained no criticism of US support for the Palestinian genocide, which continues unabated. A violation of the Geneva Convention, Israel’s destruction of Gaza was the moral center of the boycott of Biden’s election. Students protesting this genocide, along with immigrants, are the first targets of President Trump and we should not repeat the errors of the Biden administration in ignoring them. If we don’t protect free speech and human rights, MAGA will roll over us.
The extraordinary US expenditures on war and preparation for war are not only globally destabilizing, they pauperize our social and educational programs and predispose our culture towards force as the ultimate solution to any problem. We sincerely hope that in future calls to action, there is a repudiation of elements of U.S. foreign policy particularly as it pertains to the Middle East and NATO.
|
Happening Now: Recruit Delegates who will fight for a Working Class Agenda, to the Massachusetts Democratic Convention
|
The organizations of the Massachusetts Progressive Action Organizing Coalition, ( Our Revolution MA, Progressive Mass, and Progressive Democrats of America and others), urge you to reach out to the Labor Council closest to you to recruit delegates to The Massachusetts Democratic Convention on September 13 in Springfield.
Delegates elected now will vote on major priorities at the convention. The AFL-CIO is pushing for a platform that ends offshore tax dodging, forces billionaire corporations to pay their fair share, and supports a strong pro-labor legislative agenda.
Unions are stepping up and the Democratic Town and Ward Committees have an important role to play.
Realizing that many caucuses have already happened, we encourage you to share with your nearest Labor Council the link to find their caucus date and location HERE .
And in the event that the caucus has already happened share the Add-On form for delegates to see if there are union members who qualify.
Help build a Democratic Party that fights for working-class power.
Sincerely,
Nicky Osborne, MPAOC, Mattapoisett DTC
Henry Wortis, MPAOC, co-chair Our Revolution MA
Russell Freedman, MPAOC, state coordinator Progressive Democrats of America
Jeff Jones, Western MA ALF, MPAOC Labor Committee
Rand Wilson, MPAOC Labor Committee, Somerville Ward 6 DCC
|
Join IMC in Boston, where we are cosponsoring with the AFT for Boston’s May Day Strong event. See details and sign up HERE.
If you cannot get to Boston, join other statewide May Day Strong events! Check our website calendar for the latest updates on events across MA and Turn Purple 2 Blue’s event page HERE.
|
MAPA will set up our peace and justice outreach table on the field across from Stony Brook Station on the Orange line. Join us for an hour or two to distribute pamphlets, buttons, and Not Another Bomb signs, and ask people to sign the latest peace petitions. We will be working in four shifts, so sign up below if you are available!
Register for a shift.
|
What can indigenous solidarity allies and activists do to help redress centuries of injury and loss to tribal peoples? Giving voice to Indigenous speakers and groups from here in Massachusetts, this webinar will explore the current forms of reparative justice and specific actions people can take in support. Resources and places to donate will be provided.
Register to attend.
|
New pole Shows Progressive Momentum In The Democratic Party
|
A new Harvard/Harris poll brings encouraging news for progressives: 72% of Democratic voters support leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are calling for a more aggressive approach to opposing Trump and confronting corporate power. This strong support suggests that the Fighting Oligarchy Tour is having a real impact. The tour has drawn large crowds in cities across the country, including in conservative states like Utah and Idaho. These rallies are not just energizing supporters in the room but are also helping to shift national opinion. Support for moderate compromise is declining, with only 28% of Democratic voters favoring that approach. Overall, just 53% of Americans say they want leaders to work with Trump, a drop from the previous month. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are speaking directly to working people’s frustrations, and the response shows that a bold, people-first agenda is gaining ground and changing the conversation.
A new Harvard/Harris poll brings encouraging news for progressives: 72% of Democratic voters support leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are calling for a more aggressive approach to opposing Trump and confronting corporate power. This strong support suggests that the Fighting Oligarchy Tour is having a real impact. The tour has drawn large crowds in cities across the country, including in conservative states like Utah and Idaho. These rallies are not just energizing supporters in the room but are also helping to shift national opinion. Support for moderate compromise is declining, with only 28% of Democratic voters favoring that approach. Overall, just 53% of Americans say they want leaders to work with Trump, a drop from the previous month. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are speaking directly to working people’s frustrations, and the response shows that a bold, people-first agenda is gaining ground and changing the conversation.
|
If you would like to work with ORMA Members on
- Climate Change
- Community-Based Alternative Emergency Response Teams
- Ranked-Choice Voting
- Housing For All
|
ORMA depends on your support to continue Bernie’s Political Revolution to create a society, a politics, and an economy that works for everyone, not just billionaires, corporations and the political elite.
If you value Organizing Notes and its twice a month distribution schedule, please make a donation to ensure its continued existence.
Invest in Change Now!
|
Please send requests for action items, articles or upcoming events
for the next Organizing Notes to
beccobrien.orma@gmail.com by Thursday, May 9th
We’d love to have you send us your favorite pictures of Bernie here in MA!
|
Campaigns End, Movements Endure
|
|
