“We first crush people to the earth, and then claim the right of trampling on them forever, because they are prostrate.”
Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist
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The Latest
Veteran's Day
Given that today is a federally recognized holiday, lets us reflect on what it represents from a Marxist perspective. The military-industrial complex, an engine of imperialist expansion and global domination, maintains a deeply contradictory relationship with the working class. Millions are drawn into military service not out of chauvinism, but through economic coercion and ideological manipulation. They are promised stability, education, healthcare, and the illusion of upward mobility, benefits systematically denied to them under capitalism unless they agree to serve as instruments of empire.
While many who enlist do so in good faith, believing they are defending freedom, the reality is that they become conscripts in the global enforcement of capital. Since the end of the Second World War, nearly every major U.S. military intervention, from Korea and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, has functioned to suppress anti-colonial, socialist, or non-aligned movements under the banner of “democracy.” The true beneficiaries have been not the people, but corporations, defense contractors, and the imperial state apparatus itself.
Today, rather than glorify war or empire, we should honor those who refused to serve it: the conscientious objectors, deserters, whistleblowers, and anti-war organizers who recognized that liberation cannot be achieved through domination. They are the ones who saw that peace, justice, and solidarity among peoples are incompatible with imperial conquest and who bore the personal cost of saying no to empire.
Increased Interest
Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen an increase in interest in our Chapter! To all of those who have become members, are in the process of becoming members, signed up to be on our mailing list, or have reached out to us, WELCOME! We are so excited to have you!
A little information about us, we are currently focused on organizing around housing justice and tenant unionizing, community engagement, and political education. See updates about each of our committees and working groups in the "organizing" section.
Our monthly schedule is usually as follows: week 1 - social, week 2 - general body meetings, week 3 - commmittee and working group meetings, week 4 - steering committee meetings. We also volunteer and are active throughout the month, depending on community events and timelines.
Chapter General Body Meeting
Due to scheduling conflicts with out regular space, our Chapter General Body meeting will take place this Thursday, November 13, 2025, remotely (via Discord or Zoom). Please RSVP by clicking the button below to receive the link!
Organizing
Steering Committee Meeting
The steering committee meeting for this month has been cancelled, due to that settler holiday and the various going-ons around it, but we are going buy shirts and need to know the what interest there is and an estimated size range, so please provide us with your t-shirt size by filling out the T-Shirt Order Form.
Community Involvement and Volunteer Initiatives Committee (CIVIC)
A huge shout out to Amanda and Beccah who organized the Flint Hills Breadbasket Food Drive last weekend at the City Park! In last week's newsletter, we shared a photo of Matt standing among some of the many donations that we received. Manhattan truly showed up and showed out. Over the past week, they, along with Noah have been working to get all of the donations to the Breadbasket. After they received all of the donations, they informed us that the community donated over 3600 pounds of food and other items! Bravo comrades! Such good work!
Our member, Chef Matt, has been collaborating with the Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills and the NAACP Manhattan Branch for a Thanksgiving Food Drive that NAACPMHK is hosting. The Flint Hills, Kansas Chapter of DSA will have a table and our own Chef Matt is creating little recipe guide, utilizing the $40 Thanksgiving shopping list that is being promoted by Aldi. We would love for you all to stop by and to donate!
The NAACP Manhattan Branch #4046 is hosting a “Food Drive Carnival” to support our community during the upcoming holiday season. Due to recent shutdowns, some families will face food insecurities and we believe that no family should go without a Thanksgiving Meal.This event will feature games, activities, educational booths, music, hot cocoa bar, coloring, a fashion show, and plenty of fun, all while giving back to those in need.
Admission to this event will be a Thanksgiving food donation per person, or a monetary donation made out to the Flinthills Breadbasket.
- 📅 Date: November 15th
- 🕑 Time: 2:00–5:00 PM
- 📍 Location: The Flint Hills Breadbasket, 2326 Skyvue Lane, Manhattan KS 66502
We hope to see you all there and can’t wait to come together as a community to make this hardship a little easier for our neighbors.
Flint Hills Tenants United
The CFO of MRD Apartments, who owns Geary Estates, an apartment complex in Junction City where we are trying to organize the tenants into a union, got Noah's (one of our co-chairs and the chair of the housing justice working group, which operates under the organization, Flint Hills Tenants United) phone number and asked to speak with him. Noah was able to connect with him. Noah will share more about his conversation with the CFO and what this might mean for organizing Geary Estates.
Political Education
Grab a copy of This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible by Charles E. Cobb Jr., and read it before November 23, 2025 and join the Political Education Committee to discuss the book and what it means for the way forward as an organization.
