by Gregory Lebens-Higgins
Protest must be in service of our objectives. This requires an understanding of the tasks at hand to advance the cause of socialism. What can we achieve now to lay the groundwork for a socialist horizon? Our work must center demands which clearly highlight the path to victory and resonate with the masses.
Welcome to our June issue. You’ll find Upcoming Events, coverage of chapter activities, and articles on the threat of deportation, the value of protests, Rochester’s budget, gardening, Socialism 101, and more. Want to contribute? Submit to bit.ly/SubmitRedStar, or reach out to get involved with our communications committee by emailing steering@rocdsa.org.
by Rochester for Energy Democracy
While Rochesterians continue to struggle with out of control bills and shut offs, Metro Justice and allies delivered a Replace RG&E Organizational Sign On Letter for City Leadership at the Speak to Council session Thursday evening.
Across this country, we are watching the destruction of our democracy unfold in real time. The Trump administration is not just coming for immigrants. It is coming for difference and for dissent. For working people. For the systems we rely on—public education, healthcare, the justice system, free speech. They are coming for us. This is not just political. It is existential.
Welcome to the first anniversary issue of Rochester Red Star! For one year, Red Star has provided monthly coverage of ROC DSA activities, advertised upcoming chapter events, and published insightful articles that explore capitalism’s multifaceted attack on the world and our vision for a better future.
Rochester for Energy Democracy
Metro Justice and members of the Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED) Campaign released the results of a candidate and representative survey Wednesday at 5:30pm at City Hall on the City Leading a study on replacing RG&E with a public utility.
by Rajesh Barnabas
Kendrick Lamar, once considered the torch-bearer of conscious hip-hop, is flaming out. His rise as a social commentator, with albums like To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN., made him the poster child for progressive, “woke” hip-hop. However, Lamar’s success has come at a price: compromising the authenticity of his message to fit the broader commercial mold. This phenomenon isn’t unique to Lamar but is part of a larger trend among entertainers and activists in the face of mainstream capitalism.
by Lara
While we may not have the financial power of these heartless hoarders, we have power nonetheless and the ability to significantly improve our understanding of the biological implications of climate change. Ash can make for fertile soil but the world need not burn for goodness to grow.
At twenty-eight pages, this is our largest issue of Red Star yet. We appreciate the exchange of ideas taking place on our pages—conversations between reader and author that dialectically shape the trajectory of the socialist movement. May we be a centripetal force which unifies the working class against the repression of capitalism. This month, our pages include a re-fletion on ROC DSA’s platform, a warning against conspiratorial thinking, thoughts on the manipulation of revolutionary art, and more.
by Gregory Lebens-Higgins
This condition of alienation emanates from capitalism, circulating through the system and shaping the way we live and relate to one another. Capitalism perpetually drives our atomization into socially disconnected nodes of extraction, replacing social bonds with self-interested economic exchange.