To the Leadership Committee of Austin DSA:
We are members of Austin DSA deeply concerned about community health risks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the exclusion of disabled and immunocompromised comrades from DSA organizing spaces and events. As a group we hold a variety of identities, including disabled, neurodivergent, queer, trans, Black, immigrant, and working class. We are writing in solidarity with one another to ask you, our comrades in leadership, to consider how ableist responses to COVID-19, including a lack of safety precautions or consideration for our health, impact us directly and have the potential to impact our community at large.
We are currently in a COVID surge without an end in sight. The COVID infection rate is currently categorized as HIGH in Texas based on recent wastewater data[1]. Since the beginning of the pandemic, millions of Americans have developed Long COVID symptoms[2]. Recent legislation to ban masks[3] is gaining ground in multiple states. We write this letter to urge Austin DSA to adopt COVID safety practices that include universal masking[4] and air filtration[5] at all indoor events, as well as universal masking at crowded outdoor events.
We acknowledge that the general public has been misled about the ongoing risk and severity of COVID-19. We believe this is largely due to the Biden Administration and the CDC minimizing ongoing risk in favor of capitalism and economic output, as well as genuinely not caring about an increasingly disabled population. The CDC no longer advises that folks with COVID isolate for five days, which puts our more vulnerable and immunocompromised comrades at risk in virtually every public space[6].
Scientists and researchers have been coming forward to criticize the CDC for their misrepresentation of COVID risk and the potential for long-term symptoms, also known as Long COVID. Dr. Phillip Alvelda is one of these experts; he has accused government agencies of inadequacy and deception when it comes to how they’ve handled COVID. Alvelda warns that contrary to popular belief, “COVID is not like the flu. New variants evolve much faster, making annual shots inadequate. He believes that if things continue as they are, with new COVID variants emerging and reinfections happening rapidly, the majority of Americans may eventually grapple with some form of Long COVID[7].”
We have observed in our local community that people do indeed attend mask-required events in large numbers; in other words, requiring masks isn’t the deterrent that people may assume it is. A few months ago, JVP Austin instituted a mask requirement for all indoor events, and most recently hosted two teach-ins as part of Sunbird Fest where the space was packed nearly to standing room only. Clear the Air ATX[8] has been supporting and promoting events with air purification and mask requirements, and they have also found that mask-required events are well attended and successful at including disabled, immunocompromised and other marginalized folks who otherwise would not have been able to attend.
Additionally, mask bans are already being implemented elsewhere in the so-called U.S. These bans, which claim to be about suppressing pro-Palestinian protests, are a life-threatening risk to disabled and immunocompromised Americans, and frankly to anyone who could be exposed to COVID[9]. A main reason why these mask bans have gained support is because masking is no longer popular; in fact, it seems that the left has adopted many anti-masking points from the far right. Our belief is that the sooner we all start masking again, the more difficult it will be to pass this kind of legislation.
It is well established that COVID and Long COVID disproportionately affect the poor, elderly, disabled folks, queer and trans folks, Black, Indigenous, people of the global majority, and the working class. The CDC even includes some of this information on their website[10]. If Austin DSA truly seeks to build power among workers, and values anti-racism, decolonization and liberation for all, it is imperative that we institute COVID safety precautions moving forward. Virtual access to events is important, but it’s not enough; our disabled and immunocompromised comrades have been relegated to isolation in their homes for long enough. We cannot continue to operate from conditioned white supremacy and internalized ableism, as we have been leaving many, many people out of our spaces who would bring invaluable perspectives, wisdom and energy to the movement.
In the words of Leah Lakshmi[11], “I call on the not-primarily disabled Left to make good, lifegiving, disabled wisdom choices, to continue to insist on access that the past two years proved possible. You have the power to insist on masking, community safety strategies for COVID and virtually accessible events, and to invest in community care. There must be support for disabled activists continuing to do lifesaving disabled activism, mutual aid and survival work who are exhausted and need and deserve support.”
Community health and safety are paramount for an effective socialist movement, and we believe that it is the responsibility of LC to uphold these values.
We feel that it would be unethical to put this issue to a chapter-wide vote because we live in an ableist culture and society where it has become mainstream popular opinion to ignore the reality of the ongoing pandemic and its impact on our disabled and otherwise marginalized comrades.
We urgently express our support for COVID safety precautions at all Austin DSA events, and we ask that LC to consider this proposal as foundational liberatory praxis for the building of socialist power in our community and beyond. We come to you in solidarity with disabled comrades around the country and ask that Austin DSA follow in the footsteps of DSA chapters in Atlanta[12], Baltimore[13], Central IN[14] and Portland OR[15] who require masks at GBMs and other events. Masking keeps us ALL safer.
We invite the Austin DSA Leadership Committee to a discussion about implementing these measures at the next LC meeting or however/whenever you all feel comfortable.
[View sources and Air Filtration information here: docs.google.com/document/d/10fpdj8qUGC6-BicfZ4zbmB...]
To the Leadership Committee of Austin DSA:
We are members of Austin DSA deeply concerned about community health risks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the exclusion of disabled and immunocompromised comrades from DSA organizing spaces and events. As a group we hold a variety of identities, including disabled, neurodivergent, queer, trans, immigrant, and working class. We are writing in solidarity with one another to ask you, our comrades in leadership, to consider how ableist responses to COVID-19, including a lack of safety precautions or consideration for our health, impact us directly and have the potential to impact our community at large.
We are currently in a COVID surge without an end in sight. The COVID infection rate is currently categorized as HIGH in Texas based on recent wastewater data[1]. Since the beginning of the pandemic, millions of Americans have developed Long COVID symptoms[2]. Recent legislation to ban masks[3] is gaining ground in multiple states. We write this letter to urge Austin DSA to adopt COVID safety practices that include universal masking[4] and air filtration[5] at all indoor events, as well as universal masking at crowded outdoor events.
We acknowledge that the general public has been misled about the ongoing risk and severity of COVID-19. We believe this is largely due to the Biden Administration and the CDC minimizing ongoing risk in favor of capitalism and economic output, as well as genuinely not caring about an increasingly disabled population. The CDC no longer advises that folks with COVID isolate for five days, which puts our more vulnerable and immunocompromised comrades at risk in virtually every public space[6].
Scientists and researchers have been coming forward to criticize the CDC for their misrepresentation of COVID risk and the potential for long-term symptoms, also known as Long COVID. Dr. Phillip Alvelda is one of these experts; he has accused government agencies of inadequacy and deception when it comes to how they’ve handled COVID. Alvelda warns that contrary to popular belief, “COVID is not like the flu. New variants evolve much faster, making annual shots inadequate. He believes that if things continue as they are, with new COVID variants emerging and reinfections happening rapidly, the majority of Americans may eventually grapple with some form of Long COVID[7].”
We have observed in our local community that people do indeed attend mask-required events in large numbers; in other words, requiring masks isn’t the deterrent that people may assume it is. A few months ago, JVP Austin instituted a mask requirement for all indoor events, and most recently hosted two teach-ins as part of Sunbird Fest where the space was packed nearly to standing room only. Clear the Air ATX[8] has been supporting and promoting events with air purification and mask requirements, and they have also found that mask-required events are well attended and successful at including disabled, immunocompromised and other marginalized folks who otherwise would not have been able to attend.
Additionally, mask bans are already being implemented elsewhere in the so-called U.S. These bans, which claim to be about suppressing pro-Palestinian protests, are a life-threatening risk to disabled and immunocompromised Americans, and frankly to anyone who could be exposed to COVID[9]. A main reason why these mask bans have gained support is because masking is no longer popular; in fact, it seems that the left has adopted many anti-masking points from the far right. Our belief is that the sooner we all start masking again, the more difficult it will be to pass this kind of legislation.
It is well established that COVID and Long COVID disproportionately affect the poor, elderly, disabled folks, queer and trans folks, Black, Indigenous, people of the global majority, and the working class. The CDC even includes some of this information on their website[10]. If Austin DSA truly seeks to build power among workers, and values anti-racism, decolonization and liberation for all, it is imperative that we institute COVID safety precautions moving forward. Virtual access to events is important, but it’s not enough; our disabled and immunocompromised comrades have been relegated to isolation in their homes for long enough. We cannot continue to operate from conditioned white supremacy and internalized ableism, as we have been leaving many, many people out of our spaces who would bring invaluable perspectives, wisdom and energy to the movement.
In the words of Leah Lakshmi[11], “I call on the not-primarily disabled Left to make good, lifegiving, disabled wisdom choices, to continue to insist on access that the past two years proved possible. You have the power to insist on masking, community safety strategies for COVID and virtually accessible events, and to invest in community care. There must be support for disabled activists continuing to do lifesaving disabled activism, mutual aid and survival work who are exhausted and need and deserve support.”
Community health and safety are paramount for an effective socialist movement, and we believe that it is the responsibility of LC to uphold these values.
We feel that it would be unethical to put this issue to a chapter-wide vote because we live in an ableist culture and society where it has become mainstream popular opinion to ignore the reality of the ongoing pandemic and its impact on our disabled and otherwise marginalized comrades.
We urgently express our support for COVID safety precautions at all Austin DSA events, and we ask that LC to consider this proposal as foundational liberatory praxis for the building of socialist power in our community and beyond. We come to you in solidarity with disabled comrades around the country and ask that Austin DSA follow in the footsteps of DSA chapters in Atlanta[12], Baltimore[13], Central IN[14] and Portland OR[15] who require masks at GBMs and other events. Masking keeps us ALL safer.
We invite the Austin DSA Leadership Committee to a discussion about implementing these measures at the next LC meeting or however/whenever you all feel comfortable.
[View sources and Air Filtration information here: docs.google.com/document/d/10fpdj8qUGC6-BicfZ4zbmB...]
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Thanks so much!