August 9, 2004
Eliseo Medina, an Executive Vice-President of the Service Employees International Union, was elected an Honorary Chair of Democratic Socialists of America. Medina was elected to fill the vacancy created by the death of Millie Jeffrey earlier this year. The election was a unanimous vote of DSA's National Political Committee.
Bogdan Denitch, Barbara Ehrenreich, Dolores Huerta, Gus Newport, Frances Fox Piven, Gloria Steinem and Cornel West are the other Honorary Chairs of DSA.
Medina is widely credited with playing a key role in the AFL-CIO's decision to adopt a new policy on immigration a few years ago, and was one of the organizers of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Bus Rides last year.
His first interaction with DSA came in Chicago when,as a young worker, he was sent by Cesar Chavez to lead the Chicago grape boycott campaign. Medina was the 2004 recipient of Chicago DSA's Debs-Thomas-Harrington Award.
