Your National Political Committee newsletter — Opportunity and Responsibility
Enjoy your May National Political Committee newsletter! Our NPC is an elected 18-person body (including two YDSA members who share a vote) which functions as the board of directors of DSA. This month, a Fireside Chat with the NPC, recommitment drive volunteering, labor solidarity, and more!
And to make sure you get our newsletters in your inbox, sign up here! Each one features action alerts, upcoming events, political education, and more.
- From the National Political Committee — Opportunity and Responsibility
- Tune In to the Next Fireside Chat with the NPC Sunday 5/22!
- Talk to Comrades and Win Swag! Volunteer Spots Open Starting Saturday 5/21
- Sunday 5/22 — RSVP for the Democratic Socialist Labor Commission Membership Meeting
- Join the International Committee Sunday 5/22 for Cancel the Debt: Breaking the Shackles of Global South Indebtedness
- DSA Inside Baseball Call Sunday 6/5 — Baseball, Unions, and Fun!
- Apply to Join the International Committee — Deadline Friday 6/10
- Sign Up for National Electoral Committee Training Wednesday 6/15
- Spring Issue of Socialist Forum Out Now
- Apply for the Socialist Forum Editorial Board! Deadline Sunday 6/19
- Sign Up for Our Democratic Left Newsletter!
FROM THE NATIONAL POLITICAL COMMITTEE — OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
In the last couple weeks, the US learned that the Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade — an obvious act of class warfare that will hurt millions of people, particularly Black people, poor people, and those living in red states. Our socialist-feminist vision includes universal healthcare with free coverage of abortion and reproductive care — a stark contrast to what currently exists. This move to overturn Roe is not exactly surprising, however, as we recognize the persistent escalation of the right-wing from how entrenched they have already been in our current institutions. The Supreme Court is now a prime vehicle for the white nationalist right-wing: it is not a body we can rely on to protect our rights.
As the largest socialist organization in the country, DSA has both the opportunity and responsibility to take part in this fight. We recognize this undemocratic ruling as a further attempt to erode democracy, creating even more distance from people and their ability to make decisions about their own lives. Because down the line we see that with bans come criminalization, and with criminalization comes disenfranchisement. And it is critical that we assess the moment and work with chapter leaders to drive a national strategy to not yield another inch to the right. This task feels as urgent as ever in light of the tragic, racist, and white supremacist assault on Black residents of Buffalo, New York. Our hearts go out to the victims’ loved ones.
The ruling class agenda is coming for us in every possible terrain of struggle. We have the opportunity to tie all of these struggles together, to build a mass left politics that supports a militant labor movement, that feeds into a robust abolitionist movement to not only work against the increased militarization and funding of the police, but also to ensure there are massive networks of care to keep us together while we build this better world, a world where democracy is real and felt and seen in every aspect of our lives: in our workplace, at the ballot box, in our homes.
That only happens when we take the task of organization seriously. Below you’ll find many ways to get involved and join comrades across the country in the everyday work of organizing. You can also review a recap of our most recent quarterly NPC meeting here.
We can make it through these moments by deciding to act: a deliberate choice of solidarity.
Courage and care, comrades,
Your National Political Committee
TUNE IN TO THE NEXT FIRESIDE CHAT WITH THE NPC SUNDAY 5/22!
As the National Political Committee, we are resolved to give more context to the decisions we are making, ways to get involved in national efforts, and what work we’ve been able to carry out as mandated by our most recent Convention. Tune in to our next Fireside Chat, open to all DSA members, this Sunday 5/22 at 6pm ET/5pm CT/4pm MT/3pm PT! You can register to attend here. The registration deadline is Saturday 5/21.
TALK TO COMRADES AND WIN SWAG! VOLUNTEER SPOTS OPEN STARTING SATURDAY 5/21
How do we build a movement that’s ready to meet the moment? We organize! Right now DSA members around the country are mobilizing to actions for free abortion on demand without apology and turning out in solidarity with workers who are saying enough is enough. But if we’re going to win the world we want, we can’t just mobilize, we need to organize! That means asking our comrades to recommit to building the shared future we know is possible. Join a national Recommitment Drive phonebank to organize lapsed and expired DSA members back into the work. Your name will be entered in a raffle for DSA swag for every shift you attend! And remember, the best way to motivate others is to share our own stories, so submit your member story here!
SUNDAY 5/22 — RSVP FOR THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST LABOR COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Become a Democratic Socialist Labor Commission (DSLC) member today, and join us for the first DSLC Membership Meeting of 2022!
At the meeting, you will:
- meet the new DSLC Steering Committee
- find out more about the Solidarity is Brewing campaign
- learn about logistics organizing through the DSLC
- get an intro to DSLC bylaws and plan to make any amendments at next meeting
- discuss building the DSLC into a powerful membership body
- get DSA in shape to meet the current labor upsurge!
The meeting will be Sunday 5/22 at 5pm ET/4pm CT/3pm MT/2pm PT. Sign up today!
JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE SUNDAY 5/22 FOR CANCEL THE DEBT: BREAKING THE SHACKLES OF GLOBAL SOUTH INDEBTEDNESS
“Debt is neo-colonialism” — these are the words of Marxist revolutionary and President of Burkina Faso Thomas Sankara, proclaimed in his celebrated 1987 call for an African united front against debt.
But what is government debt? How is debt wielded as a tool of imperialism, from Puerto Rico to Argentina to Zambia? And how can we help to break these shackles that bind the Global South and restrict global climate action?
“Cancel the Debt” will feature leading anti-debt activists including:
- Heidi Chow, Executive Director of Debt Justice (fka Jubilee Debt Campaign UK)
- Mae Buenaventura-Dolleton, head of Debt Justice, Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development
- Natalia Renta, expert on Puerto Rican debt
This event is the second of the Intro to Global Economic series, which, over the coming months, will explore the key actors in, and dynamics of, the contemporary global economy: debt, trade, finance, the IMF, the WTO, and more. If you would like to watch the first session, “The World We Have” featuring Jason Hickel, Adom Getachew, and David Kotz, you can do so here. This series is organized by the DSA IC’s Climate and Economics subcommittee.
We hope you can join us for this session, and the entire Intro to Global Economics series.
DSA INSIDE BASEBALL CALL SUNDAY 6/5 — BASEBALL, UNIONS, AND FUN!
Simon Rosenblum-Larson, Tampa Bay Ray and co-founder of More Than Baseball, will join us Sunday 6/5 at 7pm ET/6pm CT/5pm MT/4pm PT as part of an exciting panel featuring union stadium union organizers and other special guests! 🌹⚾ Organized by members of the Democratic Socialist Labor Commission, National Political Education Committee, and the informal baseball caucus, we will highlight the struggles of baseball workers and share how your chapter can host your own fun baseball social while also supporting minor league players and providing labor and political education for your chapter.
APPLY TO JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE — DEADLINE FRIDAY 6/10
You can also apply to become a rank-and-file member on a rolling basis. Please send any questions to the IC Steering Committee at [email protected].
SIGN UP FOR NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMITTEE TRAINING WEDNESDAY 6/15
DSA’s National Electoral Committee (NEC) is hosting two trainings for chapter organizers! On Wednesday 6/15 at 7:30pm ET/6:30pm CT/5:30pm MT/4:30pm PT, join us for Ballot Measures 101! Want to run a ballot measure in your city? Don’t know where to start? We’ll run through getting your idea off the ground from inception to drafting to signature gathering, and key differences between a candidate campaign and a proposition.
Coming up in July, join the NEC for a training on electoral endorsement processes. More details to come!
SPRING ISSUE OF SOCIALIST FORUM OUT NOW
The Spring 2022 issue of Socialist Forum, DSA’s quarterly journal of theory and strategy, has just been published. New articles address the war in Ukraine, the internationalist responsibilities of socialists in the US, DSA’s electoral strategy, and more. As always, we invite readers to submit responses to any of these articles to our inbox at [email protected].
APPLY FOR THE SOCIALIST FORUM EDITORIAL BOARD! DEADLINE SUNDAY 6/19
DSA’s publication, Socialist Forum, is accepting applications for their editorial board! Members who are selected should be prepared to spend about 5-10 hours per week fulfilling their duties. Applications are due by 11:59pm PT on June 16. Apply for the position here!
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