News

Courage and Solidarity — Your National Political Committee newsletter

October 20, 2022

Enjoy your October National Political Committee (NPC) 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, get out the vote, volunteer for abortion access, and more!

And to make sure you get our newsletters in your inbox, sign up here! Each one features action alerts, upcoming events, and political education.

From the National Political Committee — Courage and Solidarity

Dear comrades,

This past weekend, we hosted our inaugural MROC Institute. The Multiracial Organizing Committee, tasked to us through Resolution 31 by our last Convention, created an opportunity to bring together comrades from all over the country to tackle pressing questions, further leadership development, and identify strengths and obstacles to making DSA a multiracial organization reflective of the working class in both composition and practice. This gathering took place in Minneapolis, home to the catalyst for the 2020 uprisings that swept the nation after George Floyd’s murder. The location served as a somber reminder of what’s at stake and how much work it will take to win a world free of anti-Blackness, oppression, and racialized violence. 

These conversations were all the more relevant as leaked recordings from LA City Council showcase how prevalent racism is in local governance, and how entrenched power will continue to organize against worker and tenant movements. DSA’s agenda, candidates, and electeds were also explicitly under attack in these recordings. The outcome showed that DSA’s approach can be victorious over neoliberal identity politics and ethnobloc patronage politics that divide our power as workers, and we condemn these attempts at pitting people of color against each other.

We know the only way to counter that power is by organizing a movement of the majority to disrupt it. We will continue this important work through MROC as we meet people where they are, have uncomfortable conversations, and engage in struggles across race, gender, and other lines drawn by the capitalist class to divide us. Earlier this month, YDSA also spearheaded a mobilization for reproductive justice, organizing collective action for reproductive justice on nearly 60 campuses and helping win abortion access. These protests have recruited new members through these actions, growing the student socialist movement.

We must bring in new people in order to win and unite in our focus on fighting the oppressive systems of this world instead of each other. To that end, the NPC is hosting our Fall Fireside Chat on October 26th at 9pm ET/8pm CT/7pm MT/6pm PT. We’ll review our recently approved social media policy and discuss how online culture affects the way we organize and build camaraderie in DSA. You can register for the Fireside Chat call here. 

It’s more important than ever to discuss and identify how we can grow DSA because being the largest socialist organization is as much a responsibility as it is an identifier. The NPC is attending district calls this month to start this conversation with chapter leaders as a start. We cannot rely on external events to fuel our growth, but must seek the opportunities in crisis to provide actual alternatives, deepen political consciousness, and build working class power.

The right is gaining momentum, not only in the US but all over the world. The Brazilian elections taught us that we cannot underestimate the hold they have or the power of right-wing propaganda. The upcoming midterms, regardless of the outcome, will still put the power over our democratic rights in the hands of a few. The climate crisis is as rampant as ever as hurricanes decimate the little social fabric we have. All of these events are enough to keep us motionless and pick trivial fights rather than tackling our task ahead. And while fear is a convincing motivator, it is ultimately an oppressive tool.

So we face the task of moving people instead with a positive vision, with courage to pursue and build an entirely new world, and with solidarity while we get there. And we must do this by making sure the fight against racism and oppression is core to our work. The Iranian and Haitian people’s ongoing mobilizations in standing up to Western interference and military/police violence serve as examples of who we are fighting against and who need us to fight in solidarity. The rage on the streets can be channeled into the light of organization to sustain us through the dark fights ahead. We are trying to get free, but we lose when we stop showing up to the fight. Here’s to showing up for ourselves, for each other, and for the international working class.

Solidarity forever,

Your National Political Committee

Tonight, Thursday 10/20 — Join Our Get Out the Vote Training

Let’s get out the vote! It’s not too late to sign up for the National Electoral Committee’s GOTV Programs training TONIGHT at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT. We’ll cover what a Get out the Vote (GOTV) program is, the value of a GOTV program, and what to do in the leadup and launch of GOTV. This training is useful for all chapters, but it’ll probably be most useful for those who are either just starting out with GOTV or have already completed a couple of electoral cycles.

Volunteer to Fight Anti-Abortion Ballot Measures! Shifts Start Saturday 10/22

DSA chapters in Montana and Kentucky are fighting anti-abortion ballot measures, and they need your support. Our members showed what a difference DSA makes when the right tried to force abortion protection out of the Kansas constitution. Let’s keep that momentum going! Members from around the country can sign up to phonebank, textbank, or raise money from your network here. New events will be added all the way to Election Day, so keep checking!

Socialist Forum Call for Submissions — Deadline Tonight, Thursday 10/20

The Socialist Forum editorial committee is accepting pitches for article ideas for the upcoming Fall 2022 issue. Please submit your pitch here by Thursday 10/20. If your pitch is accepted, the full article should be roughly 3500-4000 words in length. Please note that submissions are not officially accepted until editors review a full article’s first draft. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Special DSA Member Offer — Subscribe to Dissent Today for a 50% Discount

In 1954, Lewis Coser and Irving Howe wrote an essay called “Images of Socialism” for a new magazine, Dissent, that they founded at the height of McCarthyism. “Socialism,” they wrote, “is the name of our desire.” Sixty-six years later, that desire has found a home in DSA, and new generations of socialists are organizing to turn that desire into a reality.

In celebration of that shared history, Dissent is offering a special subscription discount to DSA members! Subscribe today to receive a copy of the latest Fall issue, “Socialism For Our Time,” with a special section on socialism today. DSA members who subscribe to Dissent using this link will receive a discount of 50% on print subscriptions. Let’s get reading!

Subscribe to Our Democratic Left Newsletter!

Sign up for the Democratic Left email newsletter to get updates on local chapters, politics, and culture from DSA members like you.

National Harassment and Grievance Officer Annual Report

In order to strengthen DSA and our ability to both hold members accountable for unacceptable behavior and help us work through legitimate disagreements productively, members voted to invest member dues in internal work around Harassment. Unlike many organizations, we don’t just have a token policy and consider our work done. Rather, we invest resources in a National Harassment and Grievance Officer who carries out the program and provides training and leadership development based on professional best practices. Resolution 33 from the 2017 convention, subsequently amended, requires an annual report. Learn more about our Harassment and Grievance Program or read the most recent annual report.