Congratulations to our prize winners! First prize goes to Maya P, who achieved a perfect score of ten out of ten, choosing the correct answer and citing the California Red news article that the information came from. Second place winner: Ronan C. Third place: Christopher K. Questions and answers are displayed below. 

1. Which County Board of Supervisors became the first in the country to adopt an Ethical Investment Policy (EIP) prohibiting investment in companies with ties to the Gazan genocide after being pushed by a BDS effort in which DSA was involved?

Alameda County!! "PALESTINE ORGANIZERS WIN: Divestment from Israel Becomes Policy for 

2. What chapter was praised by the Central Labor Council for its work to help pass Measure A, a local tax supporting health care in the November 2025 election?

Silicon Valley "Silicon Valley DSA Helps Pass Measure A (Along With Prop 50)"

3. An organizing committee (pre-DSA chapter) was one of many DSA entities around the country working to bar low budget Avelo Airlines from local airports for its contract with the federal government to transport ICE detainees. Where is this organizing committee located?

Humboldt County/Eureka "Toxify the Brand: How a Mass Movement is Punishing a Deportation Airline"

4. Identify three indications of rising fascism in the United States since the inauguration of Donald Trump in January.

Trump's pardons of the January 6 insurrectionists; Persecution of immigrants/deployment of the National Guard/increased ICE raids; Arrest of political opponents (a judge, union leader, mayor, and senator) "This Dumpster Fire of a Reichstag Fire"

5. Identify three anti-fascist actions taken by DSA chapters in California since the inauguration of Donald Trump in January.

Two-day community picket outside the ISAP office in San Francisco to prevent mass arrests of immigrants (East Bay) "California DSA Chapters Swell the Ranks of 'No Kings Day'"; Organizing with local and national community groups to fight back against ICE and the National Guard takeover of Los Angeles in June (Los Angeles) "DSA-LA Organizes to Fight Fascism with Democratic Socialism"; Passing Measure A to fund the Santa Clara County Health System (Silicon Valley) "Silicon Valley DSA Helps Pass Measure A (Along With Prop 50)"

6. What does the ongoing resurrection of Native Californian ceremonies from past erasure have to say about the struggle for socialism today?

Ceremonies hold us together and remind us of who we are, especially as a collective. Reclamation of joy is resistance. Banding together and choosing to love each other in the struggle for freedom is necessary if we are going to win against fascism. "How to Survive Horrible Things Part 3: Ceremonial Freedoms"

7. Who was the figure from California's socialist history whose story contained similar elements to Zohran Mamdani's but whose campaign ended with defeat?

Job Harriman "What California Labor History Has to Say About the New York Mayor’s Race"

8. What was the name of an anti-capitalist event in which the event coalition brought together people, amphibians and mollusks?

People Over Billionaires march "People vs. Billionaires in San Francisco"

9. What is FUN, and what chapter has been campaigning alongside it?

Federal Unionists Network, East Bay "East Bay DSA Joins With Federal Unionists to Fight Trump’s Attacks"

10. What was your favorite California Red article in 2025?

PALESTINE ORGANIZERS WIN: Divestment from Israel Becomes Policy for Alameda County

— The chapter’s first federal endorsement

Denver Democratic Socialists of America (DDSA) is the Denver-area chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the United States. Our members are building enduring working-class power right here in the Mile High City. Democratic Socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run by the people—to meet public needs, not to make profits for the few.

DENVER, CO – Denver DSA members voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to endorse Melat Kiros for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District in the 2026 Democratic primary on June 30th, with 94.7% of voting members in favor of her endorsement.

She is running against incumbent Diana DeGette, who has represented the district since 1997. In her 29-year tenure, DeGette has taken nearly $95,000 from AIPAC and hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.

“As a proud Democratic Socialist, I’m honored to receive the endorsement of Denver DSA at a moment when so many people are demanding more from our politics and from each other. Across Denver, working people are stepping forward and saying we deserve a city where housing is affordable, healthcare is accessible, and a government that actually works for working people, not corporate lobbyists,” said Denver DSA-endorsed candidate for Congress in CO-1 Melat Kiros. “This endorsement isn’t just about one campaign, it’s about a growing movement of neighbors who believe that ordinary people, organized together, can shape the future of our city. This is our moment to build something better and together, we will fight like hell for it.”

“Denverites deserve a Congresswoman with the courage to stand up for what’s right, even when that means facing backlash from powerful corporate interests. Melat Kiros continues to demonstrate that courage as she fights with us for a world in which all people can live dignified lives, from the Platte to Palestine,” said Denver DSA Co-Chair Brynn Lemos.

About Melat Kiros: Melat is a barista, graduate student, and recovering lawyer who was fired from her job as an attorney for refusing to stay silent about Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Now she’s running to deliver Medicare For All, affordable housing, universal childcare, an arms embargo, and radical sustainability for working class-Coloradans. Her endorsements include City Councilmember and Denver DSA member Sarah Parady, Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, and now the Denver Democratic Socialists of America.

California DSA delegates, representing chapters from across the state, have voted to endorse Oliver Ma for Lieutenant Governor. Oliver will be CA DSA’s first-ever endorsed statewide candidate and is running on an explicitly democratic socialist platform that articulates a vision of a California that works for working people—not oligarchs and billionaires.

Oliver immigrated to California at age seven and has dedicated his career as a lawyer to protecting the rights of tenants, immigrants, and workers. As an immigrant rights attorney with the ACLU, Oliver has been on the front lines of defending Californians against ICE and the federal government’s terror campaign. When elected, he will shut down the for-profit detention centers that have proliferated across our state, ending the profits made from our exploitation.

One of the primary areas of influence of the Lieutenant Governor is over California’s higher education system. Currently, University of California schools alone have over $32 billion invested in assets tied to genocide and apartheid in Palestine. Not only is Oliver the only candidate to describe the atrocities in Gaza as genocide, he is the only candidate who has promised to divest these funds from Israel and ensure that our higher education institutions are not funding atrocities overseas.

Oliver is committed to building something that lasts beyond his campaign and, in this, building DSA statewide. Oliver understands, like all democratic socialists must, that an organized movement of working people is more than one candidate or one campaign. If you are not in DSA yet, join today and get involved with our statewide organization or in your local chapter’s work.

For more information on Oliver Ma, go to: https://oliverma2026.com/ 

California DSA delegates, representing chapters from across the state, have recently voted to endorse the Billionaire Tax Act and the Children's Education and Health Care Protection Act, under a unified campaign to ‘Tax the Rich’.

The Billionaire Tax Act would levy a one-time 5% tax on individuals worth more than $1 billion in order to offset the loss of almost $100 billion of federal funding towards Californian healthcare. Without this funding, thousands of jobs will be lost, millions of Californians could lose coverage altogether, and care facilities across the state could be forced to close.

The Children’s Education and Health Care Protection Act would ensure the continuation of the temporary income tax imposed on the top 2% of income earners by CA’s Proposition 55 in 2016. This tax raises between $5 billion and $12 billion each year for children’s education and health care—the loss of that funding would be catastrophic.

The success of both measures would provide much-needed funding to California’s essential services. Thus, California DSA delegates voted to endorse both under a unified campaign to ‘Tax the Rich’. 

The gap between the billionaires and the rest of us has never been wider. It is time for the wealth taken from workers to be invested back into our state, to fund our hospitals, schools, and essential services. It’s time to tax the rich.

For many, the terms “devout Catholic” and “democratic socialist” occupy opposite ends of a cultural and political spectrum. In the U.S. imagination specifically, Catholicism is often associated with traditionalism and hierarchical order, while socialism is frequently dismissed as an atheistic relic of the Cold War. However, for those who look closely at the radical demands of the Gospel and the robust body of Catholic Social Teaching (CST), the marriage between these two identities isn’t just a possibility—it is a deeply logical, moral, and spiritual homecoming.

To be a devout Catholic is to believe that the “Word became flesh” and dwelt among us. This Incarnation sanctifies the material world. It means that the hunger of a child, the dignity of a laborer, and the greed of a billionaire are not merely “political” issues; they are theological ones. When we look at the structural critiques offered by democratic socialism, we find a framework that, perhaps better than any other modern political system, seeks to institutionalize the very mercy and justice that Christ commanded.

The Common Good and Private Property

At the heart of Catholic Social Teaching lies the principle of the Common Good: the sum total of social conditions that allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.

Modern neoliberal capitalism operates on a contradictory premise. It suggests that if everyone pursues their own selfish interests, a “hidden hand” will somehow balance the scales for everyone. The Catholic tradition rejects this. From St. Thomas Aquinas to Pope Francis, the Church has consistently taught that private property is not an absolute right; it is subordinate to the universal destination of goods.

Democratic socialism mirrors this theological priority. It posits that essential human needs—healthcare, housing, education, and a livable environment—should not be subject to the whims of the market. When a democratic socialist argues that a billionaire’s third yacht is less important than a community’s access to clean water, they are not being “envious.” They are practicing a form of distributive justice that finds its roots in the Acts of the Apostles, where the early Church “held all things in common” and distributed to each “as any had need.”

The Sanctity of Labor

One of the most profound overlaps between Catholicism and democratic socialism is the Sanctity of Labor. In his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII defended the rights of workers to organize into unions and demanded that they be paid a living wage. He famously critiqued the “misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.”

Democratic socialism takes this critique to its structural conclusion. It argues that capital should not have priority over labor. In our current system, the worker is often treated as a “cost” to be minimized rather than a human person with a soul. Democratic socialism advocates for:

• Workplace Democracy: Giving workers a say in the management of the firms where they spend most of their waking lives.
• Strong Labor Unions: Viewing collective bargaining as a necessary check on the “despotic economic dictatorship” that Pope Pius XI warned against in Quadragesimo Anno.
• Elimination of Poverty: Recognizing that a “starvation wage” is a violation of the Seventh Commandment (“Thou shalt not steal”).

Integral Ecology

Perhaps the most contemporary and urgent bridge between these two worlds is Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical, Laudato Si’ (On Care for Our Common Home). In this document, the Pope articulates a vision of Integral Ecology, which asserts that we cannot separate the cry of the earth from the cry of the poor.

Pope Francis offers a scathing critique of the “technocratic paradigm” and the “throwaway culture” driven by a blind pursuit of profit. This is where the devout Catholic finds a natural ally in democratic socialism. Both acknowledge that an economic system predicated on infinite growth on a finite planet is not only unsustainable—it is sinful.

Democratic socialism’s call for a Green New Deal is a practical application of the Pope’s call for an “ecological conversion.” When the Pope writes that “the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone,” he is challenging the very foundations of extractivist capitalism.

Subsidiarity and Solidarity

Critics often argue that socialism is synonymous with a “big government” that crushes local initiative. However, Democratic Socialism is distinct from authoritarian state-socialism because it values the Catholic principle of Subsidiarity.

Subsidiarity suggests that matters should be handled by the smallest, lowest, or least centralized competent authority. Democratic socialism seeks to decentralize power through community-owned cooperatives and local credit unions. Balanced with this is Solidarity. Pope John Paul II described solidarity as a “firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good.”

Addressing the Critics

The most common hurdle for the Catholic socialist is the historical condemnation of socialism by past popes. Modern apologists like Trent Horn have argued that Catholic teaching and socialism are inherently incompatible.

However, this perspective often overlooks the distinction between ideological (atheistic) socialism and programmatic democratic socialism. While the Church defends the right to private property, it insists that this right is never absolute. By focusing on the “democratic” half of the equation, the Catholic socialist rejects the atheistic materialism Horn fears, instead embracing a system where the state is a tool for popular will.

Many of the greatest Catholic figures of the last century—Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Cesar Chavez—embraced socialist critiques of capitalism. Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, lived a life of voluntary poverty and radical resistance, proving one can be “more Catholic than the Pope” while calling for the overthrow of the capitalist order.

A Consistent Ethic of Life

Finally, being a Catholic socialist allows for a “consistent ethic of life,” often called the Seamless Garment. A devout Catholic believes in the dignity of life from conception to natural death.

While the secular Left and the religious Right often split these issues, the Catholic socialist sees them as intertwined. We cannot claim to be “pro-life” while supporting an economic system that makes it impossible for a poor mother to afford prenatal care. Democratic socialism provides the material tools to support a culture of life by guaranteeing healthcare, maternity leave, and a living wage.

To be a devout Catholic and a democratic socialist is to inhabit a space of radical tension. It is a call to return to the basics: Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the stranger. If our current economic system makes those tasks harder, then as Catholics, we have a moral obligation to change that system.

Bibliography and Recommended Reading

Primary Church Documents

• Leo XIII. Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labor), 1891.
• Pius XI. Quadragesimo Anno (On Reconstruction of the Social Order), 1931.
• John Paul II. Centesimus Annus (The Hundredth Year), 1991.
• Francis. Laudato Si’ (On Care for Our Common Home), 2015.
• Francis. Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), 2020.

Books and Essays

• Day, Dorothy. The Long Loneliness. HarperOne, 1952.
• Horn, Trent. Can a Catholic Be a Socialist? Catholic Answers Press, 2020. (For an overview of the opposing view discussed).
• Merton, Thomas. Seeds of Destruction. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1964.
• Cort, John C. Christian Socialism: An Informal History. Orbis Books, 1988, 2nd edition, 2020, with a new introduction by Gary Dorrien.
• Eagleton, Terry. Why Marx Was Right. Yale University Press, 2011.
• Bernardin, Joseph Cardinal. The Seamless Garment: Writings on the Consistent Ethic of Life. Orbis Books, 2008.

The post Devout Catholic and Democratic Socialist: Not Oxymorons appeared first on DSA Religious Socialism.

Tell Gov Whitmer to support AG Nessel’s Anonymous ICE Reporting Platform!

In the wake of ICE’s murderous campaign to kidnap our neighbors and restrict our Constitutional rights, we call on Governor Whitmer to support Attorney General Nessel’s recently launched anonymous reporting platform. We call on Whitmer to form an accountability commission to review ICE’s many crimes and constitutional violations. This group of masked secret police has been terrorizing communities with impunity for far too long.

Michigan will not be safe until we know that we have the ability to hold ICE accountable for their many assaults upon our communities and country. Our residents must also be able to do so knowing they are protected by our State from what has been proven to be an extremely corrupt and vengeful Trump regime.

• Anonymity & Privacy Protection: Individuals can now report misconduct without revealing their identity or contact information.
• Secure Evidence Submission: Photos, videos, and documents can now be submitted securely to protect the integrity of the evidence.
• Independent Oversight: Reports MUST be reviewed by an impartial body, ensuring transparency and fairness in the investigative process.
• Legal Protections for Whistleblowers: Michigan residents who report abuses MUST be protected by state and federal whistleblower laws.
• Collaboration with Advocacy Groups: The platform MUST work closely with civil rights organizations to ensure that the process remains accessible, credible, and effective.

The post Break the ICE: Accountability for ICE appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

Enjoy your February National Political Committee (NPC) newsletter! Our NPC is an elected 27-person body (including both YDSA Co-Chairs) which functions as the board of directors of DSA. This month, sign up for know your rights training, help melt ICE, join political education classes, 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 — DSA’s Growth Means Hope in Dark Times
• Help Elect Socialist Candidates! Phonebanks Starting Sunday 2/22
• Melt ICE Off Our Streets — Give Today!
• Sign Up for Sunday 2/22 Know Your Rights Training
• Mutual Aid Working Group Elections — Nominations Until Saturday 2/14
• Our Religious Socialism Work Group is Growing! Events Sunday 2/15, Thursday 2/19, and Thursday 2/26
• En Español: Housing Justice Commission Weekly Language Exchange Tuesday 2/17
• Political Education Trainings Thursday 2/19 and Thursday 3/12 — Sign Up Today!
• AfroSoc is BACK in Action! BIPOC Members, Join Our February Meeting Sunday 2/22
• Help Support DSA — Join Growth and Development Committee Phonebanks Starting Sunday 2/22
• Do You Have Fundraising Experience? Apply for DSA’s National Fundraising Committee!
• DSA is Hiring! Application Deadlines Starting Sunday 2/15
• Help Build Strong Chapters! Apply for the Locals First Implementation Committee
• DSA Fund is Hiring a Program Lead!

From the National Political Committee — DSA’s Growth Means Hope in Dark Times

Dear Comrades,

“The issue is Socialism vs. Capitalism. I am for Socialism because I am for humanity. We have been cursed with the reign of gold long enough. Money constitutes no proper basis of civilization. The time has come to regenerate society — we are on the eve of a universal change.” — Eugene V. Debs, 1897

Great news: DSA is now over 100,000 members strong! This milestone is many years in the making, and was borne out of the tireless work of countless members to bring socialism from the margins to the mainstream since DSA formed in 1982. We encourage you to take a moment and reflect on the ways that your work has helped build us into the largest socialist organization in the USA since Eugene V. Debs’s time over a century ago, when the Socialist Party in the US at its height in 1912 counted 118,000 dues-paying members.

The capitalist class suppressed that era of burgeoning socialism with decades of Red Scare repression and propaganda — but not completely. Even past the worst years of McCarthyism and the Cold War, and then through the supposed “end of history” era of neoliberalism, many brave socialist organizers kept the flame alive throughout the 20th century. Socialists have always been organizing to build the power of labor unions and expand rights for all workers, and helped form the backbone of movements for racial justice, women’s liberation, queer liberation, against war and militarism, and for environmental protection in the United States.

Wherever people were organizing for a better, more democratic, and more just future for all working people, socialists like us were holding fast. And now, generations later, democratic socialism is going mainstream.

So many people are joining DSA today because we are a fully member-led and member-funded mass organization. Over 220 local chapters are growing because we represent a real alternative to the corporate oligarchy of our political system. We’re responding powerfully to the current political situation — channeling rage and fear over the Trump administration’s violent policies which scapegoat immigrants, trans folks, and marginalized people while making everyday life more precarious for the broader working class; and also organizing for democratic socialist victories, like our member Zohran Mamdani’s election to mayor of the wealthiest city in the world.

Zohran’s election in New York City brought a surge of new members to DSA because he represents reasons for active hope through the darkness of our time, showing how far our movement has come through the past decade. He is a product of independent grassroots organizing where strong DSA chapters, alongside labor unions and working class community organizations, work more and more like a party of our own. DSA members are winning life-changing policies for millions of people across the United States, expanding affordability and economic security for all, and showing how socialism is what can beat fascism. 

All of this has effects everywhere, not just in NYC. Some of our fastest-growing chapters are in places you might not expect, like Corpus Christi, Birmingham, Southern Idaho, Middle Georgia, and Eastern Kentucky. Folks are fed up across the country and finding ways to organize for socialism and against fascism wherever they live. Whether you were inspired by high-profile campaigns like Zohran’s or were organized at the grassroots level at local actions like union picket lines or Abolish ICE rallies, being part of a democratically run mass movement like DSA means we take back a lot of the power that capitalism has taken from us.

The weight of over a century of struggle is on our shoulders, but we stand on the shoulders of giants. Together, we can and will rise to this task. Take a moment to embrace this history, and then remember what Debs would certainly call us to do: keep going. We can never take popularity for granted. Now is not the time to rest. It’s the time to keep organizing to turn momentum into even bigger growth and more powerful wins against the dictatorship of capital that we’re all living under, and toward true democracy for all of us. Ask yourself what steps you can take today to build the socialist future of tomorrow – and keep asking others to join in! 99,999 of your comrades (and counting!) are right there with you to do the same.

¡La Lucha Sigue, Hasta La Victoria!

Megan Romer and Ashik Siddique
DSA National Co-Chairs

Help Elect Socialist Candidates! Phonebanks Starting Sunday 2/22

Are you ready to help raise money for our socialist candidates across the country? Join DSA’s National Electoral Commission to call other DSA members to help raise money for our socialist campaigns. Phonebanks start Sunday 2/22, and will be on Sundays 5pm ET/4pm CT/3pm MT/2pm PT.

Right now, we have five DSA member candidates with our national endorsement on our slate. Making calls is easy! Talk to members like you  to raise money for:

• Adam Bojak, Buffalo DSA, New York’s State Assembly
• Tammy Carpenter, Portland DSA, Oregon’s State House of Representatives
• Bobby Nichols, Phoenix DSA, City Council in Tempe, Arizona
• Andrew Hariston, Austin DSA, Travis County Justice of the Peace
• Robert LeVertis Bell, Louisville DSA, Kentucky State Legislature

Melt ICE Off Our Streets — Give Today!

DSA members are leading the fight against the deportation regime in cities and towns across the country. So far, DSA members have raised over $25,000 to build our chapters’ responses to ICE terror. This money goes where it’s most needed, including multilingual know-your-rights literature, whistles, hand warmers, trainings, and more for the communities we defend. Even $25 dollars can help our chapters meet the moment and lead the movement to victory over fascism. Give today!

Sign Up for Sunday 2/22 Know Your Rights Training

Join the Trump Admin Response Committee on 2/22 at 2pm ET/1pm CT/12pm MT/11am PT for a Know Your Rights Training. Come hear from legal experts from the NYC-DSA Immigrant Justice Working Group about how to keep yourself and your neighbors safe from ICE.

Mutual Aid Working Group Elections — Nominations Until Saturday 2/14

Mutual Aid Working Group (MAWG) Steering Committee 2026 elections are open now, with nominations open until Saturday 2/14. Voting will be open for all MAWG members Sunday 2/15-Sunday 2/21.

The Steering Committee (SC) consists of 7-9 members including two co-chairs. SC members are expected to run trainings and virtual events, host quarterly all-member meetings, and mentor chapters. If you are interested or have questions, reach out to mutualaid@dsacommittees.org.

Our Religious Socialism Work Group is Growing! Events Sunday 2/15, Thursday 2/19, and Thursday 2/26

Our DSA Religion and Socialism Working Group brings together DSA members of all faiths to support each other, bring socialist ideas to our own faith communities, and work to combat white Christian nationalism. Join our monthly meetup Thursday 2/19 at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT/6:30pm MT/5:30pm PT to find out more.

Two of our sub-groups are having events this month as well! The Democratic Socialist Episcopal Association is re-launching. People of all faith backgrounds are welcome to join us in our organizing, mutual aid, and common worship. We conduct all of our work and services via our Discord server here. Join us for our weekly virtual Compline prayer services every Sunday. The next one will be Sunday 2/15. Standing regular meetings will begin Wednesday, 2/18 and be held every other week.

And help build the DSA Buddhist Circle! Buddhists of all traditions, Dharma practitioners, and Mindfulness practitioners are invited to our planning and visioning meeting Thursday 2/26 at 7pm ET/6pm CT/5pm MT/4pm PT. Feel free to review these notes before the meeting.

En Español: Housing Justice Commission Weekly Language Exchange Tuesday 2/17

Practica tu español con la Comisión para Justicia de Vivienda (CJV)!

Aprendiste español en el colegio o en el trabajo y quieres mejorar? Unete los martes a las 17:00 PST / 19:00 MEX/CST / 20:00 COL/EST / 22:00 / ARG para practicar con la CJV. Te pondremos en un cuarto de Zoom con otra persona para que practiquen juntos. Si quieres también tenemos guiones si necesitas ayuda!

Political Education Trainings Thursday 2/19 and Thursday 3/12 — Sign Up Today!

DSA’s National Political Education Committee (NPEC) welcomes all DSA members to our upcoming trainings:

• Socialist Archiving 201: Digital Deep Dive. Thursday 2/19 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT
• Running a Socialist Night School. Thursday 3/12 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT

And did you know? NPEC has a weekly podcast, Class! Subscribe to find out what DSA members all over the country are thinking and doing, and why, every Monday.

AfroSoc is BACK in Action! BIPOC Members, Join Our February General Body Meeting Sunday 2/22

AfroSoc, DSA’s Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus, is back! Join our February General Meeting Sunday 2/22 at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT for announcements, a chapter spotlight on ATL AFROSOC, a walkthrough of the Start a Local Chapter Packet, and general discussion on WG/committee proposals. All BIPOC, good-standing DSA members are welcomed!

Working Group (WG) proposals are still being accepted, and bylaw changes are now open for submission for March discussion. You can review our current bylaws and submit resolutions here. Debate, voting, and collective decision-making will close out the February meeting.

Help Support DSA — Join Growth and Development Committee Phonebanks Starting Sunday 2/22

Join one of our upcoming Growth and Development phonebanks!

• Solidarity Dues Phonebank Sunday 2/22 at 5pm ET/4pm CT/3pm MT/2pm PT
• Recommitment Phonebank Wednesday 3/4 at 7pm ET/6pm CT/5pm MT/4pm PT

Trainings will be provided at the beginning of each call.

Do You Have Fundraising Experience? Apply for DSA’s National Fundraising Committee!

DSA’s National Fundraising Committee is seeking members with fundraising experience. The application form is here. The Fundraising Committee supports the coordination of national fundraising efforts and serves as an advisory body for DSA’s fundraising practices and strategy. We’ll also focus on leading chapter fundraising trainings and providing support to members taking on this work locally. Committee members spend at least 4-6 hours a month carrying out committee duties.

With ambitious plans and a long road ahead, we must sustain ourselves, and that means coordinated and strategic fundraising. As a socialist organization engaged in class struggle, we must fund our own work!

DSA is Hiring! Application Deadlines Starting Sunday 2/15

DSA is hiring for the following four positions:

• Chapter Development Coordinator, application deadline Sunday 2/15
• Regional Organizer (Northeast), application deadline Sunday 2/22
• Regional Organizer (South), application deadline Sunday Sunday 2/22
• Data and Technology Director, application deadline March 3/1

You can find details, including job description and application links, on our Careers page here.

And congratulations to Kaitlin, our new Lead Regional Organizer! Her years as DSA’s Regional Organizer for the South will serve her well in her new role.

Help Build Strong Chapters! Apply for the Locals First Implementation Committee

Last month, the NPC voted to allocate $850k in Chapter Development Grants that local chapters can apply for to fund a broad range of activities, including campaign work, equity and administrative activities, and events. As part of the implementation, we are forming a dedicated team under the Growth and Development Committee (GDC) to oversee the distribution of these grants.

If you’re excited about building strong, well-resourced chapters, you can apply to join the GDC through this form. Indicate “Matching Funds/Chapter Grants” as your area of interest!

DSA Fund is Hiring a Program Lead!

The Democratic Socialists of America Fund (DSA Fund) is seeking a full-time program lead to cultivate the How We Win network of 250+ democratic socialist elected officials, staff and DSA chapters across the country.

DSA Fund is the 501(c)3 political education sister organization to the Democratic Socialists of America, investing in projects that help build a democratic socialist future. The Program Lead position can be based anywhere in the US. Please see the job description for more information. Applications are due by Thursday 2/26.

The post Your National Political Committee newsletter — Socialism Beats Fascism appeared first on Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

The Midwest Socialist’s Editorial Board

Matt

Pronouns: He/They

Neighborhood: Northwest Side Blue Line Branch

Outside of Midwest Socialist: I served as Chicago DSA’s Political Education Coordinator from July to December 2024.

Outside of DSA: I have a master’s degree in history, and I am particularly interested in the history of East Germany, the Eastern Bloc, socialist/labor history, and the history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries more generally. I speak fluent German and conversational Spanish, I collect currency from around the world, and I am a member of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA).

Currently Reading: Just finished Blue Collar Empireby Jeff Schuhrke, about the zealous anticommunism of the AFL-CIO, its very active collaboration with the CIA, and its successful efforts to undermine democratic trade unionism at home and abroad during the Cold War. I am now rereading the classic alternate history novel The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick.

Book Every Socialist Should Read: Everything for Everyone by M.E. O’Brien and Eman Abdelhadi. It’s a speculative oral history of a global anarcho-communist revolution that takes place from the 2050s to the 2070s. It is one of my favorite works of fiction of all time.

Another very formative book for me was Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, a memoir of the author’s experience as a war correspondent embedded with an anarchist militia in the Spanish Civil War. It’s the book that taught me that socialism could be more than just the aesthetic of the banners and slogans of the bygone USSR, but a revolutionary experiment relentlessly advancing the cause of equality, radical democracy, and human freedom.

If I could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why? Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, and Eugene Debs. They are easily my three favorite socialist figures of the twentieth century.

Organizing Advice: Intellectual pursuits are being hollowed out by social media, AI, and relentless attacks on public education. In this context, learning becomes a revolutionary act. Do your own reading, your own writing, and your own thinking. Your brain will thank you.

Publications: I write alternate-history themed settings for an independent tabletop roleplaying game publisher. I have also written for the Baffler, Chicago DSA’s Red Star Bulletin, and on my own (woefully out-of-date) Medium page.

Chase

Pronouns: He / Him

Neighborhood: Lincoln Square / Ravenswood

Outside of Midwest Socialist: I co-lead the Lincoln Square Social / Member Club, part of the Member Club pilot program within Chicago DSA. The focus is to activate, organize, and connect together members of Chicago DSA in Lincoln Square and the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Outside of DSA: Outside of DSA I work as a CPS Substitute teacher, and am currently completing my Masters in Education. I love learning languages, and speak German mostly fluently and Portuguese fairly well, with experience in several other languages. Additional passions of mine are Worldbuilding, watching movies, drawing, and writing. I am in fact working on publishing (on my substack) at least twelve short stories this year. 

Currently Reading: Currently I am reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I recently also finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick. 

Book Every Socialist Should Read: I don’t know if I know a very novel answer to this question, but I did read Kim Moody’s Rank and File Strategy recently; especially for those organizing within the US today, I think it’s a good read. 

If I could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why? This is such a difficult question. There are so many people I’d want to meet! I’ll give a shot:

1. Oetzi the Iceman: I actually saw his body on a trip to Italy, when I lived in nearby Austria. I would give anything to talk to anyone from the Neolithic, as I find the period, the dawn of “Civilization,” endlessly fascinating. Plus, he’s the oldest cold case in history!
2. Justinian II: Byzantine Emperor, last of the Heraclian dynasty. His great great grandfather, Heraclius, saved the Empire from the Parthians, only to lose half of it again to the nascent early Islamic Empire. Justinian II himself is interesting for being deposed, his nose cut off, exiled to Crimea, only to kill his guards, escape, and depose his deposer’s deposer (before being later again deposed). I’ve always thought he’d make a great subject of a book I’d like to write someday, so I’d love to chat!
3. Ursula K. Le Guin: I was not so much a fan of Le Guin when she was alive, but became one after her death. Earthsea and Always Coming Home are dear to my heart and great inspirations to me as a writer and as a human being. I would love the chance to talk to her and have her critique my own work!

Organizing Advice: Get to know your comrades! It’s hard to organize with somebody that you don’t know very well. 

Publications: I have not published anything for MWS as of yet, but I do have a substack! If you like short fiction of varying types follow my substack at @leerbaker1 (Lee R. Baker is my pen name). My plan for this year is to release 12 short stories in 12 months. 

Alec

Name: Alec Hudson

Pronouns: he/him

Neighborhood: Lincoln Square

Outside of Midwest Socialist: SEIU 73 member, Chicago DSA jack-of-all-trades.

Outside of DSA: New dad, history nerd, soccer fan, and traveler.

Currently Reading: The Paris Commune: A Brief History (Eichner, 2022), The New Deal: The Depression Years, 1933-1940 (Badger, 2002), The Socialist Challenge Today: Syriza, Corbyn, Sanders (Panitch, Gindin, & Maher, 2020).

If I could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why? Karl Marx for a good time, Eugene Debs to learn what it took to build a mass socialist party, and Gracchus Babeuf because I’m obsessed with the French Revolution and its role in establishing modern socialism/communism.

Organizing Advice: Stay curious and keep learning new skills!

Feel free to reach out via midwestsocialist at gmail dot com or send us your work!

The post Our Editorial Board: The Comrades Behind Midwest Socialist appeared first on Midwest Socialist.