New and Returning Member Orientations
Join Connecticut DSA for our regular monthly New Member Orientations! New to the chapter or interested in getting involved? Learn and discuss with other socialists why we believe that the working class has the power to change the world, and how you can get plugged into one of our campaigns, from labor power to housing justice, ecosocialism to international solidarity, and beyond!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be a member to be involved in CT DSA?
No! Our campaigns, meetings, and organizing activities are open to all who want to contribute. However, you have to be a member to vote on items of business, our strategic direction, and for our leadership. National DSA is only funded and powered by the individual dues of our tens of thousands of members; this ensures that our organization is only accountable to our members – not billionaires, philanthropists, or any other special interests. We encourage everyone who is interested in Connecticut DSA to become a member to help the chapter grow!
Who makes decisions in CT DSA?
Our membership model is the backbone of internal democracy in DSA. As a membership organization, dues-paying DSA members drive the decision-making process in CT DSA. Important issues are voted on at quarterly general meetings. The elected Steering Committee leads the organization’s day-to-day organizing and operations. Working Groups lead our organizing in different issue areas. Find a list of our Working Groups here.
What is the relationship between National DSA and CT DSA?
Connecticut DSA is a local chapter of National DSA. We send delegates to the biennial National Convention to deliberate and discuss our strategy and priorities – such as how we orient towards the state, electoral politics, and different coalitions – and elect our national leadership, called the National Political Committee. The National Political Committee makes recommendations for national priorities and serves as a resource for materials such as sample flyers, training materials, graphic design, etc.
In addition, National DSA has many working groups, focusing on feminism, veterans, fighting racism, labor, queer socialists, and the solidarity economy.
How are my dues put to use?
It depends! If you pay annual dues, 100% of your DSA dues go to the National DSA, which uses dues to hire staff, provide training, and organize conventions and gatherings of DSA members. If you pay monthly dues, one out of every four dollars goes to the chapter, and the other three dollars go to National DSA.
CT DSA uses dues money to fund:
- Organizing materials (flyers, literature, tables, etc.)
- Meeting spaces and amenities
- Members traveling to conferences (like the People’s Conference for Palestine)
- The struggles of working class organizations (like Cargill Tenants Union and Emerson Tenants Union)
To help cover the costs of our local activities, we also hold fundraisers and solicit donations on the local level.
What distinguishes DSA from other socialist or leftist groups in CT?
CT DSA is a big-tent organization, meaning that we embrace many strategies and tactics and encourage debate on important issues; and that we do not require people to subscribe to a particular tendency of left politics to organize with us and become a member.
While DSA is well-known for its electoral work, we are not a political party. Instead, we are a membership organization agitating on all terrains of struggle, whether through political education, building mass work, or contesting for state power. DSA members are building mass movements for social change while establishing an openly socialist presence in American communities and politics.
Does CT DSA work with other socialist or leftist groups?
CT DSA has worked and continues to work with many other organizations across Connecticut – most notably, we are a leading organization in the Connecticut Palestine Solidarity Coalition, in statewide transit justice organizing, and in electoral politics. In the past, we have organized in coalition to win Tenants Right to Counsel.