Steering Committee Officers
Administers chapter affairs, oversees the implementation of decisions made by the chapter membership.
- Co-Chairs: Andrew M, James G
- Secretary: Alex T
- Treasurer: Gabe T
Palestine Liberation Committee
The Palestine Liberation Committee facilitates anti-imperialist, anti-Zionist, and anti-racist chapter work that includes supporting current coalition work around Palestine Liberation and upholding the principles implemented in the Anti-Zionist Resolution.
The group supports the Truth and Justice for Palestine Coalition which seeks to add Palestinian and diverse voices to WAMC’s The Roundtable program, the Break the Bonds Coalition which seeks to force the NYS Comptroller to divest NYS pensions from Israel Bonds, and coordinates with local grassroots Palestinian and anti-Zionist organizations, as well as with the DSA International Committee, to integrate the demands of the Palestinian movement with Capital District DSA’s praxis and DSA’s platform.
Housing Committee
CDDSA’s housing committee believes that housing is not a commodity to be bought, sold, and speculated — it’s a human right. As the climate crisis wreaks havoc, fascism rises across the world, and landlords get passes to collude over rent hikes, now more than ever it is evident that any sense of housing stability in our current system is precarious — we can lose it all at any moment. This affirms our belief and goal for a world where all people have secure, safe, and dignified housing. We work towards that future by organizing tenant unions to build power and materially change the conditions of working class people’s homes and lives. We fight for transformative housing justice through laws that work for tenants, not real estate or politicians.
Labor Committee
The Labor Committee wants to put the “movement” back in the labor movement of the Capital Region. The foundation of working class power is strong organization at the workplace. Our committee works to deepen our chapter’s roots in the labor movement through education, organizing, and supporting our members in unions.
Communications Committee
Capital District DSA formed the Communications Committee Charter to facilitate external communications needs of the chapter, including social media management, support with graphics design and copy writing, creating and gathering resources for communication use, and media inquiry, as well as supplying labor for the communications needs for chapter committees/working groups.
The Communications Committee all manages communication work essential to the functioning of the chapter, maintaining our chapter democracy, and long-term health.
Electoral Committee
Comrades of our electoral committee strive to place DSA members in elected or appointed seats of political power. To that end the committee identifies willing and knowledgeable candidates from among the membership as well as finds opportunities for political power within the Capital District. The committee then will focus the efforts of the general membership to win the position for our candidate. Once elected, the committee’s work continues by ensuring that a successful candidate’s actions remain consistent with the political positions and principles of the Capital District DSA.
Ecosocialist Committee
This committee organizes around eco-socialist causes such as democratizing New York’s energy grid, pressuring the state to build towards our goal of 100% renewable power, and fighting against data centers.
We work with Public Power NY, a statewide coalition of DSA chapters to bring a New York Green New Deal to fruition, while focusing on the work to be done in the Capital Region. We recognize that the incentives of capitalism will never save us from the existential threat of climate change, and that ownership over our energy should be taken from for-profit monopolies and reclaimed by the public. Our efforts have resulted in the passage of the Build Public Renewable’s Act, and the introduction of legislation like the Hudson Valley Power Authority Act. We continue to fight for tangible wins like these that help build renewable energy, create green union jobs, slash rising utility bills, and bring us closer to a world where the people own our own power!
Political Education Committee
The political education committee provides programs and events that deepen our understanding of socialism and the issues that drive the economy and society towards a socialist future. We have offered readings, film screenings and podcast episodes on Antonio Gramsci, Alexandra Kollontai and Karl Marx; discussions on important moments in labor history from strikes in a New Mexico mine, a Chicago slaughter house and a Los Angeles hotel. Currently, we’re developing tutorials for each standing committee to support what they do.