WHAT WE STAND FOR

THE PURPOSE OF DSA IS TO BUILD A MASS SOCIALIST MOVEMENT

in the United States with the ultimate aim of a revolutionary transformation of society from capitalism to socialism. As democratic socialists, we believe in a future where democratic principles are extended to all spheres of life, including the economy, the workplace, and educational institutions.

We embrace many ways of working towards these goals, including engaging with existing community movements, providing political education, and participating in electoral politics with socialist candidates.

To learn more about socialism and deepen your own political education, here are a few good "Intro to DSA and Socialism" readings to check out.

THE ECONOMY MUST BE RUN DEMOCRATICALLY; NONE SHALL BE POOR SO ANOTHER CAN BE RICH

As it stands, the overwhelming majority of people have little power over the nature of their work or their compensation for it. We demand that people have control over how they work, when they work, and how their labor is applied.

ABOLITION OF POVERTY

Both in the United States and globally, the world is more productive than it has ever been. Yet millions upon millions remain mired in poverty.

Coerced by necessity into destructive arrangements at work and at home, they lack adequate access to the necessities of human life. Increased productivity can eliminate poverty and satisfy everyone’s’ material needs. We demand a system that can achieve this.

AFFORDABLE, HUMANE HOUSING FOR ALL

A home is not a commodity; it is a human right. We demand that everyone has access to housing that meets their needs and neighborhoods that foster vibrant communities.

MEDICARE FOR ALL

No one should risk financial ruin when they consider going to the doctor.

Everyone must have access to quality government-financed medical care throughout their lives. This is most immediately achievable through a single-payer system.

FREE EDUCATION: FROM PRE-K TO TRADES, COLLEGE, AND BEYOND

We reject wealth as a criterion for receiving quality education at any level. We must not only guarantee access to higher education but must also ensure students are provided with the tools to take advantage of that guarantee.

DEMOCRACY IN THE WORKPLACE—ALL WORKERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE

We see the primary means to improve everyday life through democratic control, manifested in a socialist system. We must resist dismantling of workers’ rights to organize and instead bolster them by Supporting unions in the fight for living wages, equal pay and safe workplaces. We demand an economic system in which workers control their labor.

COMPLETE REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM IN ALL FORMS

Everyone should have the support and tools to decide if and when to have children. We must ensure access to birth control and safe, legal abortion and all forms of family planning. We must provide material support to ensure every child is raised free from discrimination, violence and oppression.

AN END TO RACIAL, GENDER, AND ALL OTHER FORMS OF OPPRESSION

Whether it be on the basis of race, gender, religion, orientation, or disability, we must fight alongside those who face violence and exploitation. We recognize that the exploitation in our society is as intersectional as its members, and our struggle must therefore be intersectional as well.

AN END TO PUNITIVE JUSTICE AND MASS INCARCERATION

We demand an end to prisons as a weapon of domination, an end to the Drug War, an end to broken families, and an end to our barbaric treatment of inmates. We cannot confront these issues unless we recognize the systemic racism at their very core. We are a police and prison abolitionist organization.

We fight for a justice system that prioritizes rehabilitation and restorative justice over punishment.

AN END TO MILITARY & POLICE AGGRESSION IN THE US & AROUND THE WORLD

Both at home and abroad, violent force is used as tool of racist oppression and capitalist exploitation. We oppose globalized capitalism, imperialism, militarism, settler colonialism, and all forms of oppression wherever they occur. Capitalism is global — to defeat it, we must be too.

We demand an end to American imperialism both at home and abroad. We seek to build global solidarity for global liberation.

DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OVER THE ENVIRONMENT TO PRESERVE THE PLANET

If left unchecked, capitalism will destroy our planet, and those least responsible will suffer the greatest consequences. We must ensure everyone has access to clean, affordable food and water. We demand environmental justice for the living and responsible stewardship in the name of those yet to be born.