Seattle DSA Needs You to Step Up & Pitch in!
Let’s help Seattle DSA play a much bigger role in 2023!

Let’s be honest.  Since Biden took office, the Left has been struggling.  It’s been difficult to find our footing on a new political terrain – the Democrats control the federal government, and yet they have failed to meet the moment to deliver the change that is so needed. The need for a democratic socialist movement to promote an alternative to moderate Democrats and right-wing Republicans has never been clearer.

Now, in light of the Republicans winning the House we face further polarization and extreme gridlock.  Not to mention a savage war, a rampaging global pandemic, a world-historic climate catastrophe, and political and economic disintegration. Paints quite a grim picture, doesn't it? But there’s reason to be hopeful for struggle in the new year.

If the elections taught us anything, it’s that tens of millions of working people support left-wing solutions. Across the country pro-working class ballot initiatives passed.  From abortion rights wining in all 6 states where it was on the ballot this year, to increasing the minimum wage to $15 in Nebraska, extending Medicare in South Dakota, to raising taxes on the super-rich to fund social services!  

Most excitingly, there’s also been a wave of union elections and strikes, with Starbucks workers leading the way.  

And Seattle DSA has been there, standing shoulder to shoulder with these movements. We’ve supported Starbucks workers through our Starbucks Worker Solidarity Campaign of strike support and community outreach, which has led to Starbucks workers joining DSA. And DSA members have been on the frontlines of the HomeGrown union drive.

We were a significant part of the canvassing to get House Our Neighbors on the ballot and we will do our part in pushing to win this vote to establish publicly owned and democratically controlled housing in February. We also campaigned for the socialist candidate Stephanie Gallardo against warmonger Adam Smith.

We are running a successful community breakfast program, and we organized a rally and march of over 500 people to win back abortion rights on October 8th with a coalition of labor (from the MLK Labor Council to SEA and UFCW 3000), abortion rights groups, and others.

This is  just the tip of the iceberg. To tap into the full potential, we need you.

Seattle DSA is committed to playing a much bigger role in 2023.  But to do this, we need to be better organized and have a bigger megaphone to reach our supporters and the broader working class.  

In October our chapter voted to hire two part-time staff members – a major milestone for Seattle DSA.  The two staff will help activate our 1,500 members, build in South King County, and ramp up our chapter’s communications and media.

With its multi-racial working class  – the potential to build the forces of socialism in South King County is growing. Raise the Wage Tukwila winning by 82% showed there is an opening, and we’ve established points of support during the Gallardo campaign. 

But to build DSA in South King County will take serious resources.  

To make a substantial impact on Seattle politics we need to take steps toward developing our own socialist media. It is unacceptable that the Seattle left has to rely on two non-socialist publications (The Stranger & the Urbanist) to sometimes get our message out. Hiring our own communications staffer is an important step in building our own media infrastructure – but it costs money. 

As part of hiring staff we are launching a drive to increase our local dues and donations by $3,500/month.  This is completely within our reach.  Consider that we raised $15,000 to send members and Starbucks workers to Labor Notes and the Socialism Conference, we raised over $4,000 to put on the Oct 8 Abortion Rights rally, and we raised thousands to support striking Starbucks workers.  We’ve proven we can do this!

If 175 members donated $20 a month toward local dues, we could raise the $3,500 a month we need.  If 50 people pitched in $20/month tonight, we would hit ⅓ of our target!

Can you pitch in $20/month today? 

If 75 people pitched in $20/month tonight, we’d be nearly half of the way to our goal! 

Any amount you are able to donate will make a big difference in Building A Socialist Future. 

In solidarity, 

Bryan Watson

Seattle DSA Treasurer