On September 12 we will have our first annual DSA Santa Barbara chapter convention! At the convention, one of the things we will be doing is casting votes on chapter officer positions. These positions are listed below, along with descriptions and statements from those running for office.
Zach B — “I’m a legal intern, starting law school next year in the hopes of a career in public defense. I am constantly angered by the way American empire grinds up vulnerable people, all in a drive for increased profits for the wealthy. My pet issues are housing as a human right, police and prison abolition, and ending the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. I’m running for Vice Chair because I want to help make all the different components of SB DSA run smoothly. I want to do what I can to start dismantling capitalism, starting locally and hopefully rippling outward.” Nobody yet! Nobody yet! Darrick — “I am a 29 year old father of one who is looking to make a contribution to the common good. I am a optimistic pragmatist who wants to see all US residents take a more involved role in the decisions that govern their lives – and I am hopeful that DSA will be a vehicle for the growing involvement of everyone, especially the young and working class. I stand by the values of this organization and principles of this Chapter. “At Large Representative” fits most closely with my skill sets and experience. My Master’s degree focused on institutional sustainability; essentially how to get organizations goal oriented in a manner that looks at future challenges/opportunities. In the past I have interned at the State Dept. and worked at the UN office for Least developed countries, as well as a number of jobs working in countries like Morocco, Ghana, and Belize. My background will help me to make DSA a ‘change-agent’ and an organization with short term/long term achievable goals.” Nastacia — “My name is Nastacia, and I’m running for At Large Representative because I believe that it’s important to have members of the Steering Committee who have a broad understanding of the goings-on of the general chapter and can synthesize that information in order to represent the membership “at large”. As At Large Representative I would work closely with other Steering Committee members to identify any needs or opportunities within the general membership and find creative ways for members to get involved and make their voices heard, as is necessary in any socialist group. Having participated regularly in general meetings, organizing committee meetings, working group meetings, and coalition meetings, I believe that as an At Large Representative I would be able to adequately represent members of the chapter widely across our organizing efforts.” Zac S — “Hi I’m Zac and I’ve been involved in Santa Barbara DSA from its early stages. I set up our social media accounts and purchased our domain name, and it would be a joy to steward the good work that Per has done in maintaining the website and sending out newsletters. I’d also love to delegate some of our content creation out to our members so we can continue to grow our communications and reach more people. If you vote for me I promise to convert all private land in Santa Barbara to public land within three weeks. Thank you.” Loren — “The Outreach Coordinator needs to be someone who has shown up for many other groups efforts. They need to be able to communicate with radicals, progressives, and even centrist Dems when our goals align. These are all things I have done and am capable of doing. I am a Steward in my union. I am in communication with El Centro, the SB Standing Rock Coalition, Bonfire Collective, and Healthy CA. I’m smart enough, I’m good enough, and gosh darn it, people like me! Vote this guy for Outreach Coordinator!” Who’s Running?
Dhriti — “As a founding member of the Santa Barbara DSA, I’ve been lucky to see this group grow from a few people sitting around in a living room to an organization with many members and working groups. While our growth has been exciting, I feel that I have many skills to offer as a co-chair that would improve our organization’s efficiency and communication. I’m a member of the Health Care Working Group and my role has been to set agendas for and run our meetings as well as facilitate communication between members and other organizations. Ensuring that our group has a clear agenda to work through every meeting has enabled us to gain a sense of purpose. Not only did this lead to a successful canvassing event, but, more importantly, this has led to group members finding their strengths as activists and taking ownership of the group. I hope to lend these skills to Santa Barbara DSA as a whole.
That being said, efficiency is not my only priority; having been involved in activism and community moderation since my college days in Chicago, I am used to working with diverse groups of people and mediating conflicts. I truly believe that activism isn’t just about making sure that everyone is in the room, but it’s about making sure that everyone in the room feels safe, is heard, and is appreciated for their strengths. I look forward to making our growing organization more democratic and making sure that we are able to take input from all of our members. In my opinion, leadership is about delegation, fostering people’s talents, and making sure that every member feels that they have a stake. If you are also committed to our chapter’s growth and increased member involvement, please vote for me as co-chair of the Santa Barbara DSA.”
Per — “I was pleased to be invited to the table in 2017 when we first committed to building a DSA chapter in Santa Barbara. Since then, I’ve been at nearly every core organizing meeting with the rest of our excellent volunteer leadership, offering my experience and leadership to stewarding this community. I’ve only been in town since 2014, but in that time I’ve gotten very engaged in the city and its various activist communities. I have run a socialist reading group for over three years and met people from dozens of local organizing and politically active groups. I was also a core organizer for the local Bernie Sanders campaign for a year a half, where I learned a lot about the political landscape of the central coast and CA, and continued meeting new people, building networks into a broad range of progressive and left groups locally. I believe these relationships and networks are indispensable in growing our chapter and building solidarity to mutually elevate our work. I’m a non-sectarian radical leftist comfortable speaking to and building bridges with a broad spectrum of political leanings. My disposition is generally calm and patient. As a leader, I want all people to be heard but make sure we adhere to strong community standards, and be mindful that every human space, even leftist organizing spaces, has to be prepared to contend with sexism, racism, harassment, or inconsiderate behavior towards marginalized groups. I want us to do as much as we can to prevent this, and have a clear, safe grievance process if and when issues come up. As an independent filmmaker and artist, I believe strongly in telling important stories and communicating the positive, political vision that socialists are bringing to bear. I believe that Dhriti and I together will be a good team with complementary strengths and experience and look forward to seeing you at meetings in the streets!Who’s Running?
Who’s Running?
Who’s Running?
Who’s Running?
Who’s Running?
Who’s Running?
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