A New Strategy and the Struggle for Bodily Autonomy
Currently, we are engaged in pickets of anti-abortion clinics to inform the local community about the array of deceptive tactics that these organizations use to trick pregnant people (primarily those seeking abortion care) to get them in their doors. You can sign up for the next picket here. We are also actively circulating a petition that proposes to the city of Durham, NC to include money in their budget for trans name changes, as the cost associated with changing one’s name pose a significant monetary burden that can be used to actively discriminate against trans people. You can sign that petition here.
Read the full text of our Chapter’s Priority Campaign below.
A New Strategy and the Struggle for Bodily Autonomy
Whereas, DSA’s national Political Platform holds that the US is not a democracy and that the fight for socialism is synonymous with the fight for true democracy,
Whereas, North Carolina, by prohibiting ballot initiatives without state approval and heavily pre-empting the powers of municipalities, denies legal public input into politics,
Whereas, it is quite possible that the next state elections in North Carolina will produce a Republican supermajority legislature and/or Governor, exacerbating the lack of democracy and additionally threatening a wide swath of existing civil rights,
Whereas, North Carolina specifically is widely regarded not just among socialists, but among experts and lay liberals as well, to be an exceptionally anti-democratic state,
Whereas, North Carolina is uniquely suited for a democratic political struggle, and there is no clear existing movement for democracy with a mass base in North Carolina at this time,
Whereas, due to both our organization’s level of development and the specific anti-democratic features of our political system, it is not practical for NCTDSA to contest for meaningful power at the state or federal level, but NCTDSA has already proven it can win a municipal race in Carrboro,
Whereas, the wielding of municipal power to facilitate the creation of a mass base and displace the legitimacy of the capitalist state has wide precedent in socialist politics, and direct municipal resistance against unjust state and federal law has a broad precedent through sanctuary cities,
Strategy
Therefore, NCTDSA will convert disparate, unfocused struggles for democracy and civil rights into a broad struggle for socialism and the overturning of all existing oppressive relations,
Therefore, NCTDSA will take initiative in the movement for bodily autonomy and reproductive justice, by building a mass movement to conquer municipal power and challenge the authority of the state government through civil non-compliance, therefore assuming leadership in the struggle for democracy in North Carolina, and by openly tying these efforts together,
Therefore, NCTDSA will aim to assume leadership by showing clear and politically focused initiative, and strive to avoid any chauvinistic orientation towards other groups fighting for democratic and/or civil rights,
Therefore, NCTDSA will attempt to actively recruit and politically develop the most politically advanced layer of the working class it interfaces with through these struggles,
Therefore, this proposal shall constitute a priority for the chapter, and all provisions within this resolution shall, unless specifically otherwise stated, apply for a period of one year, upon which NCTDSA will review the campaign and optionally propose it for renewal or revision at a general meeting,
Therefore, this proposal is available for any modification or termination of its measures by the general membership at a valid general meeting of the chapter as described in the Chapter Bylaws,
Therefore, not precluding any endorsements made by national DSA, NCTDSA will prioritize municipal races over state and especially federal races, and will advise interested candidates who indicate they wish to run for state or federal level races of this policy,
Tactics
Electoral Working Group
Therefore, the Electoral Working Group will adopt as its strategy the capture of municipal governments with the explicit goal of putting these on the front line of the struggle for democracy within North Carolina, and accordingly prioritize local elections, and prioritize further races that are necessary to win a governing majority at the municipal level,
Therefore, the Electoral Working Group will collaborate with the Socialist Feminist Working Group and the Queer-Trans Solidarity Working Group on candidate recruitment and development, both in terms of cadre DSA members through direct asks and power-mapping of existing NCTDSA members who may have not considered running for office before and promising potential candidates discovered from coalition organizations,
Therefore, the Electoral Working Group will seek to get cadre DSA members, particularly but not only those interested in running as municipal candidates in the future, on municipal boards and commissions relevant to this democracy and civil rights program,
Therefore, NCTDSA will require all of its electoral candidates to run as a unified, openly democratic socialist slate, and require candidates to promote unified messaging on the fight for democracy and civil rights and the role of municipal government in this as envisioned by NCTDSA,
Therefore, NCTDSA will require all successful electoral candidates to form a socialist caucus in any body where more than one DSA-endorsed candidate is elected, deliberate strategy in collaboration with NCTDSA’s Electoral Working Group, and vote as a bloc,
Therefore, NCTDSA will not seek to capture any executive offices and will instead pursue a strategy of building legislative majorities that will take a stance of opposition to the reactionary state and federal government,
Therefore, the Electoral Working Group will create agitational draft ordinances for Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh, fitting the above criteria, and propose the chapter adopt them officially before the end of 2023 at a general meeting,
Therefore, NCTDSA will aim to mobilize the advanced layers of workers and activists in our communities to demand that the municipal councils of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh adopt these ordinances, as opposed to simply lobbying council members,
Membership Committee
Therefore, NCTDSA’s Membership Committee will instruct and train mobilizers to cover the priority campaign during mobilizations with an ask inviting new members to participate in the next canvass, external action or meeting associated with the priority campaign, with preference given to canvasses and external actions and not meetings as the first entry to the priority campaign,
Therefore, NCTDSA’s Membership Committee will draft a basic and accessible curriculum aimed at people new to both DSA and socialism that explicitly connects the struggle for democracy and civil rights with the necessary struggle for socialism, from an introductory Marxist perspective, and by extension NCTDSA’s political strategy as described in this proposal,
Therefore, the Membership Committee will work with the Political Education Working Group to incorporate this basic political education into the new member onboarding process,
Therefore, the Growth, Development & Outreach Committee shall hold at least two fundraisers for the Carolina Abortion Fund, SisterSong, Equity Before Birth, and other reproductive organizations before the end of 2023 and document the process for other working groups, organizations, or individuals who may want to do their own,
Socialist Feminist Working Group
Therefore, NCTDSA’s Socialist Feminist working group shall pursue working relationships with other groups fighting for women’s rights in North Carolina, particularly around non-electoral initiatives to preserve access to reproductive rights and healthcare,
Therefore, the Socialist Feminist working group shall organize a campaign to disrupt local Anti-Abortion Centers holding monthly canvasses of nearby neighborhoods and businesses, picketing AACs, and teaching new participants how to organize their own actions with the goal of building an active base to help AAC clients find alternative resources and push municipalities to implement our demands,
Therefore, the Socialist Feminist working group shall work with UterRiot to expand their disruption of anti-abortion activists by providing organizing materials, recruitment assistance, and other resources as appropriate. This should also act as a way to build a larger base of support for pushing our demands,
Therefore, the Socialist Feminist working group shall recruit participants from this base through the aforementioned canvasses, as well as phonebanks led and conducted by priority campaign participants, for other reproductive care organizations to assist people seeking reproductive care in the Triangle and embed ourselves in the reproductive care provision infrastructure,
Queer and Trans Solidarity Working Group
Therefore, NCTDSA’s Queer and Trans Solidarity Working Group shall pursue working relationships with other groups fighting for LGBTIA+ rights in North Carolina, particularly around non-electoral initiatives to preserve access to gender-affirming care and generally safeguard and fight for additional rights for LGBTIA+ peoples,
Therefore, NCTDSA’s Queer and Trans Solidarity Working Group shall push Durham City Council to create a name change fund, make Durham a sanctuary city for LGBTIA+ people who are fleeing anti-LGBTIA+ legislation around the country, and expand safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ peoples to provide community and fight for liberation,
Chapter As A Whole
Therefore, NCTDSA as a chapter will specifically advertise and attempt to mobilize its membership for any public actions related to this priority proposal by the various working groups,
Therefore, NCTDSA Steering Committee will include time during general chapter meetings to discuss progress in this priority campaign.
Authors: Gabe F, Robert W
Working Group Cosponsors: Electoral Working Group, Growth Development and Outreach, Socialist Feminist Working Group, Queer and Trans Solidarity Working Group
Cosponsors: Zoe L, Tim H, Sebastian F-G, Carmen C, Saige S, Mika M