Category: Organizing

Organizing, Local, Unions, Labor, Monthly Round-UpLeave a comment

Monthly Round-Up – December 2025

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By a Comrade This article is written by a DSA member and does not formally represent the views of MADSA as a whole or its subgroups.  Welcome to Vol. 5 of the monthly round-up! The content in this publication overlaps significantly with our DSA newsletter and monthly General Membership Meetings. To sign up for the newsletter or check out an upcoming General Membership Meeting, visit: https://madison-dsa.org/events/ MADSA Adds a New Branch The chapter reported at our December General Membership Meeting that MADSA has nearly doubled in size since October 2024 – from 368 members then, to 643 members now! In … Continue reading Monthly Round-Up – December 2025

Socialism, OrganizingLeave a comment

Democracy: On meetings and voting

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by Dan F There have been some differences of opinion in MADSA about decision making, meetings, and in general how we organize over the past few years. And contention has often arisen around bylaw changes. Here are some of my migraine-addled opinions on why this is happening. Two examples of contention First, in the 2025 convention there was a bylaw change proposed to make working groups accountable to a SMART goal-based structure. In the introduction, the intent was written as about “democracy, accountability, and transparency”, and about improving communication between working groups and the general membership. However, as written, the … Continue reading Democracy: On meetings and voting

Organizing, Racism, Socialism, Uncategorized, UnionsLeave a comment

The Peculiar and Continuing Importance of Anti-Black Racism in the U.S.

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By Blair Goodman — Political Education Working Group, Madison DSA Madison, right now Across Dane County, our campaigns against jail expansion, corporate developers, and layoffs at TruStage all run into the same brick wall: a system that divides and disciplines labor along racial lines. Anti-Black racism isn’t an add-on to class struggle—it’s a core method by which exploitation keeps reproducing itself. This piece offers a framework for connecting those dots in our local work. 1) Capitalism’s birth in racial slavery Modern capitalism was built through dispossession and enslavement—the twin thefts of land and labor. Plantations were early financial instruments linking … Continue reading The Peculiar and Continuing Importance of Anti-Black Racism in the U.S.

abolition, City Gov, Local, OrganizingLeave a comment

Jail Communications Campaign Victory

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By the Jail Communications Coalition We fought hard, we fought smart, and we won! The Abolitionist Working Group and our community coalition for free jail communications campaigned against a 3-5 year, exploitative contract between the Dane County Sheriff and Smart Communications, which the Dane County Board of Supervisors voted to reject on September 18, 2025.  The contract would have meant continued financial exploitation of jail residents and their families, keeping human connection for those awaiting trial behind a paywall and denying jail residents physical mai through the dehumanizing and inefficient practice of mail scanning. We are celebrating and learning from … Continue reading Jail Communications Campaign Victory

Education, Organizing, SocialismLeave a comment

Cadre Development

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by Blair Goodman Purpose and Use This is a training and reference guide (or maybe just a vision) for developing cadres—members who form the committed core of an organization.  It helps participants understand both the skills and the culture needed to sustain effective socialist organizing. What is a Cadre? “I liked doing it, Mac. I don’t know why. It seemed a good thing to be doing. It seemed to have meaning. Nothing I ever did before had any meaning.” — John Steinbeck, In Dubious Battle In political organizing, cadre refers to the trained, committed core of activists who form an … Continue reading Cadre Development

abolition, Elections, Internationalism, OrganizingLeave a comment

Monthly Round-Up – September 2025

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by a comrade This article is written by a DSA member and does not formally represent the views of MADSA as a whole or its subgroups.  Welcome to Vol. 2 of the monthly round-up! The content in this publication overlaps significantly with our DSA newsletter and monthly General Membership Meetings. To sign up for the newsletter or check out an upcoming General Membership Meeting, visit: https://madison-dsa.org/events/ Socialists Run for Seats Locally and Across the Nation Socialist candidates have been making headlines across the country for offering a hopeful alternative to establishment Democrats. Exciting recent campaigns have included mayoral candidates Zohran … Continue reading Monthly Round-Up – September 2025

Organizing, Socialism, Wisconsin

YDSA UW-Madison Wins Five Seats in ASM Elections

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We are so pleased and proud to announce that three of our candidates have won in the ASM elections Wednesday night — Gabo Samoff for College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and Student Finance Services Committee, Bobby Gronert for College of Letters and Science and Student Finance Services Committee and Tristan Englemann for College of Engineering (five seats total). Continue reading YDSA UW-Madison Wins Five Seats in ASM Elections

Local, Organizing, RacismLeave a comment

UW-Madison YDSA Statement on the Ben Shapiro Protest

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By the Young Democratic Socialists of America at UW-Madison We all know the conservative shtick by now. The right-wing organizations on campuses across the nation invite inflammatory, hateful, and reactionary talking heads to promote their bigotry and cry victim each time a student protest is mounted against them. According to Nick Baker of YAF, our organization is “appalled that someone with different views than their own would be allowed to step foot on campus”. Seems like an inaccurate oversimplification of the situation, but what else would you expect? Because obviously it’s not about a simple difference of opinion. When Matt … Continue reading UW-Madison YDSA Statement on the Ben Shapiro Protest

Labor, Local, OrganizingLeave a comment

Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America stands in solidarity with striking TruStage workers

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Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America enthusiastically supports ongoing Unfair Labor Practices Strike of OPEIU Local 39, which represents 450 workers at TruStage (until recently known as CUNA Mutual Group), an insurance firm. Continue reading Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America stands in solidarity with striking TruStage workers

Abortion, feminism, Inequality, Labor, Organizing, Socialist Feminism, SpeechesLeave a comment

Speech from Bans Off Our Bodies march on October 2nd

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Reproductive Justice is also Economic Justice, Speech Written by Ellen LaLuzerne I’m here today in my role as vice president elect of the South-Central Federation of Labor.  But first, I wanted to share a little about myself. I have two … Continue reading Speech from Bans Off Our Bodies march on October 2nd