Rebuilding Working-Class Social Life

Whereas:

Rhode Island DSA aims to organize the working class to take power for itself, which requires a fighting socialist party;

A mass party needs a vibrant internal life that binds members together;

Traditional social institutions of civil society are in decay, leaving working-class people increasingly isolated from one another;

NGO approaches such as charity and advocacy fail to rebuild these connections, instead elevating a stratum of people who “do good”;

Resolved:

Rhode Island DSA shall use social activities (sports, clubs, parties, cookouts, etc.) as a key element of our outreach to the working class.

Rhode Island DSA’s outreach activities shall create open, collective spaces that build solidarity and connection among working-class people, rather than simply providing services or replicating the work of charities. These events should create a sense of shared power and belonging, creating opportunities for political education, relationship-building, and recruitment.

The Executive Committee shall appoint at least one social events coordinator to help regularly plan outward-facing social events for Rhode Island DSA.

The Executive Committee shall oversee the completion of a community power map, identifying the specific working-class constituencies Rhode Island DSA will prioritize for outreach (healthcare workers, union members, particular minority neighborhoods, etc.), taking into account the objectives of our chapter campaigns.

The Executive Committee, working with the social events coordinator, shall use the power map to design a recruitment plan aimed at building a membership more representative of the working class, with a focus on working-class people who are not already activists.

The social events coordinator shall plan activities that are fun and welcoming first points of contact for potential recruits.