Last Saturday, RI DSA was at the Teamsters hall in East Providence to host our panel discussion: Beyond the Two-Party System: Why We Need an Alternative for the Working Class!

Democrats and Republicans have the same corporate backers. And both parties fund brutal wars overseas while leaving the working class to fend for themselves at home.More people than ever recognize the need for an alternative, but how can we start building one? Our panel discussed why our chapter has decided to run independent socialists in future elections, and how we plan to take party-building beyond the electoral cycle.

Panelists included leftists who have participated in Democratic primaries as well as independent campaigns:

Former State Senator Cynthia Mendes
Tony Unger, Co-Chair of RI DSA
Liam Easton-Calabria, Finance Organizer for the Kshama Sawant Solidarity Campaign (Socialist Alternative)
Dan Piper, teacher and 2020 candidate for the Connecticut House of Representatives (Workers' Voice)

The conversation was moderated by RI DSA Co-Chair Kinverly Dicupe.

You can watch a recording of this session, courtesy of Steve Ahlquist, on YouTube