The ecosocialist working group seeks to empower climate and environmental justice advocates in the Greater Baltimore region; advance an ecosocialist perspective in environmental justice movements, the GBDSA and greater left; preserve the natural environment through collective ownership of resources; promote understanding of climate science as well as the intersections of capitalism, imperialism, systemic oppression and climate crisis; and build a socialist movement that reflects the needs of the people and planet as an interdependent ecosystem.

Email Chris at eco@baltimoredsa.org for more information.

The goal of the electoral committee is to use the electoral system to support working people in building power and implementing socialist policy on the local level. We are trying to do that by endorsing working class leaders running for office and providing volunteer support to help their campaigns. Those same teams of DSA canvassers can go out and knock doors year round to continue to engage voters, as well as support resolutions and ballot initiatives that help lay groundwork for socialism in the city of Baltimore.

You can get involved by coming to one of our monthly meetings, or by jumping right in and coming to a canvassing day! If you are not comfortable going out to talk to people, we also need help researching candidates, creating graphics, writing statements of support, and developing our electoral strategy as a chapter.

Feel free to reach out to Gaby N, the committee chair, with questions at electoral@baltimoredsa.org.

The Feminist/Queer Caucus of the Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America is open to all women-identifying and queer members. Our caucus explores the intersections of identity as they relate to both feminist and queer liberation struggles. As socialists, we understand the specific oppressions of gender, race and heteropatriarchy under capitalism as class struggle and work to bring this analysis to our chapter’s work. We oppose liberal cooptations of identity politics such as neoliberal feminism and rainbow capitalism. Our organizing focuses on centering working class women and queer people in our communities and in solidarity with international movements to end gender, racial and economic exploitation.

Join in on any of our caucus Zoom calls, every other Friday from 5:30-6:30 PM to meet our members and share in our ongoing organizing discussions. We also try to meet in person once a month for some casual community-building. The caucus Slack channel is a great way to keep the conversation going between calls, and updates are sent to the caucus google group.

Currently our committee is focused on two main efforts. The first is that we are petitioning the two Maryland Senators - Cardin and Van Hollen - to co-sponsor Senate Bill S. 1804 "The Medicare for All Act". So far we have gathered over 1500 signatures primarily by canvassing and/or tabling at large public events. The second effort is that we are assisting an ally organization - Healthcare Now/Healthcare is a Human Right Maryland - with their petition for Dutch Rupersberger to support House Bill HR 676. After these efforts are concluded, which will probably occur towards the end of the 2018 calendar year, we will work with the Steering Committee to plan future efforts.

Any new member is welcome! Even those that do not have that much spare time. We plan our canvassing/tabling at committee meetings and usually try to plan a month or two out. Nobody is expected to attend all activities, or even a majority of them. Some members only attend one event every two months, some attend one or more a week - any involvement is appreciated and there is absolutely no pressure. Canvassing in large groups versus knocking doors versus tabling are vastly different experiences. New members might like one but not the others, and that is perfectly fine. Some members don't enjoy canvassing at all, but prefer coming to committee meetings to do behind-the-scenes work in planning or preparing materials. All levels of involvement are appreciated.

For any questions, please email healthjustice@baltimoredsa.org

The city of Baltimore is not only starkly segregated upon racial lines (see, the White L and the Black Butterfly), but it also stratified in racial economic outcomes, funding of public services, and police brutality. This working group recognizes that the underfunding of schools in working class Black neighborhoods, the lack of reliable public transit, the over-policing, the dearth of grocery stores, and the lead paint crisis, among other social ills, are not issues of mere neglect. The capitalist class and their bedfellows in the Baltimore City and Maryland state governments have intentionally routed public money away from working class neighborhoods into booming wealthy areas. While our city approves $600 million in TIF deals for Under Armour, our children shiver in freezing classrooms. This working group seeks to create justice in the areas of public transportation, housing, education, and any other public service where the predominately Black working class of Baltimore have had their fortunes robbed by the capitalists - Democrat and Republican alike.

New members can email housing@baltimoredsa.org if they are interested in participating in transit or tenant organizing.

The labor committee coordinates solidarity actions with workers and unions around the city, works to promote political education and class consciousness, and aims to create a network of socialists from different unions to help bring a merger between socialism and the labor movement.

New members are asked to come to labor committee meetings to help with the regular work of the committee and participate in solidarity actions when they occur.

Contact Stephen at labor@baltimoredsa.org

The Outreach Committee recruits and onboards new members, welcomes people to general meetings, and generally manages communications and membership engagement work for the chapter. Currently we are building the chapter's website and establishing basic communications tools for the chapter.

If you have experience in communications, technoloy, or even just talking to people and being friendly, you can help! Come to a breakout session at the chapter's general meeting or contact Ben directly to find out where you can fit in.

Contact Ben at outreach@baltimoredsa.org

In concert with DSA's national Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus, the GBDSA People of Color Caucus aims to meaningfully engage communities of color in Baltimore, forging outreach and activism efforts to confront social, economic, and legal challenges faced by residents. For centuries, the exploitative system of capitalism has disproportionately marginalized people of color in the United States. The POC Caucus is devoted to empowering the GBDSA towards becoming a group that visibly reflects the demographic reality of Baltimore City as a majority African American metropolis.

Any new member can contact Dominick directly or check out the chapter's Facebook page for future events.

Email Dominick at poc-caucus@baltimoredsa.org

The Political Education Committee seeks to educate our comrades and our communities about socialism. The capitalist system that governs our lives has left us alienated, impoverished, and isolated. It makes false promises of freedom and abundance while every year the ruling class becomes richer and richer. Every year the few protections we have wither away more. The socialist struggle is the struggle of the working classes and the oppressed to stand up, recognize our power, and fight for a better future.

Political Education is at the center of our struggle for socialism. Socialists, the tribunes of the people, must be able to explain to our families and communities why the capitalist line can not hold. We believe that studying our history and studying the forces of capitalism will empower us to become better organizers. We believe that this knowledge belongs to the people, and that by spreading it we can awaken the consciousness of the working classes.

We welcome all new members to study with us, to share their knowledge and passion with us, and to help us as we all become better socialists. The Committee will encourage our studies through several programs. We organize and facilitate reading groups and film viewings to help foster camaraderie and analysis of complex issues. We will work to organize an ongoing Socialist Night School, to offer introductions and courses to the public and to our members. We will share our knowledge with our comrades by producing pamphlets, blog posts, and materials to help us bring the case for socialism to the people of Baltimore. Most importantly we will remember that our learning must be put to use in the struggle against oppression.

To learn more, please attend our monthly meeting! We will be able to plug you into the groups you would like to join, and help get you started on your road to knowledge! To help us as we build these programs, please keep coming back to our monthly meeting. We hope to train as many people as we can to be confident leaders and teachers of the working class. Let’s learn together.