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The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in the United States, and the principal U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International, which includes socialist parties as diverse as the Swedish Social Democrats, Nicaragua's FSLN, and the British Labour Party.DSA was formed in 1983 from a merger of Michael Harrington's Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (the largest remnant of the defunct Socialist Party of America) and the New American Movement , a coalition of writers and intellectuals with roots in both the "Old" and the "New" left. DSA is organized at the local level, and works with labor unions, community organizations, and campus activists on issues of common interest. Nationwide campaigns are coordinated by the organization's national office in New York City.
Among DSA's notable members are AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, feminist Gloria Steinem, actor Ed Asner, author Barbara Ehrenreich, scholar and activist Cornel West, and libertarian socialist Noam Chomsky. A few current and former members of CongressThe United States Congress is the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The structure and responsibilities of Congress are defined in Article One of the United States Constitution. The United States Congress is bicameral, meaning tha have, or have had, membership or other ties to the organization, including: Major OwensMajor Robert Odell Owens (born June 28, 1936) is a New York politician. Owens was born in Collierville, Tennessee. He has a bachelor's degree from Morehouse College and a master of science degree from Atlanta University. Owens was a librarian before enter (D- NYNew York is a state in the northeastern United States whose U. postal abbreviation is NY . It is sometimes called New York State when there is need to distinguish it from New York City. History See: History of New York New York was one of the thirteen col), a DSA member; Ron DellumsRonald Vernie Dellums (born November 24, 1935), U. Democratic Party politician, was a U. Representative from California from 1971 until 1999. He was a proponent of reducing military spending, and an advocate of peace and social justice during his time in (D- CACalifornia is a state located in the western United States, bordering the Pacific Ocean. The most populous and third largest state in the U. California is both physically and demographically diverse. The state's official nickname is "The Golden State", wh), a former member; Danny Davis (D- ILIllinois is a state in the United States named after the Illiniwek Indian tribe, which used to live there. The capital of Illinois is Springfield and the U. postal abbreviation for the state is IL . Illinois is pronounced ill-len-NOY, or jokingly, ill-len), rumored to be a member; and Bernie Sanders (I- VTVermont is the 14th state of the United States, known for its beautiful scenery, dairy products, maple syrup and progressive politics. History Vermont was originally home to the tribes of the Iroquois, Algonquian and Abenaki nations. In 1609, French explo), who has spoken to DSA conferences.
While many Democratic Socialists are also members of the Democratic Party, electoral politics have been a secondary concern throughout the history of the organization. The main aim of DSA is to promote socialist ideas within the broader progressive social movements in American politics. On electoral questions, the organization supports what it calls the "left wing of the possible" on a case by case scenario. DSA members have at times been elected to public office at the local, state, and federal level, both as Democratic Party and non-partisan candidates. DSA's involvement in Democratic politics has been a matter of some controversy with other socialists, particularly in the Socialist Party USA, who would prefer to see it support only explicitly socialist candidates.
See also: List of political parties in the United States
