We’re here to win

We’re not here to complain. We’re not here to prove a point. We’re here to win. And the imperialist, capitalist, white supremacist heteropatriarchy thrives when we act alone, rely on liberal institutions, and leave the work to professional activists. We need to organize mass, democratic people power – for ourselves and for each other.

We’re a membership organization

Only our members can decide what we do and how we do it. And how do we maintain that political independence? By self-funding our work. If we don’t fund our movement, capital will find a way to co-opt and corrupt it. We become members and fund our work by paying dues (see below), not unlike labor or tenants unions. To become a DSA member, pay DSA National dues.

Membership in DSA gets you a vote in local chapter matters, a DSA National membership card, a cool pin from our chapter, access to DSA National organizing resources, and a well-funded nationwide organization. Additionally, the more DSA members a local chapter has, the larger the delegation allotted to them for the biennial DSA National convention.

We’re a nationwide organization

Maintaining a nationwide organization of associated local chapters increases DSA’s profile and power. To join DSA, go to dsausa.org/join and select a DSA National “dues plan.” All dues plans get you the same membership benefits. DSA-LA’s Steering Committee recommends selecting the DSA National dues plan of monthly payments of $10 because 1) our chapter receives back twenty percent of monthly dues payments, 2) annual dues payments do not currently auto-renew, 3) predictable income is key for long-term planning.

Membership in DSA is open to anyone who wants to join, regardless of financial status. Anyone who wants to join but cannot afford to contribute financially should complete this dues waiver form!

We’re doing local work

DSA members in LA are encouraged to also contribute to DSA Los Angeles locally. Local Contributions are separate from DSA National dues. 100% of Local Contributions stay within our chapter and allow us to directly fund our local projects. DSA-LA suggests monthly Local Contributions of $10.