2021 Steering Special Election Candidate Questionnaires

Below are the candidate questionnaires for the 2021 Steering special election. Statements are in order of submission.

Stephanie G. Questionnaire

Please describe your past and current involvement in DSA. This may include your
involvement in the metro D.C. chapter, another chapter, and/or work at the national level.

I am currently the Event Team Steward, a member of the AdCom, TechOps, OpSec and Vetting
teams. I helped found the innovative TechRabbits team (aka RedSparrows) which support our
RedRabbits during direct actions. I’ve been a member for over a year and became more active
in the chapter over the summer.

Why do you believe that you are a good fit for this position?

I am a good fit for this position because, as a trans woman, I bring a unique perspective that is
currently lacking on the Steering Committee. I have worked hard to bring innovative programs
and solutions to problems facing the chapter. While my active time in the chapter has been
modest, I have accomplished much more than this time would suggest and have put my mark
on many aspects of the chapter for the better. I seek a variety of perspectives on issues to make
decisions that are grounded in both evidence and the lived experience of marginalized voices
because this is the best way to make decisions for a large and diverse group. Lastly, I
understand the severe security concerns facing our members have a plan to address them.

What do you hope to accomplish for the chapter if elected to this position?

I will make the security of our members, with a strong focus on marginalized people, both online
and in-person a top priority. Recent events, and those likely to come, have shown that this is an
urgent need and I intend to bring the same innovative approach and passion I’ve brought to
other aspects of the chapter to create a robust security infrastructure to address the threats
facing our comrades in the DMV. I want to address shortcomings of the chapter relating to how
we handle progressive stack both online and in-person. In addition, I intend to center
marginalized voices when discussing any issues facing the chapter because I feel such a focus
is important, not nearly the priority it should be, and crucial to the growth of the chapter.

What pronouns do you use?

She/Her

Would you describe yourself as a person of color?

No.

Frank S. F. Questionnaire

Please describe your past and current involvement in DSA. This may include your involvement in the metro D.C. chapter, another chapter, and/or work at the national level.

I joined DSA in December 2016, realizing the need for an organized movement to end the underlying cause of injustice: racial capitalism. I have served two years on the steering committee of the Montgomery County Branch, with one as chair. As chair I lead our monthly branch meetings, and coordinated relationships with allied organizations, and our DSA elected officials Delegates Gabriel Acevero and Vaughn Stewart.

I canvassed on numerous campaigns, including in VA, Montgomery County, and for Bernie Sanders in 2020. I served on the chapter bylaws reform commission, was a delegate to the 2019 national convention, and am a member of the new AfroSOC caucus. I was incredibly proud to help comrades start our neighboring PG County Branch.

Why do you believe that you are a good fit for this position?

I would bring four years of experience to the position, with the work I have done at the branch, working group, and chapter level. I have a consistent track record of showing up for the chapter and of being a consensus-builder.

My favorite role in the Montgomery County Branch has been that of educator: breaking down and sometimes reforming the structures of our organization to spur initiatives by members and developing their leadership. I have remained very involved with chapter efforts as well, including work to improve our bylaws, create space for members of colors, and incorporate indigenous land acknowledgements into our political education across the organization.

What do you hope to accomplish for the chapter if elected to this position?

Our work of offering an alternative to neoliberalism and fascism has never been more urgent. Whether we organize in MoCo, PG, NoVA, or DC, we must re-center our work on winning material benefits for the multiracial working class of our region.

We must ensure our new bylaws are understood by every group in the chapter, and encourage debate on how they can be continually improved. I want to start a conversation (that continues after this term) about how we can incorporate racial justice into our internal structure, recruitment, and our relationships with our larger communities. Finally, I would like to lead the on-going conversation about the role of branches in our chapter and how we can expand regional collaboration.

What pronouns do you use?

I use he/him or they/them pronouns. I do not have a preference.

Would you describe yourself as a person of color?

Yes. My mother is an Asian immigrant to the United States from the Philippines, my father is a white Italian-American.

Runal D. Questionnaire

Please describe your past and current involvement in DSA. This may include your involvement in the metro D.C. chapter, another chapter, and/or work at the national level.

I was involved in the early stages of the Jackson, Mississippi DSA chapter where I recruited several people to join the chapter when it was both a Pre-Organizing Committee and Organizing Committee. While I was in Mississippi, I also worked alongside several DSA members when I was a Mississippi Bernie Victory Captain for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 Presidential Campaign. These were my earliest involvements with DSA. I joined the Metro DC DSA chapter in April, 2020. I am an Internal Organizing Subgroup Coordinator of the Defund MPD Working Group where I play a role in recruiting and onboarding new members, database management – setting up mass texts (on Spoke) and emails, letter-writing campaigns and meeting reminders (on Action Network), and targeted communications, and coordinating with other subgroups. I train members of the onboarding team and I’ve done a Red Desk training for the working group’s leadership. I was the Mobilization Lead for the recent “Fight For Our Lives” direct action organized by the chapter’s Ecosocialist Caucus. I created and launched a mobilization plan, set up a Spoke textbank and also trained volunteers in Spoke, and utilized chapter resources to recruit and mobilize volunteers for the action. I was a Campaign Organizer of the chapter’s 2020 D.C. Elections Working Group. As a campaign organizer, I recruited volunteers through the use of peer-to-peer textbanking, and trained them to phonebank. The volunteers made more than 35,000 calls to voters which was the most calls ever made for a Washington D.C. Council political campaign. I was recognized as the top caller of the week with 700 conversations made in 18 hours. I also regularly moderated our call team dedicated Slack channel for questions, maintained the master textbanking list, took minutes for working group meetings, helped fill out endorsement dossiers, electioneered at polling locations, and distributed campaign literature. I am also a member of the chapter’s Montgomery Country branch, EcoSocialist Caucus, and AfroSocialist Caucus.

Why do you believe that you are a good fit for this position?

I am a socialist and I am dedicated to racial and economic justice, progressive values, and deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am dedicated towards building this chapter’s power and the power of our movement in general. I am great at developing good, healthy relationships with chapter members quickly. I am extroverted and friendly and I am good at warming up people and making them feel comfortable. This will make me a great addition to the Steering Committee and it will help new members feel like they have someone who they can always connect with to get involved. I am great at maintaining camaraderie in groups, and I have been appreciated for the same. A co-chair of the 2020 D.C. Elections Working Group even called me a “working group wild card” in appreciation of all that I brought to the working group. I am a well involved member of the chapter and I have a good awareness of available chapter resources, a large majority of which I have utilized with working groups and caucuses. I am a quick and efficient learner and this will greatly assist me in learning all that I can to benefit this chapter and our movement. I have relevant leadership experience, as aforementioned, which will be a great asset to this Steering Committee At-large position.

What do you hope to accomplish for the chapter if elected to this position?

I want to ensure that more leadership opportunities are available to new people. I don’t believe that these opportunities should be just given to folks who are well known by chapter members in leadership positions. I want to do this for new members while also making them feel more welcome in our chapter, in general. I want to make this chapter truly diverse. It isn’t enough to just say that we believe in a diversity of voices. We must represent it in our membership too. I will work hard to grow our diversity, while working extra hard to make sure the voices of members of marginalized communities are heard including members who identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+. I want to increase collaboration between chapter working groups, caucuses, committees, and other chapter formations. Socialists aren’t single-issue people and this needs to be demonstrated more in the work that we do in this chapter. For example: since neoliberal politics is a barrier on the path towards both prison abolition and a Green New Deal, I’d like to see the Ecosocialist Caucus show up in solidarity at Defund MPD events, and vice versa. Each working group can achieve more with the full backing of the others. I want to build transparency in our chapter. I also want to build and strengthen relationships between chapter members, while maintaining camaraderie within the chapter. I will help with the creation of more social, COVID-safe events for chapter members. I will also work on making sure that our chapter members have a high morale and sense of involvement so that we can operate as a very efficient volunteer-led organization.

What pronouns do you use?

He/his/him

Would you describe yourself as a person of color?

Yes.

Diego J. Questionnaire

Please describe your past and current involvement in DSA. This may include your involvement in the metro D.C. chapter, another chapter, and/or work at the national level.

I first became directly involved with Metro DSA on the day I was laid off from the Bernie 2020 Presidential Campaign, when it suspended on April 8th of last year.

After meeting with representatives of our Communications Team, I was brought on board as a digital communications strategist and social media steward for our Instagram page.

My primary contribution has been placing an increased priority on engagement and communications with other DMV based progressive organizations bringing increased attention to Metro DSA while also increasing the number of potential coalition partners for future projects.

As a result of these efforts our Instagram page has grown from 600 to more than 1800 followers while greatly increasing our engagement rates.

Why do you believe that you are a good fit for this position?

DSA is a big tent, socialist organization which works to advance the cause of socialism through both electoral and nonelectoral means. I believe my experience as both a Presidential Campaign staffer for Bernie Sanders and a volunteer organizer in NOVA and DC gives me the appreciation of both methods necessary to advance our cause to the fullest.

I believe I have been dedicated in my efforts to help our members get out the word for their events through our social media, which has increased community awareness of our work.

If elected I promise to be a strong, professional and hardworking member of our Steering Committee team and to work my ass off to do well by our organization and be responsive to the wishes and desires of our membership.

What do you hope to accomplish for the chapter if elected to this position?

As our organization moves on from the Trump era and the excitement of the two Bernie campaigns, our chapter will need to work harder than ever to increase our membership and keep people engaged.

During my time managing our social media platforms, I have noticed how often Metro DSA was left out of the lists of “activist orgs” that folks share around on social media. I wanted our Social Media comms to be more responsive to events on the ground and more willing to show support to the work of other orgs when they are worthwhile. While I have had some success I wish to continue to increase our cooperation with our progressive, socialist and anarchist allies while also boosting the work of our regional and identity caucuses more consistently.

What pronouns do you use?

I prefer to use (They/Them) though to avoid conflicts with family, I allow (He/Him) when in public or in their presence.

Would you describe yourself as a person of color?

Yes, I grew up in a 3/4th Mexican, 1/4th Italian, multiracial, spanish speaking household in Southern California. Growing up neurodivergent with Aspergers and attending elementary school in fairly white Orange County, I was frequently bullied, because of my nonwhite sounding name, my different mannerisms and my Latino heritage. I believe growing up with this minority experience while tough increased my sense of empathy for people, especially the weak and vulnerable and adds an intersectional perspective to my advocacy of socialism.