Dec 2021 Chapter Steering Committee Election: Candidate Statements

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

Check out the kickoff announcement for the Steering Committee election for more information.

Kareem E 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.

As a member of MDC DSA, I have been able to get involved in a number of ways. I am a member of the current Steering Committee, served as delegate to the 2021 national convention, and currently serve as the 2021 Local Convention Chairman. In local chapter work, I have been involved with Adcom, the BDS Palestine and Internationalism working groups, and the Afrosoc section.

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

I believe our chapter is at something of a turning point. We have the opportunity to grow and make a footprint in our region as a political force. It is my belief that DSA should directly lead in fights such as tenant organizing, mutual aid, and electoral projects, rather than subordinate ourselves entirely to nonprofit coalitions. We have the opportunity to be a powerful force, and my slate, RainbowDSA, has the best vision to achieve this. Additionally, I have served as a respectful, considerate, and thoughtful member of the Steering Committee – and if elected, my personal attributes combined with my slates’ platform will make me an excellent returning member of the 2022 Steering Committee.

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

I would like to resume my position on the recruitment portfolio for another term. Short of a presidential race like Bernie Sanders, it will be a challenge to find ways to continue to grow the organization at the pace to which we have become accustomed. If re-elected, I would work with the Treasurer to find incentives for recruitment through our local merchandise store; and with the Campaigns Council Coordinator to find ways to recruit through external organizing in our priority campaigns. Additionally, 2022 will be an exciting year for electoral politics, where there will be many opportunities to run strong candidates with our endorsement. My background in electoral organizing will bring useful insights to the Committee next term.

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’m currently an at-large member of the Steering Committee but previous to that was the Security department steward, where I worked to create a vetting system to best ensure that those who have access to your membership data in our records are trustworthy comrades. I’ve done work entirely in ad com to help keep the chapter functioning. This year I am running for Secretary.

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

I’ve been heavily involved with the management and work of ad Com. I share the vision of our current Ad Com steward to build out a robust digital infrastructure to support a fast-growing chapter doing exponentially more work. Additionally, I served as back up to the current Secretary when he was unable to attend meetings and have confidence I can handle the responsibilities.

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

I would like to see the chapter’s capacity to effectively and effectively provide mutual aid become much stronger, possible to the point where we are running a continuous program. I will also recommend a space for offices and a community center to be acquired in 2023.

Dieter L 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 the Democratic Socialists of America, specifically our Metro DC chapter, after moving to Washington and becoming a U.S. citizen in 2017. My initial involvement was in our chapter’s efforts around local elections, volunteering to help endorsed candidates get elected in Montgomery County. for example. I was also part of the Bernie 2020 Working Group, which took me as far as South Carolina to canvas alongside my comrades. After the pandemic more or less subsided this summer, I began to refocus my energy and time into our Stomp Out Slumlords campaign.

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

I believe that I am a good fit for this position because of the shared vision I have with my comrades on the Rainbow Slate. But speaking to my own personal attributes, I believe that my ability to improve processes and increase efficiency wherever possible will prove valuable to the work of our Steering Committee. I also think that my personal experience, both as an immigrant of color and as an ANC, will allow us to deepen our relations with the community and build the mutual trust required to carry forward with our socialist vision for the District.

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

I hope to play my part, alongside my comrades on the Rainbow Slate, to place Metro DC DSA at the forefront of leftist organizing in the District. By the end of my term, our membership onboarding and training process will set the bar for other organizations in our local ecosystem, we will have dedicated more resources into making mutual aid an integral part of our chapter’s relations to local communities and we will have increased our political power at the municipal level.

Kurtis H 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 served as co-chair of the MDC DSA for Bernie working group from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2020 and helped plan and coordinate canvassing efforts and social events. Since the spring of 2020, I have served on the chapter’s Steering Committee, with a particular focus on liaising between the SC and chapter formations. I helped plan and coordinate the chapter’s response to the murder of George Floyd during the summer of 2020. I have served on several commissions, most notably the Bylaw Reform Commission, where I helped propose a redrafting of the chapter’s bylaws. Since the local convention in 2020, I have served as the chapter’s Campaign Coordinator, facilitating communication between the chapter’s formations and the general body.

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

I believe that I am a good fit for the Campaign Coordinator position because I have developed relationships with working group stewards and leaders during my tenure in the role. I believe that I am generally trusted and well liked by leaders of our chapter formations. Additionally, I helped draft the portions of the bylaws relating to chapter formations and the campaign council. My knowledge of the bylaws has helped stewards navigate the chapter’s reporting requirements.

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

Recruitment - If we are to serve as a vehicle for liberation for the mass multiracial working class, we must recruit the mass multiracial working class. Through continued facilitation of coordination and cooperation between the chapter’s formations, our chapter can work through the best ways to engage and build trust in our communities, with the intention of empowering and bringing folks in.

Leadership development - Our chapter needs to be preparing the next wave of leaders and finding ways to uplift and empower Black and Brown leaders in particular. As I do not intend to run for re-election after this upcoming term, I would like to ensure a smooth transition of power that maintains and builds upon what has been established.

Kristen B 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 2015 but couldn’t engage until 2019 and worked with our chapter’s Bernie campaign. My key contribution was building a supporter list to activate, many who joined DSA. I then worked with Brendan and Ryan to develop Adcom. I re-energized the Socialist Feminist Caucus, Member Mobilization, was the first Events Steward and led the Action Network team. I was a voting delegate at the last DSA convention. I’m a Steward for the Socialist Feminist Section and currently supporting our reading group. I’m the YDSA Liaison and support the local YDSA chapters. I’ve engaged the NOVA branch since I moved to Arlington from DC a year ago. I’m involved with the Member Mobilizer commission and I manage the chapter’s email inbox.

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

I’d bring a unique perspective. I’m often neutral in terms of goals and strategy. I mainly want to support the chapter and campaigns. On Steering, I hope to coax us toward consensus and democratic will of our chapter. I’ve had varied experience in our chapter. I’ve learned a lot about how we operate and our challenges. I can appreciate the work done across our region: I lived in DC from 2009-2020, been in NOVA for a year, and stayed at my dad’s place in Prince George’s Co. in the 2000’s. I’ve worked directly with virtually all current Steering members and those running. I’d like to think that I’ve built a good rapport with virtually everyone I’ve worked with–including during tense conversations about conflicting opinions.

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

I hope my Steering portfolio reflects my three priorities. One: Make our organization more diverse and inclusive for BIPOCs, women, and all gender minorities, but also folks who are LGBTQA+, vets, various ages, immigrants, communists, etc. Our movement is incomplete until we reflect–at least–the demographics of the U.S. Two: Encourage civil discourse. I feel strongly that we need to improve our inner-chapter dialogue. I’m convinced that “toxic conflict” is inherently destructive to our movement. Three: Enhance the basic operations of our chapter. I’d be happy to take the “leftovers” of the Steering portfolios. Someone must do the boring work crucial to our chapter’s operations and I’d find that work very satisfying.

Philip B 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 have been a member of DSA since the day after Charlottesville (August 2017). Since then I have been involved with the Administrative Committee, AfroSoc, and most recently the Mobilization Department’s efforts to overhaul how the Metro DC DSA Chapter supports the chapter’s campaigns. I recently completed the Fall Organizer Training series hosted by Metro DC DSA, a series of 5 sessions that imparted principles and tactics of organizing to a cohort of our chapters membership.

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

I have worn a number of different hats, as anyone can in a chapter like ours with a myriad of opportunities to plug into. I have learned a lot about our chapters strengths during the pandemic and that has made me feel confident about all the work we can do post-pandemic as well. I have been resourceful and adaptable to the changing needs and circumstances of the roles I hold in the chapter. I have had the fortune to meet and work with several members of our chapter who I have learned immensely from.

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

I would like to continue the work I started in the Mobilization Department and see through the overhaul that many folks are currently working on. I believe that is an endeavor that will have long term and ongoing results. I would like to see our continue to engage meaningfully with our YDSA chapters to bolster that pipeline of members and make sure they feel supported. I would like to see continued support of our chapters’ priority campaigns which continue to do excellent work and draw in new members.

Diego Jauregui 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. 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 almost 3000 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 and a volunteer organizer in NOVA and DC helps me appreciate the necessity of both methods.

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. I also believe that I am a strong team facilitator. Being able to keep discussions dispassionate and productive while making sure everyone is heard is a skillset that did not come naturally to me, but I intentionally developed to overcome the social limitations of Asbergers.

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. To this end it is critical that we continue to expand our Communications and Publications capabilities. We need a social media coordinator in every working group and priority campaign, so they can consistently send our social media and publications team content to publish, not just events but propaganda and information that we want the public to be talking about. I wish to see Metro DC DSA one day be an alternative source of news and informations for the residents of DC. I want our endorsement to be more credible and influential, than that of the Washington Post.

Additionally, 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.

Lauren K 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 Treasurer for our chapter, seeking a second term. In my work in the Finance Committee and as Treasurer I have:

  • Created the chapter’s first line-item budget, and spending tracking mechanisms, which we almost met exactly in 2021.
  • Provided our chapter with projections on how much money we are expected to have on hand, months and years out.
  • Opened our Merchandise Store and begun using it to fundraise for our chapter

Since beginning organizing with DSA in 2020, I have also been involved in structure building and mobilization within the chapter, helping to build out the current structure of the Administrative Committee. I am currently involved with the Mobilization Commission, and a proud co-sponsor of BA4: Amend MDC DSA Bylaws to create a Member Engagement Committee.

I am also on the national Growth & Development Organizer Training Subcommittee and am developing a series of finance and resource-management based trainings for chapters across the country. I often speak with other DSA chapters about how they can build up structures and processes around financial management and chapter administration.

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

I truly love being Metro DC DSA’s treasurer, and I think I have done a good job at it so far. It is a job that takes at minimum 5 hours of my time per week doing things like:

  • Reimbursing members for their campaign expenditures
  • Keeping track of and managing the merchandise store
  • Taking care of our regulatory and reporting requirements
  • Preparing finance reports for Steering and General Body meetings

To me, a good Steering member will show up reliably, take on work when it needs to get done (even if it isn’t something that’s not your primary interest), and approach every question with openness and good faith. I have tried to model this as a Steering member, as well as direct and managing my own inter-chapter conflicts in a non-hostile and direct manner.

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

I will have three primary goals for the 2022 term. First, I plan to building out the Finance Committee so that it is less reliant on the Treasurer’s personal availability, build out dedicated and intentional fundraising for the chapter, and help us move towards democratic decisionmaking on potential big chapter spends, like a staff or office space.

Second, I will hopefully work with the new Member Engagement Committee to help build its structures so that we can bring more of our members in to build out a holistic program for recruiting, training, and developing members across the chapter, with a strong focus on diversity and representation.

Finally, I plan to get more involved with the Queer Section and Northern Virginia branch to respond to the growing number of threats on the transgendered community in Virginia and throughout the region. As a queer woman and trans spouse, I am deeply passionate that our chapter needs to be more active in this space as a bulwark against very dangerous new state leadership, and a growing trend of hatred and violence directed at our community.

I am very excited to serve you all for another year. Being on the Steering Committee has been both one of the most challenging, but also one of the most joyful experiences of my life. We have built a phenomenal community doing critical work together that is changing the landscape of Metro DC. I can’t wait to see what 2022 brings for us!

Carl R 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’ve been a DSA member since 2018, joining while living abroad. In that time, I’ve organized with the Green Country chapter in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I was involved in electoral work (helping organize a candidate forum from abroad and knocking doors for endorsed candidates), labor organizing, and tenant organizing, and since moving to DC in 2019, I’ve tried to help out that chapter from afar. Here in DC, I was one of the co-chairs of our local DSA 4 Bernie group, organizing alongside many other great comrades (to knock almost 20,000 doors and have one of the chapter’s largest events. Since then, I’ve marshaled and marched at protests, and phone banked for Janeese Lewis George and the PRO Act. I am also a member of the International Committee’s Europe subcommittee, joining this summer.

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

I think that my experience in electoral organizing will be useful, as we’ll have a round of elections in 2022 in which we should be able to have some meaningful wins. I also think I bring a unique perspective, understanding the breadth of DSA’s organizing and the role a larger chapter like ours plays in DSA’s national context. Finally, as someone from Tulsa who went to high school in Greenwood, the part of town ravaged by the Tulsa Race Massacre, and who has organized in that context as an adult, organizing for racial justice is very important to me. Because of the DMV’s unique history in America’s racial capitalism, I think this perspective is important to have as a member of the steering committee.

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

As a member of steering, I’d like to make sure we take on good electoral work that not only increases our representation in the region’s various governing bodies, but also serves to deepen our internal organization. I want to make sure the chapter continues supporting the great work we are doing in Defund MPD, our Green New Deal work, Stomp Out Slumlords, and publications, among others. Finally, I think it’s necessary we develop a plan to recruit a membership that’s more representative of the DMV. As a white, cishet male, I think this is key—DSA looks too much like I do, and I think we fix that by intentional, active organizing to make it happen.

Aparna R 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 became a member of MDC DSA in 2019. I’ve been mostly involved with Stomp Out Slumlords, doing long-term tenant organizing at Marbury Plaza in Ward 8. I’ve been organizing with ~80 tenants there for over a year around a rent strike to protest inhumane living conditions, which has led to the formal creation of a new tenants’ association, lawsuits against the building, and the replacement of the management company. I’m also on the media outreach team for regional actions for SOS and am facilitating tenant organizer trainings East of the River. With the labor working group, I will be co-leading our chapter’s efforts around Initiative 82, a ballot initiative to raise DC’s tipped minimum wage to its regular minimum wage. We will be conducting worker outreach, canvassing on behalf of the initiative, and developing a social media campaign to advocate for the Initiative.

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

My work as an external organizer has demonstrated my ability to collaborate with people. I understand how to have one on ones and organize with folks outside of the chapter and how to build our base, especially in Wards 7 & 8, for the long-term. My organizing is rooted in long-term strategy to meet people on a human level and has resulted in concrete growth and tangible wins. My experience with two different priority campaigns also gives me a deep understanding of how to support our external organizers and working groups. As a member of the Rainbow Slate, I believe in the strength of our chapter’s members and organizers, and our ability to lead regional organizing.

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

The two main areas I hope to focus on are supporting our chapter’s external organizers and increasing community engagement within the chapter. Our chapter has a strong administrative foundation, and I hope to build on that to advance our external-facing work. As someone who would be coming in new to the Steering Committee if elected, I hope to help support the work of our priority campaigns and organizers alongside the Campaigns Coordinator and find areas of coordination and support across working groups. I also would like to use the experience I’ll have with tenant organizer trainings to support our chapter-wide organizer trainings and larger political education efforts.

Abel Amene 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 came into contact with MDCDSA while volunteering for Jeremiah Lowery’s campaign for a seat on the DC Council. I joined MDCDSA in October 2020 and became active in December 2020. Since then, I have been most active in the M4A Working Group where I served as one of the co-chairs leading on our vaccine outreach and DC M4A resolution campaigns. I drafted the first version of a Medicare for All Resolution which passed in the DC Council in October 2021. I have also been involved in Defund MPD and am a member of the leadership council of our chapter’s AfroSOC Section. In the National DSA M4A campaign, I currently serve on the Steering Committee (2021 - 2023) and as a Regional Organizer for MD/VA/DC/WV. I helped start a BDS/Palestine Solidarity campaign in our chapter and am part of the national BDS & Palestine Solidarity Working Group. I have served on the MDCDSA Steering Committee and Political Engagement Committee since May 2021.

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

I have attended almost every single meeting of the Steering Committee since becoming active. I have become very familiar with the issues brought to SC and the roles and responsibilities of the various SC members. I have been involved in several different working groups and sections within the chapter and familiar with their membership, goals, structure, and priorities. I have shepherded the M4A Working Group through two successful campaigns. In the process, I learned a lot about organizing within Metro DC DSA, and developed connections with organizers in National DSA and local coalition partners in DC. With coalition partners both locally and nationally, I helped organize a campaign that convinced the Biden administration to tentatively support the TRIPS Waiver at the WTO.

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

I would like to serve on the Steering Committee to expand our capacity for legislative outreach and advocacy, and serve as chair of the 5-person Political Engagement Committee (PEC). Per §6.1.4 of our bylaws, the PEC is responsible for assisting with legislative advocacy efforts and I would like to make this one of my major responsibilities. As an at-large member of the SC, I would like to further refine our priority campaign program and better define the relationship between said campaigns and branches. I also want to ensure that identity-based sections are given additional funding and resources for recruitment and retention towards the goal of building DSA as a multiracial and multigenerational mass socialist movement.

Hayden Gise 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 have been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America since the end of the Bernie Sanders 2016 Presidential Campaign. I joined to be a part of the movement to secure a dignified life for every member of the working class and to help build our socialist future.

I joined the Metro DC DSA chapter in 2020 upon moving to Washington D.C. Currently, I Chair the Queer Section, mobilize Working Groups and Campaigns and Co-Facilitate the Capitol in the Capitol Reading Group. Additionally, I am a member of the National DSA Growth and Development Committee, Training and Survey Subcommittee where I seek to improve the experience of joining DSA for new members.

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

I believe I am a good fit for the Steering Committee because our chapter is at the precibus of clenching even great power in this region and I am committed to supporting these efforts. I believe the analysis and vision that my slate and I have put forward will guide us to the next stage of the organization. My experience during my time as a member of the DSA would be an asset to the committee, I believe/

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

If elected, I hope to help enact the Rainbow Slate vision which includes investing in our chapter’s priority campaigns, holding a member recruitment drive, prioritizing language access, enhancing our membership onboarding process and opening an office for the chapter.

Karishma M 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.

Hi comrades! Some of you know me already, but for those who don’t my name is Karishma (she/her). I’m a former preschool teacher and recently ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in House District 49 as a Metro DC and National DSA endorsed candidate for the 2021 cycle. Before my run for elected office, I organized with MDC DSA NOVA Branch in our migrant justice and tenants rights working groups. I’m also an organizer with For Us, Not Amazon and the Free Them All Coalition working to shut down detention facilities. I’m extremely proud of the work being done by our chapter as we navigate the pandemic, and want to expand these campaigns into Virginia/Maryland as well.

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

I believe that I would be a good fit for the steering committee because I have intimate familiarity with so many of the barriers facing working families in the DMV today. As a working class woman of color, I have struggled my entire adult life to put food on the table, pay rent, and afford healthcare (hardships that I inherited from my parents after they immigrated here from India) under racial capitalism. To grow as a chapter, my hopes are to challenge ourselves and current limitations, elect more members to the steering committee who will be informed by their personal struggle, and be willing to engage in difficult conversations about race, class, and privilege.

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

I ran last summer for our at-large steering committee to ensure that 1. Our work as a chapter is unequivocally rooted in Black liberation/self-determination, Indigenous sovereignty, and internationalism 2. To ensure NOVA has a voice on our steering committee, 3. We are doing intentional coalition building with BIPOC community groups to increase partnerships, membership, and retention within our chapter. Should I be elected, my commitment is to work with our steering committee to engage regularly with community leaders on local action events, intentional outreach to YDSA (high school and university chapters), and running parallel campaigns that amplify the work already being done by local groups.