Class

Send a text We are pleased to present “Stop the Siege on Cuba,” a mass call from February 22nd by DSA’s International Committee and Cuba Solidarity Working Group, along with an interview with Claire from Boston DSA, a co-chair of the working group. Listen and learn how to get involved with democratic socialist activism in support of Cuban self-determination and freedom from imperialist violence and oppression. ¡Cuba sí, bloqueo no! Find out how to help stop the siege on Cuba with DSA here. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send a text In this episode of Class, we talk to Sarah, chair of DSA’s National Grievance Panel, about the contradictions and openings of conflict within a socialist organization. We walk through some of the political and affective distinctions that must urgently be drawn to effectively struggle together as comrades and build the truly free world we want to live in. Read a review of Jodi Dean’s Comrade: An Essay On Political Belonging by NPEC alum Mie here. Buy Comrade here. Check out Gracie Lion's Constructive Criticism here. Read Jo Freeman’s classic essay "Tyranny of Structurelessness" here. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send a text On this episode, we talk with Colin from DSA’s National Tech Committee about becoming a socialist and doing socialism on the internet. This episode will kick off what we expect will be a regular discussion on the wide topic of “digital socialism.” NPEC/NTC Training 02/19: Socialist Archiving 201: The Digital Deep Dive Get involved with DSA’s National Tech Committee! NTC websiteApply to the committee Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send a text On this episode, we talk to Megan, one of DSA’s national cochairs, about her political journey from early-00s girlboss feminism to Marta Harnecker’s mass-protagonist vision of a socialist future, and how collective political education was crucial to her transformation. Find Marta Harnecker’s writings in the Monthly Review online archive HERE. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text In this episode, Luke talks with Edward about the Socialist Party of America's (SPA) 1912 Program and its role in his political development. Luke concentrates on two aspects of the platform: its programmatic character and democratic political demands, including the demand for a democratic constitution. This is the first of several conversations we hope to host with NPEC members about texts that played an important role in their political development and current orientation. Luke mentions the SPA's Program, DSA's 2024-25 Workers Deserve More Program, Aziz Rana's The Constitutional Bind, and Rana's interviews on Class. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text In this episode, we talk to Ashik, one of DSA’s national cochairs, about how he grew into socialism over time through organizing and political education, from growing up Muslim in Bay Ridge during 9/11, to participating in the Occupy and environmental movements, to becoming a leader of the biggest socialist organization in the United States. Ashik’s picks: Naomi Klein's books: https://naomiklein.org/books-and-films/ Ecology as Politics by Andre Gorz on Open Library: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1390039W/Écologie_et_politique?edition=key%3A/books/OL14718425M Reform and Revolution (pdf): https://www.sscc.wisc.edu/soc/faculty/pages/wright/Sydney%20seminar%202016/Andre%20Gorz%20REFORM%20OR%20REVOLUTION.pdf Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text On January 6th, DSA’s International Committee (IC) and National Political Committee (NPC) organized an emergency mass call to discuss the Trump administration’s provocations in Venezuela, and socialists’ role in leading the fight against imperialist aggression. Class is pleased to present Hands Off Venezuela! as a podcast episode, following up on our episode on Cuba. Apply for DSA’s International Committee: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/dsa-international-committee-application Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text DSA regularly sends large delegations of members to Cuba to distribute aid and learn about Cuban politics, government, and society. Last fall, National Political Committee (NPC) members Cliff and Daniel went on one such delegation. They join us to share their individual perspectives on the value of this trip for a socialist political education. Note: We recorded this episode a week and a half before its release, just prior to the American invasion of Venezuela, which is why it is unmentioned here. Solidarity with the working classes resisting US imperialism in Latin America and beyond! ¡Cuba sí, bloqueo no! Che: A Memoir by Fidel Castro. Open Library link. Buy on bookshop.org Season Two of Blowback Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text Why is the right so fixated on whoever or whatever it is they think is Marx or “Marxism”? Why do they conflate Marx with everything else they don’t like? We are starting our second semester of Capital this week, and joining Michaela is fellow NPEC comrade Ed, who shares his perspectives on a formal and political education under Reagan, and how socialist struggle has prepared him for yet another age of repression under Trump. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text Michaela speaks with Ashwin, a River Valley DSA member and current researcher in Mexico City, about the social movement running UTOPIAs: experiments in providing services, education, and pleasure in the poorest district of the city backed by MORENA, the current ruling party, which promotes “Mexican Humanism” as a core principle of governance. “Mexico City’s UTOPIAs” by Ashwin R https://socialistforum.dsausa.org/issues/fall-winter-2025/mexico-citys-utopias/ Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text Edward and Michaela share their experiences as long-time readers and guides to Capital Volume One, at a time when socialism is on the rise, and curiosity about this difficult but key work is growing. Join NPEC’s current Capital group (familiarity with Part One of the text is highly recommended, but you can get caught up): https://actionnetwork.org/events/capital-reading-group-fall-semester-2025/ Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text In this episode, Michaela and Darren talk about socialist perspectives on archival research. DSA's next Archives Training Project is on Wednesday, the 29th. You can register here. Whether you're a chapter chair or secretary wondering how best to approach records, a comrade with a lot of socialist swag and no idea what to do with it, or just someone curious about how archives work, you're welcome to come to this online workshop where we discuss why we care about archives as socialists, best practices for starting an archive, and how institutions take in materials for socialist, left and labor archives. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text This is a recording of NPEC's panel event with Aziz Rana and Matt McManus about the left's approach to the Constitution. Topics include how the left navigates terms like “bourgeois democracy," and how it should approach the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, with its promises of equality and universal rights. The conversation asks us to push beyond conventional framings of constitutionalism and question what a genuinely democratic politics should look like today. A question-and-answer period follows the conversation. Aziz Rana is a professor of law at Boston College. He is the author of The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them and The Two Faces of American Freedom. Matt McManus is an Assistant Professor at Spelman College. His books include Against Post-Liberal Courts and Justice and The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive NPEC's newsletter, Red Letter.

Send us a text Since at least 2015 in the US, American Socialism has been growing again, and DSA is currently the largest organized socialist formation in the country, by far. But what about the vast majority of… well, everyone else, of all different inclinations? What role does political education have in bringing non-socialists into DSA to build our party — or at least, bringing them closer to us, or not in opposition? Michaela and Guy chat about the current political moment and how it’s affecting this basic but crucial task. They also give a preview of NPEC’s upcoming training, “Talking to Non-Socialists.” Sign up for Talking to Non-Socialists, Part 1, on October 9th. https://actionnetwork.org/events/talking-to-non-socialists-training-fall-2025/ Sign up for NPEC’s monthly newsletter, Red Letter! https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-red-letter/ Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive Red Letter.

Send us a text Libraries are quintessentially public goods and common spaces in the US, and are generally appreciated, if not beloved, by the vast majority. As a store of human knowledge and a free site of learning and literacy access supported and funded by the state, they often become ideological battlegrounds, especially in times of political strife. What role can a socialist librarian play as a worker and advocate, particularly at a moment when broad swathes of the public education infrastructure in America, including the public library, are under relentless attack by the right? In this episode, Michaela speaks with Ella T about her socialist journey and what has led her to librarianship. Ella shares her perspective on the political and social struggles bearing upon and within libraries at this crucial time. Michaela is a member of North New Jersey DSA and is chair of DSA’s National Political Education Committee (NPEC). Ella is a member of Seattle DSA and was recently elected to DSA’s National Political Committee (NPC). Before we dive in, a reminder that Class is available on all major podcast platforms. Please consider becoming a DSA member by following the link in the podcast description. You can also send us a message about the episode and sign up for Red Letter, NPEC’s monthly newsletter, using the provided links. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive Red Letter.

Send us a text Class is back after a break, and we're excited to share what's new. Starting today, new episodes will be released biweekly, transitioning to a weekly schedule in January. We're expanding our content to include interviews with DSA members about ongoing projects and initiatives, as well as discussions on topical articles and current events. In other words, we aim to integrate more of DSA's ongoing projects and initiatives into Class. In this episode, I'll be speaking with Michaela B about the panel that NPEC hosted at the Socialism Conference in Chicago in July, titled "Socialist Humanism or Barbarism: On Political Education, Democratic Rights, and Where We Go Next." Michaela is a member of North New Jersey DSA and the current chair of NPEC, and teaches in the Department of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought at Amherst College. Before we dive in, a reminder that Class is available on all major podcast platforms. Please consider becoming a DSA member by following the link in the podcast description. You can also send us a message about the episode and sign up for Red Letter, NPEC’s monthly newsletter, using the provided links. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America. Sign up to receive Red Letter.

Send us a text This is Class, the official podcast of the National Political Education Committee of the Democratic Socialists of America. This is the second of a two-part conversation with Alina Herrera Fuentes about the feminist movement in Mexico. Alina is a lawyer, feminist, and Marxist. She is a member of Morena's National Institute for Political Formation. Currently, Alina is the educational content coordinator for the comprehensive gender program. In this episode, we talk about Morena´s success and challenges in the feminist struggle, the next step for the feminist movement, and some observations and advice for leftists in the U.S. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America.

Send us a text This is Class, the official podcast of the Democratic Socialists of America’s National Political Education Committee. This is the first of a two-part conversation with Alina Herrera Fuentes about the feminist movement in Mexico. Alina is a lawyer, feminist, and Marxist. She is a member of Morena's National Institute for Political Formation, or INFP. Currently, Alina is the educational content coordinator for the comprehensive gender program run by INFP. In this episode, we talk about the history of Morena — Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional — and Morena's and Alina's vision for a more just and gender-equal Mexico. This interview is in Spanish. An English translation can be found by clicking the “transcript” option on Buzzsprout. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America.

Send us a text This is Class, the official podcast of the Democratic Socialists of America’s National Political Education Committee. This is part two of our conversation with Rodrigo Nunes about what Lenin can teach us about pontaneity, organization, strategic thinking, and the current moment. Part two will be released in two weeks. Rodrigo Nunes is a senior lecturer in political theory and organisation at the University of Essex and the author of Organisation of the Organisationless: Collective Action After Networks (Mute, 2014), Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal: A Theory of Political Organisation (Verso, 2021) and The View from Brazil: Neoliberalism, the Far Right and the Grammar of Disintegration (Verso, forthcoming), as well as several articles in multiple languages, including "It Takes Organizers to Make a Revolution." As an organiser, he has been involved in several initiatives, including the first editions of the World Social Forum in Brazil and the Justice for Cleaners campaign in the UK. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America.

Send us a text This is Class, the official podcast of the Democratic Socialists of America’s National Political Education Committee. This is part one of our conversation with Rodrigo Nunes about what Lenin can teach us about pontaneity, organization, strategic thinking, and the current moment. Part two will be released in two weeks. Rodrigo Nunes is a senior lecturer in political theory and organisation at the University of Essex and the author of Organisation of the Organisationless: Collective Action After Networks (Mute, 2014), Neither Vertical Nor Horizontal: A Theory of Political Organisation (Verso, 2021) and The View from Brazil: Neoliberalism, the Far Right and the Grammar of Disintegration (Verso, forthcoming), as well as several articles in multiple languages, including "It Takes Organizers to Make a Revolution." As an organiser, he has been involved in several initiatives, including the first editions of the World Social Forum in Brazil and the Justice for Cleaners campaign in the UK. Become a member of Democratic Socialists of America.