As a former member of the NPC, I have born witness to the enormous growth of DSA and the work it took to foster it. Part of our success is due to our common belief that we are a big tent organization on the Left that respects the democratic process. Due to these convictions, the organization is as diverse and multi-tendency as it has ever been. Yet, there is much more work to be done. So I ask you to sign this petition for my nomination to the NPC. Together we can work to solve the challenges of our organization.

Brandon Payton-Carrillo

Below is my vision for the DSA.

Community and Unity

The path forward to building a bigger, stronger and more effective DSA is to make a difference in the lives of everyday people. We must be involved in building and promoting socialist institutions in all of the communities we currently have organized chapters. When people associate positive change in their communities with the DSA, these people are more likely to be interested in joining our cause. These organizations include but are not limited to worker, consumer and producer co-ops, credit unions, land trusts, time banks, and other forms of mutual aid programs.

As an organization, DSA can act as connective tissue to the other left movements that we support. Whether that is bringing Labor and Solidarity Economy activists together on a project or promoting socialist-feminist practices amongst all organizations we are in coalition with, unity will be essential to nurturing a potent left.

Goals

In order to facilitate these changes, there are a few goal post we need to meet.

1. Continue to build on electoral success.
2. Create a national fundraising dinner that honors the good work activists are doing across the country.
3. Create high quality training videos and materials for effective organizing and activist work.
4. Leveraging technology to create a national organization that is in touch with the activists and chapters on the ground

About Me

Born to teenage parents in a small town, I was taken in and raised by my grandparents. My grandmother, who worked on an assembly line, instilled in me a tremendous respect for working class feminism. She showed me that women can do anything a man can do and deserve the same opportunities to pursue a fulfilled life. My grandfather is a Mexican immigrant, foundry worker and union man who believes in hard work and standing up for yourself when you are getting screwed over. Once I discovered Socialism, it was an easy sell.

In my adult life, my values drove me to join the DSA. I became active in the Atlanta area, and eventually found myself on the Metro Atlanta DSA steering committee and later the Chicago DSA steering committee. From there I pursued and won a seat on the National Political Committee of the National DSA, where I helped found the Solidarity Economy Working group and assisted various other committees.