Something is not adding up for the city’s Democratic Socialists of America.
Members of the group’s New York City chapter say its ranks are too white and are weighing the creation of an “anti-oppression” task force aimed at recruiting more people of color and working-class New Yorkers.
The chapter is set to consider the proposal at its convention Saturday. The resolution calls for a “Task Force to Promote Equitable Organizing Culture” and would require DSA leaders to undergo diversity training.
“NYC-DSA aims to build the power of the socialist movement by growing our base among the multiracial, multigendered working class of our city,” the proposed resolution states.
“DSA has historically faced well-documented challenges recruiting and retaining people of color, and NYC-DSA’s racial makeup does not reflect the racial diversity of our city,” the proposal adds, describing the proposed body as an “anti-oppression” task force.
If approved, the resolution would impose extensive training requirements on DSA leadership. An internal survey recently found that 60% of the city chapter’s members identified as white, compared with 34% of New York City’s population, The Post previously reported. The chapter says it has more than 15,000 members.
“The chapter will create an Anti-Oppression Task Force supported by the Membership Committee, which will be responsible for supporting leadership and membership to dismantle oppressive systems and combat oppressive practices in the chapter,” the resolution says.
“It is incumbent on NYC-DSA’s leadership to proactively learn about oppressive systems and behaviors, how to dismantle and combat them within the organization, and how to construct an equitable culture that advances our goals of organizing the multiracial, multigendered working class; as well as supporting the full membership to learn about these topics and enact these goals.”
Questions about diversity among the DSA’s membership and leadership have dogged the left-wing organization despite its significant political gains in recent years. Some of its most prominent candidates, however, have come from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds.
DSA member Zohran Mamdani, who is South Asian, was elected mayor last year. Other successful candidates elected to Congress or the state Legislature include Latina Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Reps.-elect Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier.
Still, critics have accused the organization of being dominated by affluent white members while presenting itself as an advocate for minority and working-class communities.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the nation’s first Black speaker of the House if Democrats regain control of Congress next year, has clashed with DSA representatives in his Brooklyn district.
At a primary victory party for Rep.-elect Valdez, DSA members targeted Jeffries with chants of, “You’re next!”
“It was very interesting to me, as observed by others, that there was almost zero diversity in that crowd,” Jeffries told CNN, referring to the taunts.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said he supports the DSA’s effort to broaden its membership but argued that white members should not control the task force.
“We hope the equity task force is representative of Black and brown communities,” said Richards, who is Black. “We hope Black and brown members will be in charge of the task force.”
The DSA has also faced allegations of hypocrisy following The Post’s reports that NYC-DSA co-chair Gustavo Gordillo, a Yale University graduate, received a $1.5 million Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse as a gift from his wealthy father, along with another $1.4 million to renovate it.
The DSA leader had highlighted his working-class background and described himself on social media as a hardworking union member.
Civil rights leader and housing activist Rev. Kevin McCall, who previously called for Gordillo’s resignation, said the task force could be a positive first step. But he warned that the DSA must involve Black and Hispanic communities across the five boroughs.
“Our campaign to hold the DSA accountable and tell the truth about their privilege is resonating with some rank-and-file members,” McCall said. “As a first test to whether their leadership will confront its own hypocrisy with meaningful action, the DSA should open the doors of their convention, invite black and brown communities into the conversation, and listen to those they claim to help.”
NYC-DSA is pursuing other ambitious objectives as well.
One proposal calls for electing a “socialist speaker of the City Council in 2029” to hold the mayor accountable from the left.
Four DSA members currently serve on the 51-seat City Council.
“DSA will work in coalition with other left and progressive organizations and with organized labor toward this end,” the resolution states. “Recognizing that Speakers are rarely first-term members and that a socialist Speaker may not be achievable in 2029, DSA will, as a fallback, support the most left-aligned viable candidate who commits to the bloc’s priorities.”
