Democratic Socialists of America facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Democratic Socialists of America
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| National Director | Maria Svart |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Merger of | Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee New American Movement |
| Headquarters | 75 Maiden Lane, Ste 702 New York City, New York |
| Newspaper | Democratic Left |
| Student wing | Young Democratic Socialists of America |
| Membership (2018) |  43,000 |
| Ideology | Democratic socialism Eco-socialism Socialist feminism Anti-capitalism Anti-imperialism Anti-racism Multi-tendency Caucuses:
• Communist Caucus
• Libertarian Socialist Caucus • North Star Caucus • Refoundation Caucus |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Colors | Red |
Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is an organization of democratic socialist and left-social democratic and labor members in the United States. It is a member of the Socialist International (SI) from its founding in 1982.
DSA has its roots in the Socialist Party of America (SPA), whose most prominent leaders included Eugene V. Debs, Norman Thomas and Michael Harrington.
The organization has at times endorsed Democratic electoral candidates such as Walter Mondale, Jesse Jackson, John Kerry, Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders as well as Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.
By the end of 2017, DSA membership had risen from over 6,000 to over 32,000, due to the youth reaction to the presidency of Donald Trump, hence becoming by far not only the largest socialist organization in the United States in the 21st century. Many of the new members were relatively wealthy millennials.
On June 26, DSA member and endorsee Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the Democratic primary against incumbent Representative Joseph Crowley in New York's 14th congressional district in a surprise upset. As a result of her win, 1,000 new members joining the organization the next day, approximately 35 times the daily average
The DSA resolved not to campaign for any candidate in the 2020 United States presidential election other than Bernie Sanders; however, many members encouraged people to vote for Joe Biden, even though he was not endorsed.
Images for kids
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Dorothy Ray Healey, "The Red Queen of Los Angeles", was an important link from the Old Left of the far-left organized labor oriented Young Workers League of the '30s to the CPUSA during the Cold War and then to the New Left of the Vietnam War protest era.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representative from New York's 14th congressional district
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Two founding Idahoan DSA members at a big tent event in late September 2018
