Term	Definition
Association	A group of members organized around a shared interest.
Campaign	A series of efforts to bring about a desired result. In DSA, campaigns are groups that are working together to achieve one specific goal.
Cardinal Points	Name of the Triangle DSA's newsletter. Contains chapter announcements on activities like meetings, events, canvasses, and other information relevant to the general body. Events and information can be added through a comms request.
Committee	A group within the Local Chapter that is tasked with carrying out an internal function for the chapter. We have three established committees dedicated to communications, membership, and health and safety.
Comms Request	A form for any member that wants to promote activities like meetings, events, canvasses, or announcements. These activities will be announced in the Cardinal Points newsletter.
HGO	Harrassment and Grievance Officer: A member empowered by their chapter and trained to handle reports of harassment in accordance with DSA’s Harassment Policy.
Jargon Giraffe	A Community Agreement used to help people when they encounter jargon (as in subgroup-specific language). A person can say “jargon giraffe,” show the giraffe hand sign, or if online use the giraffe emoji. Then by convention whoever is talking does a quick aside to explain what the specific jargon means
Member leader	A subgroup of chapter membership engaged in leadership efforts related to chapter subbodies like campaigns and committees. Current rules state that member leaders should have 6 months of organizing experience and attend training dedicated to fostering organizing skills. This section of membership supports the connection between chapter leadership and the general body.
NMO	New Member Orientation: regular sessions held for new or prospective members to learn more about DSA. Attending an NMO should be one of the first steps of any new member.
PEC	Political Education Committee: The subody in our chapter dedicated to ongoing education around Marxist theory, supporting the advancement of the socialist movement.
Proposal	Written, formal document outlining the motivation and structure of an event, campaign, or other action to be taken by DSA members or groups of members.
QTS	Queer Trans Solidarity: NCTDSA's local section dedicated to the struggle for queer and trans rights. National DSA's Trans Rights & Bodily Autonomy Campaign Commission is the largest hub for grassroots trans rights organizing in America.
Resolution	A resolution is a formal proposal submitted for discussion and voting by a governing body or membership, often outlining a position, decision, or course of action. Any member in good standing may submit a resolution for a Chapter General Meeting vote, provided it is endorsed by at least five members and submitted to the Steering Committee at least one month in advance, though late submissions may be added with a two-thirds Steering Committee vote. Additional information on resolutions can be found in chapter bylaws.
Roberts Rules	Parliamentary procedure that is used when conducting chapter business. Having a shared set of rules and expectations for how we interact with proposals and each other during meetings helps us practice democracy.
RUMAH	Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub: A community center and volunteer collective based in Raleigh, North Carolina, providing access to space and resources and are funded almost entirely through community donations. This sober and accessible space implements community-led programs around harm reduction, education, and mutual aid.
SC	Steering Committee: A committee of 5 people elected by the NPC, as directed by the DSA Constitution & Bylaws. The SC takes responsibility for decision-making between meetings of the NPC, the supervision “of all offices and staff of the organization,” for “planning meetings and agendas for the NPC,” and also “for coordinating the work of the committees of the NPC.” SC members receive a small stipend for their work.
Section	A group of members that associate due to a shared identity. Examples in our chapter include afrosocialists, caregivers, youth, and disabled individuals.
Stack	A method of determining an order of speakers during meetings or conducting business, where a member will place themselves next into a queue of speakers by announcing "stack".
WG	Working Group: A Working Group is a selection of members devoted through to specific issues like electoral work, tenant organizing, political education, etc.
YDSA	Young DSA. The branch of the DSA for college and high school students.

Term	Definition
BDS	Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions: Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, BDS is a Palestinian-led, international movement for freedom, justice and equality. It is a submovement within the broader movement for Palestinian liberation. BDS aims to dismantle Israeli apartheid and decolonize Palestine by boycotting and divesting from institutions that are complicit in Israeli apartheid and campaigning for sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and meets three (3) demands: 1.) An end to the illegal occupation. 2.) Equal rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel. 3.) The Right of Return for Palestinian Refugees as stipulated by UN Resolution 194.
Campaign	A series of efforts to bring about a desired result. In DSA, campaigns are groups that are working together to achieve one specific goal.
Capitalism	A way of running the economy, where a few people in the nation own the stores, transportation systems, services, finance, and business and the majority of the people work for those owners. The few capitalists make large amounts of money by selling what the rest of the people make – like housing, technology, services, cars, or oil. This is called profit. The final outcome of capitalism is the destruction of the land and the planet’s ecosystems.
Class	The social group that an individual belongs to, all of whom make their living the same way. For instance, working people make their living by working for someone. The petty bourgeois make their living by working for themselves as well as making money off of other people’s labor. The bourgeois make their money only off of the labor of everyone else, which we call exploitation. The bourgeois don’t work at all. They make others work and call that work. The white ruling class in the United States is bourgeois.
Democracy	A system of government where laws, leaders, and policies are decided by the people. America is not a democracy, since the general population does not ultimately have a say in political decisions.
Labor Union	Organized association of workers seeking to protect the workers from being exploited by ensuring workers' rights, higher salaries, and better benefits.
Liberalism	A political and philosophical view based on individual rights, liberty, consent of the governed, political equity, right to private property, and equality before the law. Liberals support private property and market economies, which is why this is not considered a leftist ideology.
Material Conditions	The realities on the ground, outside of our own head, and how those things interact with one another. These are the details of how power works in society. Systems of oppression create material conditions.
Organizing	A conscious thing we do. It doesn't happen automatically and it doesn’t happen alone. Organizing is getting lots of people doing the same thing towards the same goal. It’s how we win. Organizing is how we build, what we build, and who we build it with in order to get liberated. In our society, the white ruling class is well-organized and we are not. Hence, they have power and we need to build power. Organizing is how we build power.
Picket	A form of protest where workers and allies stand outside a business to prevent other workers from going in. This can also be done to draw public attention to a cause. Picketing is a way to pressure a target to meet the protesters' demands about a specific issue.
Profiteering	The practice of making unreasonable profits on essential goods, especially during times of emergency.
Race	Designed a few centuries ago by the white ruling class to colonize the world. Races are social groups oppressed in different ways, categorized by the white ruling class to justify oppression. Physical characteristics are often used to justify racism in the USA. The ruling class racializes people at different times to maintain power. For example, Muslims were racialized within our lifetimes after the War on Terror started. The way we fight racism is with solidarity.
Socialism	An economic and political system where the means of production are owned and controlled, either publicly or collectively, rather than privately. The final outcome of socialism is the preservation of the land, the planet’s ecosystems, and the creation of communal society based on cooperation and care.
Solidarity	Supporting one another and other groups because your liberation is tied up with theirs. It’s not just expressing support, it’s doing support. It’s not just posting on social media, it’s showing up in whatever way you can at your capacity. It’s organizing together. It’s supporting each other’s organizing.