Charter for the Political Education Committee for NC Triangle DSA

Whereas political education is vital for the advancement of the socialist movement in the United States, where right-wing, capitalist, and imperialist ideology is omnipresent, and

Whereas DSA members must be equipped with a theoretical basis to accompany and ground their organizing practice, and

Whereas we engage in socialist organizing as part of a long tradition of past socialist practice from which we can take essential lessons, and

Whereas Marxism provides a framework for historical and political analysis and practice that has allowed socialists to take power, and

Whereas political education can provide the tools for organizers to link individual campaigns to broader political struggle, which can be deployed to further embed DSA in class struggle, and

Whereas political education events can provide opportunities for DSA to demonstrate itself as a political leader and recruit new people into the organization, and

Whereas chapter committees are meant to fulfill essential chapter functions and meet chapter needs across multiple working groups, and

Whereas chapter committees should fulfill certain requirements, including the election of leadership, official record-keeping, and reporting to membership as needed, all of which increase operational accountability;

Therefore be it resolved that NC Triangle DSA’s Political Education Working Group recharters as the Political Education Committee (PEC);

Be it further resolved that the PEC be charged with the following broad mandates:

• Political education of committee members in Marxist theory, history, and pedagogy
• Political education of chapter members more broadly, based on identified needs
• Support for chapter organizing practice via political education work with other chapter committees, working groups, and priorities

Be it further resolved that these mandates may be achieved through a variety of approaches, including but not necessarily limited to the organization and facilitation of reading group discussions, socialist educational events for general body membership as well as the wider community, and education segments at chapter general body meetings;

Be it further resolved that the PEC will engage in its practice scientifically, testing and assessing approaches and adjusting based on those assessments to improve its effectiveness;

Be it further resolved that the PEC will engage with the National Political Education Committee to share resources, build relationships with DSA members doing political education work in other chapters, and avoid replicating work where possible;

Be it further resolved that the PEC is open to any NCTDSA members in good standing;

Be it further resolved that the PEC will elect two committee chairs, who shall serve a term of one year, with responsibilities to include organizing PEC members, running meetings, acting as liaisons to the Steering Committee, and serving as the Committee’s points of contact to membership;

Be it further resolved that the PEC will keep official records of meeting dates, attendance, and meeting notes, which are made available to the membership of the chapter;

Be it further resolved that the PEC will report on their activities to chapter membership at General or Special Meetings as necessary;

Be it further resolved that the PEC will work with the chapter Steering Committee and other chapter bodies as needed to identify concepts, lessons and materials relevant to ongoing chapter work, and from these, prepare and deliver political education segments at regularly scheduled general meetings of the chapter as frequently as is feasible.