To my comrades, fellow travelers, and the people of West Tennessee,
My name is Liam. I am a new co-chair for the Memphis Midsouth chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
I want to share with you updates from our chapter. You should know something of what to expect from us in 2025.
In these uncertain times, a cohort of promising officers have stepped up to take responsibility and contribute to our socialist movement, as well as a broader culture of organizing in our state. A surge of new members has also connected with the chapter, and DSA nationally. This means we have the potential to grow significantly in our capacity.
Our current position was made possible by diligent organizing over the last year. Our chapter went from being nearly defunct in 2023 to organizing some of the largest meetings in our chapter’s history. During that same time, we have begun actively contributing to workplace organizing, mutual aid, and more. Our network currently numbers in the hundreds, and new people are getting involved nearly every week. This growth is exciting and gives us reasons to feel hopeful.
But, we must transform our newly minted comrades into cohorts of skilled organizers who build strong networks with working people outside of our organization, including those already doing vital work.
It is my hope that as we train a growing membership, our chapter can contribute to building institutions that can resist naked rule by the ultra-rich in the United States, and the politicians in our state who oppress the most vulnerable.
By building institutions deliberately, wisely, and well, we can prepare for future conflict by organizing for power.
From this, I want to list four principles I plan to advocate for among Memphis socialists.
We should:
1) Be an organization of organizers who organize others.
2) Actively support pro-people efforts around us with respect and in good faith.
3) Be consistently with the people and unfailingly reliable. We should build strong relationships on that basis.
4) Be humble such that we are good apprentices in struggle when it is appropriate to be so. That means learning from organizers in the trenches in Memphis, from experts, and from the people. We should learn from veteran socialists, strategy, and our history. We have so much to learn, and our chapter is a relatively new player in the field. We should have a spirit of investigation in order to be effective.
In short, we should consolidate our gains, support important efforts by others, and prepare to make bigger contributions in the future.
I believe we can achieve this together. This will strengthen our efforts to build the power of working people over politics, the economy, and our lives.
Let me close by saying, I understand Memphis Midsouth DSA has gone through several phases. At this stage, I will fiercely advocate for practices that simultaneously promote our effectiveness, organizational stability, security, and accountability. I hope this becomes apparent as you see more and more of our chapter around.
I write to you in solidarity, hoping that we can build alongside one another right now and prepare for the future. We have a world to win.
Liam Wright
Co-Chair, Memphis Midsouth Democratic Socialists of America