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“IF PEOPLE LOOK INTO THEIR FAMILY TREES, THEY MIGHT REALIZE THEY HAVE BEEN A SOCIALIST ALL ALONG.”
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Pittsburgh Democratic Socialists of America co-chairs Arielle Cohen and Adam Shuck holding red roses, the symbols of democratic socialism
SEEING RED O
N A RECENT September evening, 76 comrades of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America joined together to discuss society’s travails, like the disproportionate harm natural disasters cause poor communities, public-education funding shortages, and access to health care. One answer prevailed throughout the evening as the cause for these problems: capitalism. And, if you ask DSA members, all of these problems have one solution: a new American form of socialism. “I joined because capitalism has basically ruined my life since I was born,” says DSA member and Shadyside resident Marlene Noble, who was born in Haiti, but moved to the U.S. at age 3. After Hurricane Gordon struck in 1994, 89,000 Haitians were displaced, and Noble’s family was too poor to fully recover. Noble was placed with Catholic Charities
and eventually adopted by American parents in Pittsburgh. She has had chronic back problems that have required multiple surgeries, and worries her health care will be stripped. She says, as an immigrant and a black woman, she has little faith in capitalism to help her. She joined Pittsburgh’s DSA in August and is part of a growing cohort flocking to
Can socialist ideals gain support in Pittsburgh? {BY RYAN DETO} the political group that was formed in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election. The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the U.S. They advocate for “democratic socialism,” which emphasizes that all people have a voice in important aspects of their
lives, such as government, workplace and economy. It also seeks to weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of working people. NATIONALLY, THE DSA saw its numbers triple to about 25,000 from 2016 to 2017, likely helped along by former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who champions many socialist policies, like universal health care and free college. Pittsburgh’s DSA co-chair Adam Shuck says the group started with seven people in November 2016 and currently has about 350 dues-paying members. Pittsburgh’s DSA, while growing, is still young and small compared to other leftleaning Pittsburgh political groups. For example, Pittsburgh DSA has a steering committee of 11 elected members, while DJ Ryan, of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, says the Democrats have CONTINUES ON PG. 08
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
09.20/09.27.2017