The Steering Committee of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America released their annual report to chapter members. The following is the introductory remarks provided by the Steering Committee in their report. A full PDF version of the report can be found at link.
Metro DC DSA (MDC DSA) held its annual convention on December 6 and 7, continuing its democratic process to debate and discuss our political orientation, the rules that govern our organizing, and elect a new Steering Committee. And as part of this work, the 17th Steering Committee is providing its annual report to the membership to summarize the 2025 term. That annual report is contained herein.
This report comes in a political conjuncture relevant not only to our region but to the entire country and world. The return of far right control of the federal government has had tremendous repercussions across the DMV, from tens of thousands of workers being laid off or working for no pay during the longest government shutdown in history to the hostile takeover and state terror meted out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the National Guard. However, DSA as a leading force amid a broad and rising antifascist Left is also part of this political conjuncture.
More working class people than ever are seeking an answer to politics beyond the hateful reaction of the right and the failed neoliberalism of the center. The victory in New York City of openly pro-Palestine Muslim socialist and longtime DSA member Zohran Mamdani - who received over a million votes in the highest turnout Mayoral election the city has seen in decades - has galvanized millions. Nationally, DSA’s Fall Membership Drive has been a huge success, so far recruiting or renewing over 10,000 members and getting us closer than ever to breaking 100,000 members for the first time in our organization’s history. In October 2024 before Trump was elected to a second term, the chapter had remained quite strong relative to the organization, losing fewer members and bringing in more new ones than most others. Today, our chapter has more than 3100 members… and counting!
Despite the challenges presented by an increasingly repressive federal government and some bruising fights for socialists, tenants, and workers locally, we have continued to build our organization and our power. That strength has begun to translate into regional political power for our class, be it in the form of winning elections, supporting tenants and workers fighting for unions, or standing in solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing, US-backed genocide in Gaza. This year our chapter continued to build that power in many ways.
THE FIGHT TO PROTECT TOPA — DSA members across DC, MD, and VA took a stand to win and enforce tenant rights and protect people from landlords interested in turning housing into a tool for wealth extraction. The chapter fought against Mayor Bowser’s RENTAL Act and for rent stabilization and social housing in Montgomery County. The former owners of the Ward 8 Marbury Plaza Complex were ordered to pay $29.8 million to tenants who had organized with Stomp Out Slumolords against slum conditions for years. Community defense against ICE has been led by DSA and DSA-adjacent tenant unions.
BUILDING A SOCIALIST BENCH IN REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS — Our chapter’s electoral work resulted in the election of Shayla Adams-Stafford in the special election for Prince George’s County Council District 5 and the election of longtime member and chapter leader Frankie Fritz to Greenbelt City Council, marking the chapter’s first and second electoral wins in the county.
ORGANIZING SOCIALISTS IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT — Labor organizing continued its high activity from 2024. The chapter hosted trainings attended by hundreds of federal workers and potential salts who want to pursue jobs with the goal of organizing their workplace, turned out hundreds of community members to picket in solidarity with workers seeking to unionize at Starr restaurants, fought the repeal and freezing of I-82, and played a leading role in organizing a huge May Day rally endorsed by a wide range of unions.
THE FIGHT FOR BODILY AUTONOMY — Like many chapters across the country, our chapter played a critical role in ensuring that our communities and elected officials to protect some of our most vulnerable comrades and neighbors. Our members led a huge letter writing campaign and rally to preserve gender-affirming care for as many people and for as long as possible, a second successful push for a trans sanctuary resolution – this time in ArLington – and turned people out for school board meetings to hold the line against anti-trans attacks by the far right and the federal government. Likewise, members in the Northern Virginia Branch were involved in the campaign that resulted in the Arlington County Board voting in May 2025 to suspend its 287(g) agreement, significantly limiting the Arlington Police Department's cooperation with ICE. Elsewhere, members are participating in local community defense to protect their neighbors from ICE.
BATTLING THE TENDRILS OF IMPERIALISM — Chapter members stood against the continuing, US-backed genocide of Palestinians through multiple BDS campaigns, including protests, political education events, and canvasses across the DMV.
FIGHTING FOR A GREEN NEW DEAL — WePower DC launched canvasses and started wheatpasting to grow the base for public power and published a white paper on how to municipalize Pepco, and members likewise organized around expanding and improving public transit and social housing.
BUILDING A SOCIALIST CULTURE — The chapter has expanded its reach, bringing DSA’s politics to people throughout the DMV with an active Street Team tabling at events in the region. Washington Socialist and the weekly newsletter grew their readership, and introduced video through the MDC Dispatch; and many reading groups, socialist night schools, and walking tours were organized throughout the year to provide political education for our members and bring new workers into the movement for socialism.
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The 17th Metro DC DSA Steering Committee hopes that the information in this report is useful. The large and various work highlighted here – all occurring in just one year, and not fully capturing the chapter’s activities – indicates the strength of our chapter’s organizing. Our work has changed things, in small ways and large, for our class. At times it may be thankless, hard, or simply not enjoyable, but it does have meaning.
And it happens because we, as workers, are organized collectively. Our class power is possible because hundreds of members locally take the time to build it. From the Steering Committee to each and every chapter member – if you come to one event a year or everything – thank you. You are why we are a force in the DMV!