a plug for thinking about where you want to do that work for ten years, too. there’s a tendency for people — especially staff — to bounce around instead of rooting in to the hard work of deep organizing. https://twitter.com/polismillions/status/1343265451929972736

not always possible depending on the work, but we need socialists anchored in communities, and to genuinely be part of the communities they’re organizing in.

I’ve played a relatively small part in it but it’s amazing to see how things have changed locally in the four years I’ve been here. There’s never been organization locally; post election there was an ad hoc list of groups that came together and quickly collapsed.

Now we have a DSA chapter, there’s been work through PA United, and there’s a durable coalition fighting for racial justice. Protests have gone from the comfort zone of Penn State’s gates, to taking streets and occupying buildings.

Four years has moved the needle in putting left wing politics meaningfully up front in an area they’ve barely existed. Think about being part of changes like that for the long haul.

As a measure of what I’m talking about:

When I first got to state college, a big protest was 250 people on Inauguration Day at the Penn State gates.

This summer over 1,000 people shut down downtown for racial justice. More than once.