Vermont Socialist: October 2026
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15: GREEN MOUNTAIN DSA ANNUAL CONVENTION
Green Mountain DSA’s annual convention will take place on Sunday November 15th at the Socialist Labor Party Hall (46 Granite St) in Barre, VT.
The convention will run from ~11:00 AM until the late afternoon. You can participate in-person or virtually. More details to follow.
For planning purposes, please register in advance here: https://greenmountaindsa.solidarity.tech/green-mountain-dsa-annual-convention
Submit resolutions or bylaws amendments here BEFORE NOVEMBER 1st: https://forms.gle/J7h8XDZHCyTTsbGk8
Make nominations for chapter officers and committee chairs here: https://forms.gle/mJYoXD4qtGku47he9
The convention bulletin will be published in early November.
AG CLARK MUST DROP THE CHARGES; GMDSA STANDS WITH WILLISTON PROTESTORS AHEAD OF SHUT DOWN ICE WEEK OF ACTION
I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963)
Last week, Vermont’s Attorney General Charity Clark brought charges against 13 people who took non-violent direct action in front of an ICE surveillance facility in Williston. Clark boasts on her website and social media of the lawsuits her office has brought against the Trump administration and highlights the importance of “battling federal overreach.” Yet, as our communities fight back against the monstrous activities being committed by ICE, Clark’s choices have displayed her commitment to “order” over justice, as Dr. King describes.
Read the rest of the statement on our website at: https://greenmountaindsa.org/statements/ag-clark-must-drop-the-charges-gmdsa-stands-with-williston-protestors-ahead-of-shut-down-ice-week-of-action
Read our other two statements released this month re: UVMMC and Molly Grey here: https://greenmountaindsa.org/statements
GMDSA-ENDORSED CANDIDATES WIN BIG IN VERMONT THIS SUMMER: HELP GET THEM OVER THE FINISH LINE NOVEMBER THIRD!
This summer, Green Mountain DSA-backed candidates showed that socialist and working-class politics can win in Vermont. But winning a primary is only part of the fight. On November 3, our endorsed candidates will face voters in the general election, and they need our help to finish the job.
Elections are not a substitute for organizing, but they are one arena where organized working people can challenge the power of landlords, bosses, corporations, and the wealthy. Every door knocked, voter contacted, volunteer recruited, and conversation with a neighbor helps build the organization we need beyond Election Day.
Over the next month, GMDSA members will be canvassing, making calls, spreading the word, and working alongside our endorsed candidates across Vermont. Whether you have been organizing with us for years or have never canvassed before, there is a place for you in this work.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Help us send working-class champions to Montpelier.
Sign up: https://forms.gle/q4FFyFo4XKxxfEiv5
TAX THE RICH: MONTPELIER AND WINOOSKI CANVASSES FOR TOWN MEETING DAY 2027 BALLOT QUESTIONS
Working Vermonters are being squeezed while the richest continue to benefit from tax cuts paid for by cuts to healthcare. Medicaid and ACA subsidies are on the chopping block, putting tens of thousands at risk. This is a choice. We can let working people carry the burden, or we can demand that the wealthiest pay their fair share.
We are calling on the Vermont Legislature to pass legislation that raises taxes on the richest 5 percent, taxes wealth proceeds, and invests that revenue into affordable and accessible healthcare for all. Half measures are not enough. Policies that only target the top 1 percent or shift taxes around without raising new revenue will not meet this moment.
Sign up to help us collect signatures on our Tax the Rich ballot petitions (advisory questions for the Town Meeting Day Ballot in Montpelier and Winooski)!
Winooski -- Saturday, October 10, 1-3 p.m. @ 53 Lafountain St.
Montpelier -- Saturday, October 17, 1:30-3:30 p.m. @ Christ Episcopal Church (64 State St.)
Sign up: https://forms.gle/dEngxC4rR9giKGx27
GREEN MOUNTAIN DSA MONTH IN REVIEW
Change rarely arrives all at once. More often, it is built through dozens of small acts: a conversation at a door, workers standing together on a picket line, neighbors meeting one another for the first time, or someone deciding they are ready to organize.
September gave us plenty of those moments.
Across Vermont, Green Mountain DSA members joined workers, candidates, organizers, and community members in building power together. We gathered at the Labor Day Festival of Resistance, supported the continued growth of socialist organizing in Southern Vermont, stood alongside Healthy Living Workers United, marched with our endorsed candidates at Pride, and knocked doors for both our electoral work and the Tax the Rich campaign.
Just as importantly, we spent time together. We talked, marched, laughed, organized, and strengthened the relationships that make sustained political work possible.
No single march, canvass, meeting, or campaign builds socialism. The work accumulates. Every conversation creates another connection. Every campaign develops new organizers. Every act of solidarity reminds workers that they do not have to face bosses, landlords, politicians, or the wealthy alone.
Join us this month of October for a spooky themed month of building solidarity and pushing for a better Vermont for all.
WE’RE BUILDING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY GMDSA
Green Mountain Democratic Socialists of America is working towards making our organization more accessible to parents and guardians. In August we were approved to receive a chapter Growth and Development grant from DSA national to help with this effort, among other priorities. You can help us by letting us know if you would benefit from childcare being offered at our general meetings.
Please fill out our Childcare Needs Survey: https://forms.gle/6Mq1KHWGrc3QgLGv8
UPCOMING GREEN MOUNTAIN DSA MEETINGS
Our Labor Committee meets on the second Monday of every month at 6:00pm on Zoom, including Monday Oct 12.
Talk about your job and learn about shop-floor organizing from peers at Workers' Circle (co-hosted with the Green Mountain IWW) on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, including Wednesday Oct 14 at 6:00pm at Migrant Justice (179 S. Winooski Av in Burlington).
Our Electoral Committee will meet again on Wednesday Oct 14. The electoral committee meets at 6:00pm on Zoom.
GMDSA's branches will come together for our monthly general meeting on Saturday Oct 17 at 11:30 a.m. at Christ Church (64 State St in Montpelier). Newcomers are encouraged to show up at 10:30am for an optional “DSA 101” orientation. Everyone is welcome to join for coffee hour with snacks and discussion at 11:00am prior to the start of the general meeting.
Our Tax the Rich Working Group will meet on the first and third Sundays monthly, starting Sunday Oct 18 at 6:00pm on Zoom.
Find out how you can help our Membership Committee improve recruitment and involvement in our chapter on Monday Oct 19. The Membership Committee meets on the 3rd Monday of every month at 6:00pm on Zoom.
Our Palestine Solidarity Committee will meet on Monday Oct 26. The Palestine solidarity committee meets on the 4th Monday of every month at 6:00pm on Zoom.
Our Communications Committee will meet on Monday Oct 26. The communications committee meets on the last Monday of every month at 7:00pm on Zoom.
Our Steering Committee meets on the first Monday of every month at 7:30pm on Zoom, including Monday Nov 2. All members are welcome to participate in the meeting discussion, only members of the steering committee can vote.
Tuesday Nov 3 is ELECTION DAY. Stay tuned to learn where you can poll-stand with our endorsed candidates and celebrate with GMDSA and our newly elected socialists in office after the polls close. Check the GMDSA calendar and the campaign volunteer form.
Our annual chapter convention is Sunday Nov 15 at the Socialist Labor Party Hall (46 Granite St in Barre). This is the most important GMDSA event of the year!
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IMPORTANT DATES THIS YEAR
GMDSA October General Meeting: Saturday October 17 in Montepelier
General Election: Tuesday November 3
Next GMDSA Convention: SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15 in Barre, at the Old Labor Hall!
Next DSA National Convention: August 2027 (Date TBD)
