For Immediate Release

June 8, 2020

PRESS RELEASE: BERKSHIRES DSA STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH BLACK LIVES MATTER

Pittsfield, MA — 

George Floyd.

Breonna Taylor.

Tony McDade.

Three Black individuals murdered by the police. Three among thousands.

Police violence stops here. Racism stops here.

The Berkshires chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) proudly adds our voice to the global chorus: BLACK LIVES MATTER.

We join our comrades in the streets to protest police violence and the racist order it upholds. For us, the struggle for racial justice is inseparable from the struggle for democratic socialism. We seek a world defined by our lasting commitment to each other rather than the fleeting economic value of our labor. And we will defend the vision of democratic socialism against racists, and against fascists. Right now, that means we find ourselves in the streets.

At this moment, the path to democratic socialism brings us head-to-head with anti-Black racism. We do not shy away from this confrontation, and we call on our members to join the protests unfolding across Berkshire County, and worldwide. We invite all residents of Berkshire County to join us in the streets, and we call on elected officials to support racial justice by demanding greater police accountability and by redirecting resources from the police to public programs that serve Black and Brown communities.

The DSA is the largest socialist organization in the United States. DSA’s members are building progressive movements for social change while establishing an openly democratic socialist presence in American communities and politics. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for the few. DSA members use a variety of tactics, from legislative to direct action, to fight for reforms that empower working people.

For media Inquiries, please contact Amillie Coster (413) 854 5611, [email protected]