In this episode, Charleston DSA Ecosocialist Working Group Co-Chair Taylor Allred reads an adapted version of a speech he delivered at recent SC Sunrise Movement rallies in support of the congressional federal jobs guarantee pledge started by Rep. Ayanna Presley. Taylor discusses why capitalism is inherently unsustainable, why a federal jobs guarantee would fundamentally shift power to workers, and how you can help us get this and other transformative reforms passed by phonebanking for the PRO A...
May 17, 2021•17 min•Season 3Ep. 29
In this episode, we discuss the recent presidential election in Bolivia following the US-backed right wing coup that threw the country into chaos for much of 2019. Ace returns to bring us up to speed on what exactly led us to this point, provides more context for the circumstances surrounding the election (including the US’s involvement) and what it means moving forward for the people of Bolivia. Among the topics discussed are indigenous rights, agrarian reform, the history of US meddling in Lat...
Dec 15, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 16
In this episode, members of Charleston DSA and Marcus from the local BLM chapter discuss the protest that happened in Marion Square downtown in honor of Kenosha, Wisconsin citizen Jacob Blake. We cover some of the demands shared by Charleston BLM, talk specifics about police tactics during the protest and attempted march, and briefly cover the reaction from local media. We then broaden the discussion to tackle some of the contradictions of how Charleston presents itself as a progressive southern...
Sep 09, 2020•2 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 15
We talk to teachers from Berkeley and Dorchester counties find out what they think about reopening South Carolina schools. We’ll be discussing their unanswered questions, continuing concerns, and whether or not the government that claims to serve them is listening. We’ll also be touching on how the lack of broadband access in rural communities plays a role in this crisis, the weaponization of teaching to extract endless concessions and sacrifices from education professionals, and some things our...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 44 min•Season 2Ep. 14
In this episode, we're featuring local activists Candace Livingston, Julie Chea and Empress talking about police/prison abolition and building a better world using the principles of investing in our communities, as well as fully understanding the power of transformative justice. Through Carolina Youth Action Project, they’ve been working on a campaign called Safer Schools Without SROs, which demands the removal of all SROs in Charleston County schools and in every public school across South Caro...
Jul 31, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In the late 1920's and early 1930's Textile Workers across the country engaged in a series of industrial actions which changed the landscape and fortunes of organized labor in the US forever. This episode tells the story of two strikes of this period that occurred in the upstate of South Carolina. In Honea Path and Pelzer, workers fought against local mill owners and anti-union forces for better conditions and several of them paid with their lives. A part of labor struggles throughout history ha...
Jul 18, 2020•48 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In this episode, we continue our discussion on the Charleston Rebellion and potential next steps within the context of building a unified, multiracial working class, and understanding how predatory capitalists and the police work to exploit weaknesses in that unified front. We also discuss how police unions exist to protect cops, the recent work stoppage by longshoremen and warehouse worker unions across the country and how issues of racial and economic justice are intertwined, and how socialist...
Jul 04, 2020•56 min•Season 2Ep. 12
NOTE: In this episode, we talked about how Camden, NJ might be an example of what police abolition could look like. A comrade sent us an article pointing out some pretty big problems with it. In the interest of being both ideologically consistent and transparent with our resources, we wanted to share it here: https://theappeal.org/camden-police-george-floyd/ A number of Charleston DSA members have been involved with protests over the past few weeks in various capacities. In this episode, we talk...
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr 46 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In the wake of the recent protests across the Holy City this week, we talk about the historic link between modern police departments and slave patrols of the 1700s and 1800s, how police departments disproportionately attack and murder people of color, how to increase the effectiveness of street protests using good marshaling tactics, what exactly a protest marshal does, and how to keep yourself and your comrades safe. Black lives matter. Defund the police. Socialism will win. ACTIVIST RESOURCES:...
Jun 06, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Artist and activist Effy Francis and local DSA comrade Chris Tittle talk about organizing for tenants rights in South Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. Effy also discusses their past experiences working for disability rights groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, and how those experiences influenced their work today. The episode continues with a wrap-up of the recent virtual townhall collaboration between the South Carolina Housing Justice Network, Charleston DSA, and other Lowcountry social justi...
May 21, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 9
We take a break from the COVID-19 madness to discuss something a little more uplifting. In this episode, Nick talks about socialist themes in reggae, ska and dancehall music of the 70s and 80s. If you're playing along at home, here's the track list. Dillinger - Crashie First Socialist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik8UNq1kv6g Max Romeo - Socialism Is Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTvUs4rY4to Derrick Morgan - People’s Decision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbcRscFZJpg The Ethopians ...
May 04, 2020•40 min•Season 2Ep. 8
As the COVID 19 global pandemic continues, we discuss the importance of building and participating in mutual aid organizations with a comrade from Mutual Aid Disaster relief. Conversation topics include participating in hurricane relief efforts in Lumberton with Charleston DSA after Hurricane Florence hit in 2018, how climate disaster relief compares to (and has a lot in common with) the COVID 19 pandemic, how different populations are affected by natural and manmade disasters, and how it is cri...
Apr 17, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode, we talk further about the local response to COVID 19, then zoom out a bit and compare it to how other countries with stronger worker protections have reacted. Later, we break down the recent stimulus package and how it fails to address the contradictions of capitalism that have brought us to this point. Some sources for the episode... - COVID 19 Stimulus Bill: What It Means For States: https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/03/13/dsa-national-statement-covid-2019 - DSA Natio...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In this episode, we interview a couple of comrades (one locally and one from the Akron DSA chapter) who work in the healthcare industry to talk about what it's like being on the ground in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, and how this pandemic affects the lives of working people. We also broaden the discussion a bit to talk about how COVID-19 is exposing the contradictions of capitalism and the drastic measures needed to protect the working class at this time of crisis. Have questions about C...
Mar 22, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 5
We've got another engaging panel discussion for you as members of Charleston DSA, Food Not Bombs, and a local Bernie Sanders campaign volunteer chat about the South Carolina primary election, Super Tuesday, and beyond. What was it like to be on the front lines of the campaign? What can be learned from our organizing successes and failures? How to we move that energy beyond the 2020 election? All this and more!
Mar 13, 2020•35 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this episode, a few members of the local Charleston DSA and Food Not Bombs chapters have a discussion about the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign. Seen as the underdog by many talking heads, Sanders has earned victories in Iowa, New Hampshire and now seems poised to win South Carolina. The panel also discusses what got them interested in Bernie Sanders, the advantages and limitations of engaging in electoral politics, and what's on the line for voters in the Palmetto State. To find out information...
Feb 20, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 3
WARNING: this episode contains descriptions of police violence. Our comrade and YDSA liaison Ace stops by the studio to talk about her experiences in Chile during the mass protests against President Sebastián Piñera and his increasingly unpopular administration. The protests began in Chile's capital, Santiago, as a coordinated fare evasion campaign by students which led to spontaneous takeovers of the city's main train stations, resulting in violent, punitive actions by the national police. Sinc...
Feb 05, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In conjunction with our 2020 Medicare For All action week, we're talking about the nitty gritty details of Medicare For All. We go over most of the usual questions (who supports it, how it compares to a private, multipayer system, how it'll be paid for, etc...) but we also talk a little bit about the intersectional nature of fighting for a universal, single payer healthcare system, and how it will help folks here in the Lowcountry. For further reading: Economic Analysis of Medicare For All: http...
Jan 09, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Recently, writer and activist Max Elbaum was in Charleston to discuss his book, Revolution In The Air. The book chronicles the rise of the New Communist Movement in the United States in the 60s and 70s, and it’s subsequent decline in the 80s. It also examines what organizations like DSA can learn from the legacies of Vladimir Lenin, Mao Tse Tung and Che Guevara, and from the various tendencies and organizations of the New Communist Movement operating at the time. This episode is a followup to th...
Dec 06, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Recently, writer and activist Max Elbaum was in Charleston to discuss his book, Revolution In The Air. The book chronicles the rise of the New Communist Movement in the United States in the 60s and 70s, and it’s subsequent decline in the 80s. It also examines what organizations like DSA can learn from the legacies of Vladimir Lenin, Mao Tse Tung and Che Guevara, and from the various tendencies and organizations of the New Communist Movement operating at the time. In this episode, we ask Max some...
Nov 15, 2019•52 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This episode provides additional analysis on ICE at the organizational level, discussing what role they play in US imperialism and white supremacy here at home. We also spend some time taking a broad view of border imperialism, and how it restricts and marginalizes people while capital is free to cross borders with relative ease. It's important to understand that if the working class is seeking the abolition of capitalism and a permanent transition to a socialist society, all national borders mu...
Oct 18, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Not long ago, the Coastal Conservation League hosted a forum with several mayoral candidates here in Charleston. The candidates discussed the massive problem this city has with flooding, and proposed some technocratic, mediocre solutions for moving forward. We were able to score an interview with a real bonafide, flesh-and-blood candidate, Ricky Teckwhite, who is definitely not someone we just made up for laughs. We also propose some very brief solutions of our own that we'll come back to in fut...
Sep 30, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode, we interview Fernando Soto, founder of Recursos Estatales, an online news portal for Spanish-speaking readers. Recursos Estatales' mission is to close the gap in local communities where Spanish resources are not offered to the Hispanic community. Recursos Estatales also provides news coverage in the state of South Carolina. Likewise, it is working on expansion to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, broadening their reach to a regional audience. Fernando recently spoke at the Lights...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Earlier this month, delegates from our chapter hit the road for the 2019 National DSA Convention. In this episode, we discuss some of the experiences we had at the convention, a broad view of how the voting process worked, and a deeper dive on a few interesting resolutions and proposed bylaw changes. Did you attend the convention? Have something to add? Email us at info@charlestondsa.org . We might read your response on a future episode! If you didn't make it to the convention but would like to ...
Aug 29, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, we interview local comrades Alex and Sam who are stalwart supporters of the local Food Not Bombs chapter. Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent anarchist collectives around the world who share free meals in an ongoing effort to build solidarity with local folks struggling with food insecurity. Food Not Bombs believes that corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in what should be post-scarcity society. To demonstrate this in practic...
Jul 31, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Democrats have had their first primary debates of the election cycle, and it's definitely a crowded field at this point, but one candidate in particular has caught our attention: Silicon Valley entrepreneur and former corporate attorney Andrew Yang. Over the past few months, Yang has rose to prominence promoting a Universal Basic Income plan that he calls the "Freedom Dividend", which guarantees every American a monthly stipend of $1000. But what are the drawbacks of this plan, and how does it c...
Jul 04, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Recently, a series of so-called "fetal heartbeat" bills have been circulating in various state legislatures. These bills are a extreme form of abortion restriction legislation which makes abortions illegal as soon as the so-called "embryonic or fetal heartbeat" can be detected, which is typically six weeks into the pregnancy and before most folks are certain that they're pregnant. Charleston DSA unequivocally rejects any attempt to restrict abortion rights and bodily autonomy. In the first segme...
Jun 15, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In the spirit of May Day, this episode discusses the recent #AllOutMay1 statewide teacher walkout from a socialist perspective. We also suggest some ways in which comrades might support our teachers and fellow workers, as well as how to encourage a culture of vigorously defending the right to a free, high-quality public education via direct action. We also spend a little time towards the end of the episode talking about labor history here in the region and how it connects to the current struggle...
May 23, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 2
The debut episode of Renegade Paradise, in which we discuss how capitalism and socialism are talked about in popular political discourse, and why this popular discourse is inaccurate and problematic. We also present a brief summary of Charleston DSA’s interpretation and definition of socialism.
May 07, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 1
