Chapter Structure

Boston DSA is a democratic, volunteer-run, non-hierarchical organization, which means our membership is at the core of all we do. On this page, you’ll find information about the various types of organizing groups that advance our Chapter’s work.

Coordinating Committee

The Coordinating Committee is a group of 11 individuals who are elected to their positions annually in April and are responsible for overseeing the necessary administrative work to make our volunteer chapter robust and effective. They act to coordinate among our committees and working groups when necessary and address recognized problems of process within the chapter.

The Coordinating Committee meets twice a month and its meetings are public and open to all Boston DSA members. They can be reached at leadership@bostondsa.org.

Working Groups

Boston DSA has a variety of working groups for you to be involved in, whatever your interests. Working groups organize around particular issues and engage in the external political work of the chapter. Activities undertaken by working groups include running electoral campaigns, organizing tenants, showing up at picket lines, and much more. We currently have the following Working Groups:

  • Cambridge
  • Ecosocialism
  • Electoral
  • Gender Justice
  • Healthcare
  • Housing
  • Internationalism & Immigration
  • Labor
  • Palestine
  • Somerville

Committees

Committees are where we do work internal to the chapter to keep it running smoothly. Committee work is only available to chapter members in good standing, as the work often involves access to internal administrative infrastructure such as member lists. We currently have the following Committees:

  • Administrative
  • Communications
  • Direct Action, Deescalation, & Security (DADS)
  • Membership
  • Political Education

Affinity Groups

Affinity groups are spaces hosting social events for members who share particular identities or interests. Currently, we have the following active affinity spaces:

  • AfroSocialists and Socialists of Color 
  • Queer & Trans
  • Disability and Neurodivergence
  • United We Dunk (Basketball Team)
  • Creative
  • Parents & Caregivers

Neighborhood Groups & Regional Branches

Boston DSA spans all of Eastern Massachusetts (east of Worcester County), other than Cape Cod. Because we have a large territory, some cities and neighborhoods within it have their own elected leadership, mailing lists, campaigns, and discussion groups to focus on local issues. All members of these regional branches and neighborhood groups are members of Boston DSA.

  • Regional Branches: Merrimack Valley, North Shore, South Shore, MetroWest, Waltham
  • Neighborhood Groups: East Boston/Chelsea, Medford/Malden, Somerville, Cambridge, Allston/Brighton, Brookline, Dorchester/Roxbury, Jamaica Plain/West Roxbury/Roslindale

When you join Boston DSA, you are automatically added to the mailing list for the neighborhood or branch that you reside in based on the ZIP code associated with your membership.

A map of the Boston neighborhood groups
A map of South Shore DSA's territory, which extends from Plymouth to Foxboro to Quincy.
A map of MetroWest DSA's territory, which extends from Wrentham to Carlisle and from Needham to Hopkinton.
A map of North Shore DSA's territory, which extends from Saugus to Rockport to Essex.
A map of Merrimack Valley DSA's territory, which extends along the New Hampshire border from Tyngsboro to Reading to Salisbury.