Brian Howard

Brian Howard is a self described "communist" and member of the Portland Democratic Socialists of America.

2023 PDSA Convention Delegate Nomination List

Brian Howard is a 2023 Portland Democratic Socialists of America delegate nominee for the biennial DSA national convention to be held in Chicago, Illinois August 4-6, 2023.

I have been a union organizer for 17 years and have helped thousands of workers form unions across the country, including several campaigns in which I was the lead. In the last several years I have negotiated contracts for nurses that raised standards in a number of ways, including the first contract in Oregon that helped guarantee uninterrupted meals and breaks—always a huge issue for nurses.

I have been a paper member of DSA since 2017 but became more involved in the last couple of years, including co-chair of the Resiliency Working Group. As a communist, I believe that building strong community connections and resiliency are critical components of movements and organizations. Every successful campaign (like the famous sit-down strikes in Flint, Michigan) or revolution (like the Cuban Revolution) in history had armies of people making sure there was food, water, medical help and supplies, sanitary conditions, secure communication, etc. This work is often overlooked because it is seen as feminized labor, but it is as necessary as what is commonly valorized. For every Che Guevara there are thousands of people—mostly women—behind the scenes keeping the movement (literally) alive.