Dele Balogun

Dele Balogun

Dele Balogun was a Portland, Oregon activist. He is now in Chicago Illinois.

African Heritage Delegation to Palestine/Israel

The African Heritage Delegation to Israel/Palestine members, November 2014:

• Dele Balogun - Portland, Oregon
• Ajamu Baraka - Cali, Colombia
• Jen Copeland - Decatur, Georgia
• Ashara Ekundayo – Oakland, California
• Anthony Grimes - Denver, Colorado
• Zaynah Hindi – Berkeley, California
• Trina Jackson - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
• Lucas Johnson - Atlanta, Georgia
• Kamilah Moore - Altadena, California
• Rebecca Pierce - Portola Valley, California
• Zarinah Shakir - Lawrenceville, New Jersey
• Tyrone Simpson - Poughkeepsie, New York
• Josette Souza - Providence, Rhode Island
• Ann Ragland - Laurel, Maryland
• James Ricks - Ithaca, New York
• Angela Wellman – Oakland, California

Media Contact: Jacob Pace, Interfaith Peace-Builders staff.

ISO

In 2015 Dele Balogun was a member of the International Socialist Organization.

2017 Executive

Chicago Democratic Socialists of America has staggered two year terms for its officers, but add in two vacancies among the officer positions and you have nearly a whole new crew selected at the June 17 membership convention. The meeting was held in the historic United Electrical Workers Hall at 37 S. Ashland in Chicago. Clara Alcott was elected female co-chair. Leonard Pierce was elected male co-chair. Hope Payton-Carrillo was elected secretary. Dele Balogun and Ramsin Canon will share the political education officer position (but only one vote). Peg Strobel remains as treasurer, that term ending next June.

NPC candidate

In August 2017 Dele Balogun stood for election to the Democratic Socialists of America National Political Committee, at the National Convention in Chicago, the Northside Chicago Democratic Socialists of America.

My name is Dele Balogun. I spent a lot of my late childhood years growing up in Ohio, both in Cleveland and Youngstown. Life experiences in Youngstown left a huge impact on my political evolution through the years. I come from a working class family and background.

My grandfather and other members of my family worked for Youngstown Sheet and Tube throughout the 1950s to the late 1970s when the steel mill was closed. Youngstown was one of the sites of the Little Steel Strike, which marked a turning point for workers power in the steel industry in the 1930s. My late grandfather, a proud United Steelworkers member, hailed from this legacy.

I spent 8 years in Portland, Oregon where I immersed myself in activism, movement-building, and socialist education. From there, I moved to Chicago 2 years ago, now my permanent home, and where I intend to dedicate my life to building the DSA and the Left.

In the late summer of 2009, just as I was beginning to identify politically as a Socialist and organize with Socialist groups, I began work with an LGBT group in Portland, Oregon, which organized a local march in October of that year as part of the National Equality March on Washington. In 2011, I visited the Madison Wisconsin capitol occupation and later in the year threw myself into Occupy Wall Street organizing. Since then, I have supported and participated in movements such as Black Lives Matter and Fight for 15. In the Fall of 2014, I participated in the African Heritage Delegation to Palestine where I met with Palestinians struggling for liberation against the brutal occupation.

We need to develop a vision for the type of society we are fighting for. So far, this isn’t at all clear. I see the DSA as an eventual mass organization fighting for a Socialist society, where the working class collectively and democratically controls the economy and society, and where human potential is liberated in a way that the world has never seen.

DSA Friends and Comrades coalition

The DSA Friends and Comrades coalition stood several people for DSA national Political committee at the Democratic Socialists of America August 2017 National Convention in Chicago.

According to John Michael Colon;

The DSA Friends and Comrades coalition is something that came out of DSA Libertarian Socialist Caucus members and was organized by LSC members informally and hasn't been approved by the group. We wish them well, and some of us will vote for them and promote them on our social media, but they don't represent the LSC. Next convention we aim to organize a primary and democratic process to put forward a slate.

Members who stood were Dele Balogun, Jordan Buchman, Jetta Rae Robertson, Alexandra Dudley, John Hieronymus, Alexander Kolokotronis, Brad McGarr, Jack Suria Linares, Dan Pozzie, Brandon Payton-Carrillo.

2017-2017 DSA NPC members

Members elected to the Democratic Socialists of America National Political Committee, August 2017;

• Catherine Hoffman
• Chris Maisano
• Christian Bowe
• Christine Riddiough
• Danny Fetonte
• Dele Balogun
• Ella Mahony
• Jeremy Gong
• Joseph Schwartz
• Theresa Alt
• Allie Cohn
• Leslie Driskill
• Natalie Midiri
• R.L. Stephens
• Ravi Ahmad
• Zac Echola

Environmental Working Group - Chicago DSA

Members of the Environmental Working Closed Facebook Group - Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, as of September 1, 2017 included Dele Balogun.

Flag Caucus

Members of the Democratic Socialists of America Flag Caucus closed Facebook group, accessed November 24, 2017, included Dele Balogun.

Resistance Culture: A Chicago DSA Working Group

Members of Resistance Culture: A Chicago Democratic Socialists of America Working Group, a Public Facebook Group, accessed February 10, 2018 included Dele Balogun.

This page is intended as an ad-hoc start to a proposed working group based around the exploration of arts, culture and radical social change among Chicago members of Democratic Socialists of America.

2018 DSA NEC members

New National Electoral Committee Members, as of May 18, 2018 are Abdullah Younus NYC, Adam Parsons Columbus, AJ Reed Quad Cities, Alex Nagle Philadelphia, Allie Cohn Knoxville, Austin Binns Philadelphia, Christine Riddiough Metro DC, Christian Bowe Lansing, David Greve Pittsburgh, Dele Balogun Chicago, Devin McManus NYC, Felicia Hamilton Boulder, Jason Clayton Metro DC, Jessica M. Culbertson Akron, Katrina Bergstrom Los Angeles, Keaton Slansky Seattle, Lucas Perez-Leahy Omaha, Mark Masaoka Los Angeles, Peter Simon Denver, Rachel Reyes Los Angeles, Renee Paradis NYC, Sarah Ganong Central Connecticut, Spencer Chan Chicago, Tascha Van Auken NYC, Yesenia Padilla San Diego.

Harassment Working Group

In 2017, Dele Balogun of Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America, was a delegate co-sponsor to a statement by the Democratic Socialists of America Harassment Working Group.