Mark Levinson

Mark Levinson

Mark Levinson is a New York based economist and socialist and chief economist for Workers United. He also helped to set up the Fiscal Policy Institute, a coalition of unions and religious and social service organizations that publishes The State of Working New York and other reports on New York city and state budget and tax policy. He is on the editorial board and Book Review Editor of Dissent.

Leaving DSA

November 9, 2023 Twenty-four longtime members of the Democratic Socialists of America published an open letter in The New Republic to explain why they’re leaving the organization.

Our hopes for a better world—more egalitarian, more just, more humane—once found expression in the Democratic Socialists of America.

Many of us have been members of DSA since its founding in 1982—some of us in leadership positions—as well as activists in the organizations and movements from which DSA emerged...

We were elated by the explosive growth of DSA that began in 2016, followed by the election of more than 100 DSA members to elective office. In such figures as Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Summer Lee, and Greg Casar, we cheered a new generation of progressive political leadership in the United States. It seemed that we could finally join other nations in having a meaningful democratic socialist presence in our political mainstream.

In recent years, however, we have been deeply troubled by the emergence of isolating, purist, and self-destructive tendencies inside DSA that have undermined its promise. The very strength of the regenerated DSA is in its electoral work and its high-profile, politically astute elected officials, and yet they came under attack from within. Ocasio-Cortez was condemned for stating that Israel had a right to exist, and Bowman was subjected to a vicious campaign for his expulsion from DSA because of his refusal to endorse the boycott, divestment, and sanctions, or BDS, movement, as well as for his connections with Jewish peace organizations in the U.S. and Israel.

The campaigns against DSA members of Congress garnered high-profile, public attention, but they were only the tip of the iceberg. There were several attacks on DSA-member and DSA-endorsed state and local officials. Purist litmus tests were increasingly imposed on candidates for elected office as the price of DSA endorsements.

In our judgment, a moment of truth has arrived. The events of the last weeks in Israel and Palestine, and the responses of national DSA and many of its local chapters, bring us to the painful conclusion that today’s DSA has driven itself beyond redemption....

We are beginning discussions amongst ourselves, to which we will invite other signatories to this letter, on how to keep the true vision of democratic socialism alive and how we can work together to develop an organizational framework that supports our educational and political work.

Leo Casey, Harold Meyerson, Richard Healey, Peter Dreier, Ruth Jordan, Mark Levinson, Nathan Newman, Maurice Isserman, Ingrid Goldstrom, Larry Mishel, David Kusnet, Aaron Greenberg, Randall Brink, Janette Brink, Jules Bernstein, Jeff Isaac, Tom Canel, James Berger, Robert Feldman, Jennifer Klein, Ed Collins, Raymond Barglow, John Zuraw, Bill Mosley.

Center for Economic and Policy Research

Mark Levinson serves on the Board of Directors at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

Socialist activism

[Mark Levinson] is a trade union researcher and strategist. He helped foundthe Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) Youth Section in 1977 and served on the DSOC/Democratic Socialists of America National Political Committee from 1981-1993. He is also an editor of Dissent Magazine.

Democratic Agenda

More than 1,200 people attended the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee initiated Democratic Agenda Conference held November 16-18, 1979, at the International Inn and Metropolitan AM Church in Washington 1 DC. The conference focused on "corporate power'; as the key barrier to "economic and political democracy," concepts many Democratic Agenda participants defined as "socialism.'

The Democratic Agenda meetings attempted to develop anti-corporate alternatives" through influencing the direction of the Democratic Party during the period leading to the July 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York.

A Democratic Alliance Youth Caucus meeting concentrated on on-campus and offcampus organizing in Support of "Big Business Day and other anti-corporate movements." Speakers included Mark Levinson, National Chair, DSOC Youth Section; Frank Jackalone, chair, United States Students Association; Jane Midgley, Washington Peace Center and "anti-militarist activist;" and Bob Chlopak, "anti-nuclear activist" and director, National Public Interest Research Group Clearinghouse.[

DSOC

Victoria Cross was in 1982 serving on the National Executive Committee of then Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee , Chair of the Detroit Local and working at the UAW.

Sketch for a poster for the first DSA conference, March 1982. Delegates from DSOC and NAM met in Detroit to form the Democratic Socialists of America.

Victoria Cross Blushing. Just been an active democratic-socialist all my life. And, I tried to do all I could in the "Dee" and I try to do all I might here on the other side of the border. I married a Canadian and am an immigrant in this fair land, and have "done some time" with the New Democrats, too. I am of the Penny Schantz, Miriam Bensman, Joseph Schwartz, Mark Levinson, Rafael PiRoman, Ben Tafoya, David Rathke et al, generation of DSOC peeps. With many mentors of the previous generations, including Roger Robinson and Oscar Pascal. Mike was so right when he used to tell our summer school and winter conferences for the Youth Section to look around and see that "these are your life-comrades; you may argue, you may get angry, you may have differing points of view at one given minute or another, but please, remember that we are all socialists." And yes, I've met Bernie, and Cornel, Barbara, Dorothy Healey, Saul Wellman, and all sorts of trade union activists and leaders and all of "the folks" from all sorts of social movements who have never stopped working. And yes, we still argue, but we are on the Arc Toward Justice. I try to respect them all, and well, when I got "here" I worked as a constituency rep for years and years and had the joy and pleasure of working with many solid New Democrats. I have the joy of having known Howard Pawley well, and continue in the joy of being friends with Adele Pawley and the Pawley family, for example.

Danielle Aubert Victoria Cross Roger Robinson is still very active with the Detroit chapter, and I believe Oscar Pascal started coming to general meetings again the last few months!! amazing this crossed your timeline !

Victoria Cross Roger will never stop. He and Meg Zimmeth are my blood buddies.Oscar will never stop. Once one crosses the Rubicon of "thinking like a socialist" there is never any turning back. Because the world changes before your eyes. The scales fall off and the role of individuals changes. We act in different ways, different arenas, with different coalitions and groups, but we keep trying and striving and picking where and when to intervene and organize to make the world change. I mean, I could get all academic and talk about dialectics and the "fulcrum of the dialectic" but here we are, in various spots and points just trying to do good, advance civilization, despite all the challenges.

DSA "Greetings"

In 1990, 39 people, plus "Seattle Democratic Socialists of America" and the "San Diego local", signed a "Greetings" ad in Democratic Left, September/October, 1990, page 23. Most signatories were known members of Democratic Socialists of America. Signatories included couples Mark Levinson and Jerry Flieger.

CUNY DSA forum

In 1991, the City University of New York - Graduate Center DSA organized a forum entitled "The Uncertain Future of the Middle Class" with DSA Honorary Chair Barbara Ehrenreich, Mark Levinson and Fred Siegal.

Socialist Scholars Conference

David Belkin, Manhattan Borough President's Office; Joanne Barkan, writer, Dissent; Lynne Mosley and Mark Levinson, Democratic Socialists of America were speakers on the Towards a Socialist Economy panel sponsored by the Democratic Socialists of America at the Tenth Annual Socialist Scholars Conference. The conference was held April 24-26, 1992 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York City.

DSA National Executive Committee

In 1987 the Democratic Socialists of America National Executive Committee consisted of Laila Atallah (Baltimore), Joanne Barkan (New York), Pat Belcon (New York), Bogdan Denitch (New York), Mary Dunn (Lexington, KY), Angie Fa (San Francisco), Gerry Hudson (New York), Nancy Kleniewski (Rochester, NY), Mark Levinson (Detroit), Joan Mandle (Philadelphia), Marshall Mayer (Helena), Harold Meyerson (Los Angele), Guy Molyneux (Boston), Jo-Ann Mort (Brooklyn, NY), Marjorie Phyfe (Peaks Island, ME), Frances Fox Piven (Millerton, NY), Skip Roberts Rockville, MD), Jan Rosenberg (Brooklyn, NY), Joseph Schwartz (Cambridge, MA), Sylvia Sepulveda (San Antonio, TX), Jim Shoch (Cambridge, MA), Bill Spencer (Washington, D.C.), Ed Vargas (Hartford, CT), Cornel West (Hamden, CT).

DSA member

In 1983 Mark Levinson was an At Large delegate to the Democratic Socialists of America conference in New York City, October 14-16, 1983

In 1993 Mark Levinson was an economist at the AFSME District 37 and a member of DSA's National Political Committee.

DSA’s Cuba Letter

Mark Levinson signed an April 2003 Statement on Cuba, initiated and circulated by prominent Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Leo Casey, calling for the lifting of trade sanctions against Cuba.

“a statement circulating among democratic left/socialist folks, largely by members of Democratic Socialists of America, condemning the recent trials and convictions of non-violent dissenters in Cuba”.

The petition criticized Cuba's poor human rights record, but shared the blame for Cuba's problems with reactionary elements of the U.S. administration...

The democratic left worldwide has opposed the U.S. embargo on Cuba as counterproductive, more harmful to the interests of the Cuban people than helpful to political democratization. The Cuban state's current repression of political dissidents amounts to collaboration with the most reactionary elements of the U.S. administration in their efforts to maintain sanctions and to institute even more punitive measures against Cuba.

Many of the petition's 120 odd signatories were known members of DSA.

WRC 2020

Minutes of the Workers Rights Consortium Board Meeting November 13, 2020 (conducted by video conference).

Present at the meeting are Geoff Chatas, Rachel Duffy, Michael Ferrari, Alixe Holcomb, Kyle Muncy, and Craig Westemeier of the University Caucus; Jill Esbenshade, Julie Farb, Mark Levinson, Julie Martinez Ortega, and Angeles Solis of the Advisory Council; Victor Barratt McCartney, Ketchel Carey, Sarim Karim, Blythe Serrano, Juliana Swift, and Aria Wanek of USAS.

Julie Su of the Advisory Council was absent.

WRC staff members in attendance are Scott Nova, Ben Hensler, Jessica Champagne, Rola Abimourched, Chelsea Rudman, Penelope Kyritsis, Vincent DeLaurentis, Liana Foxvog, Jewher Ilham, Kimberly Capehart, Bent Gehrt, and Tara Mathur.

Observers in attendance included: Cal Watson, Georgetown University, Sabina Wildman, USAS, Jess Dampier, USAS, Snetsehay Assefa, WRC Consultant, Kelsey Henderson, WRC intern, and Dinia Abduljelil, WRC intern.

Meeting was called to order at 11:02 by Board Chair, Juliana Swift.

Economic Policy Institute

Levinson was the co-director of the Economic Policy Institute's Agenda for Shared Prosperity from 2005 - 2006.

Left Forum

Michael Hirsch of Democratic Socialists of America, Mark Levinson of the Economic Policy Institute, Washington D.C. and Michele Rossi were speakers on the An Agenda for America: Demands for this Congress, and the Next panel at the Left Forum. The forum was held March 9 - 11, 2007 at Cooper Union College, New York City.

Fiscal Policy Institute

In 2009 Mark Levinsonwas chief economist for Workers United. He also helped to set up the Fiscal Policy Institute, a coalition of unions and religious and social service organizations that publishes The State of Working New York and other reports on New York city and state budget and tax policy.

Dissent

Levinson continues to serve on the editorial board and Book Review Editor of Dissent Magazine.

Center for the Study of Working Class Life

In 2009 Mark Levinson of Economic Policy Institute served on the Advisory board of the Center for the Study of Working Class Life.

SI Congress, Cape Town

Maria Svart, Gerry Hudson, Mark Levinson and Skip Roberts attended the 2012 Socialist International Congress in Cape Town South Africa.

DSA North Star

In 2018 Mark Levinson was an original signatory of the DSA North Star founding principles statement.

References

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