Russell Weiss-Irwin

Russell Weiss-Irwin

Russell Weiss-Irwin is a Massachusetts activist.

Activist history

"I joined DSA in Fall 2014, when I was in my final year at the City College of New York and co-founded a YDSA chapter there. In 2015, I graduated, moved to Central New Jersey, and co-founded a new chapter there, and also ran for and was elected to the DSA National Political Committee. While on the NPC, I worked primarily on building the DSA labor network, which hadn’t existed for years before that; serving on the Personnel Committee, helping to expand staff and advocating for higher pay and better benefits for DSA staff; and mentoring new and growing chapters, including North Jersey, Central Jersey, South Jersey, Jersey Shore, North Carolina Piedmont, New York City, Baltimore, and El Chuco del Norte (located in El Paso, TX). Since leaving the NPC, I’ve moved to Boston, and been a Mobilizer, a Mobilizer Coordinator, and a member of the Labor Working Group and Membership Committee of my chapter here.

The majority of my activism has been in the labor movement, starting ten years ago. I’ve worked with UNITE HERE to organize a union at several jobs I’ve had (in a hotel and at an airport), and I’ve been a rank and file member of SEIU Local 175 (cook and cashier), the New Jersey Education Association (teacher’s aide), and the Boston Teachers Union (teacher). At SEIU, I was a shop steward, and at the BTU, I’m the co-chair of the New Educators Committee. I’ve led new organizing drives, a brief wildcat strike, solidarity efforts with other unions, internal organizing efforts, and been involved with caucuses in two unions. I’ve never been a staff person for a union. Beyond the labor movement, I have also been involved with local election campaigns for over a decade, campus organizing against austerity and racism, and served as an international election observer during the 2018 Mexican national elections."

Open Letter from RWU to the President

In November 2022 Russell Weiss-Irwin Boston Democratic Socialists of America signed the Open Letter from RWU to the President .

DSA convention delegate

In 2021 Russell Weiss-Irwin was a National Convention Delegate Candidate for Boston Democratic Socialists of America.

DSA Members Organizing Against Trump

DSA Members Organizing Against Trump was a letter released early October 2010 to shore up Democratic Socialists of America support for Joe Biden.

Signatories included Russell Weiss-Irwin, Boston Democratic Socialists of America.

DSA 2019 National Political Committee Candidates

Democratic Socialists of America 2019 National Political Committee Candidates

• Austin Gonzalez • Sauce • Theresa Alt • Sean Estelle • Daniel Merrill • Darby Thomas • Russell Weiss-Irwin • Michelle Bruder Miller Miller • Zac Echola • Jen Snyder • Jennifer Bolen • Blanca Estevez • Marsha Niemeijer • Marianela D'Aprile • Tawny Tidwell • Lloyd Goldsmith • Erika Paschold • Emily Cameron • Dan Quayle • Valerie Sinclair • Natalie Midiri • Ravi Ahmad Haque • Jose G. Perez • Tim Zhu • Rachel Zibrat • Abdullah Younus • Megan Svoboda • Maikiko James • Kristian Hernandez • David Pinkham • Hannah Allison • Jen McKinney • Austin Smith

Rally in Support of Refugees

Sara Ali, a member of Central New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America, co-organized Sunday's rally with Russell Weiss-Irwin.

Following NJ governor Chris Christie's racist anti-refugee remarks, Central New Jersey DSA decided to stand up and publicly challenge him. We share the sentiment of many NJ residents who can no longer stand by silently while the voices of hate and bigotry drown out those of equality and acceptance. With the help of various local organizations, our rally attracted about 70 individuals of different backgrounds, ages, and affiliations. This further reinstated the idea of unity over xenophobia and blind hate. -- Sara Ali

While most other millennials spent Sunday afternoon at a movie, or shopping, Sara Ali, 21, had a different kind of date this week.

She was preparing to fight a battle of ideas with the establishment, calling out Gov. Chris Christie for comments made earlier in the week about not taking in Syrian refugees.

In a radio interview last Tuesday, Christie said that, as governor, he would not allow the refugees into New Jersey, even 3-year-old “orphans.”

"Gov. Chris Christie made some comments on the radio about not accepting Syrian refugees, and that was appalling," Ali, a 2012 South Brunswick High School graduate, said. "We want to get together and show people that he doesn't speak for us."

Her answer was to spend Sunday afternoon with around 45 other people demonstrating in front of the Governor’s Mansion, Drumthwacket, in Princeton.

DSA 2016 leadership

The 2016-17 Democratic Socialists of America National Political Committee elected members are: Jared Abbott, Hope Adair, Theresa Alt, David Green, Jose Gutierrez, Elizabeth Henderson, Frank Llewellyn, Sean Monahan, Simone Morgen, Brandon Payton-Carrillo, Joseph Schwartz, Peg Strobel and Russell Weiss-Irwin. The convention also voted to add two new honorary vice chairs: Deborah Meier and Bhaskar Sunkara.

DSA contacts

Sara Ali and Russell Weiss-Irwin, were in 2016, contacts for Central New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America.

Endorsing Fetonte

Massachusetts Democratic Socialists of America members who endorsed Danny Fetonte when he ran for DSA NPC in 2017 included Rand Wilson, Russell Weiss-Irwin – Boston, Jeff Crosby – Lynn MA,.

Toward Radical Democracy

Toward Radical Democracy was a 2018 "Proposal for Internal Voting Reform in Boston DSA".

If you would like to sign on in support of this proposal, please click here. To date, over 100 members of Boston DSA have endorsed it. We also welcome support from DSA comrades in other chapters.

Signatories included Russell Weiss-Irwin.

Socialist Majority Caucus

DSA's Socialist Majority Caucus signatories list as of April 25 2019 included Russell Weiss-Irwin of Boston Democratic Socialists of America.

SDS

In 2008 Commonwealth School SDS (High School), Boston, MA contacts were Russell Weiss-Irwin, Gautam Mohan, Hannah Kaplan.