Emerge is a multi-tendency communist caucus in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
Emerge is a multi-tendency communist DSA caucus founded in 2019. Though we are a big tent, we cohere around our Points of Unity, a democratically determined political vision that serves as a set of guiding principles for our work. We favor curiosity and deliberation over rigid dogma, working towards an emergent strategy that adapts to meet the moment. We actively structure our caucus to maintain racial and gender parity in membership.
Emerge prioritizes anti-imperialist, anti-Zionist, abolitionist, pro-immigrant, queer, and feminist struggle through grassroots organizing, coalition-building, and mutual aid. We view these projects not as secondary concerns but as the terrains of day-to-day struggle between working class communities and the dominant forces of capitalism and imperialism.
While we support electoral and legislative campaigns that engage in class struggle, we prioritize principled engagement and recognize that these campaigns represent only one small part of the project of politicizing all aspects of life. We believe that Socialists in Office should advance DSA’s project by taking principled stances, using their platform agitationally, and empowering their constituents to participate in political life through deliberative democracy. The existing forms of bourgeois politics are not sufficient; we need a party-like organization to establish new forms of collective power and working class political life.
We support the rank-and-file labor strategy, but believe it is only one aspect of a necessary revitalization of militant labor organizing. We must also raise the consciousness of the working class, expand labor struggles towards greater international solidarity, and include workers not sufficiently represented by existing unions or labor laws (e.g. sex workers and street vendors).
Emerge was founded in New York City but has been a national caucus since 2025, with chapters across the country. Any member in good standing of DSA is eligible to become a member of the caucus. If our Points of Unity and strategic outlook speak to you, we invite you to apply to Emerge and help us build a communist movement to radically transform our conditions.
