By Atlas R.
In each issue of Garden State Socialist, we shine a light on one NNJ DSA member to highlight the important work they do and celebrate the diversity of our membership.
A Skylands Branch member in western Morris County, Mike V.H. is a substitute teacher who enjoys educating the elementary and high school students of Mount Olive.
An avid listener of such diverse music as British guitar bands and Japanese jazz fusion, Mike cares deeply about internationalism and is passionate about deepening ties with the Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities of New Jersey. This has led to what he’s best known for within the chapter — his development of NNJ DSA’s Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC).
Mike has been involved in leftist politics since being involved with Bernie Sanders’ campaign in 2020. Eventually, he began to see through Sanders’ version of “social democracy” and felt America needed something more. This search led to him becoming a Marxist and signing up for DSA. While getting started in NNJ DSA, he met Brett R. from the Immigrant Justice Working Group and felt inspired to join. Mike has continued to be a valuable member ever since, becoming the co-chair of the statewide PSC.
Mike and the PSC now champion the Oust the Warehouse campaign in cooperation with the Palestinian Youth Movement. The campaign seeks to call out and discourage a Jersey City warehouse that reportedly routes 91% of all U.S. military weapons aid to Israel sent outside of military bases. Additionally, the PSC is working on No Appetite for Apartheid (NA4A), a national DSA campaign petitioning businesses to drop all products of Israeli origin or targeted by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
To track PSC initiatives, you can follow the committee on Instagram: @njdsapalestine.
Editor’s note: For safety purposes, Mike declined to provide a photograph of himself.
Thank you for reading
This article is part of Issue No. 01 of Garden State Socialist, a publication of the North New Jersey chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (NNJ DSA).
DSA is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 100,000 members and chapters in all 50 states. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.
We are a political and activist organization, not a party; our members use a variety of tactics, from legislative to direct action, to fight for reforms that empower working people.
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