Formerly known as Penn Students for Bernie, Penn Justice Democrats serves as an independent progressive student group with the mission of electing left-wing candidates at the local, state, and national level, as well as serving to promote progressive causes on campus and in Philadelphia. We were inspired by the National Justice Democrats organization in their extraordinary success at recruiting the leaders of the next generation of politics--leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, and leaders who are committed to a platform of Medicare for All, Housing for All, College for All, and Justice for All.
Activities and Mission
We offer left wing progressives a place on Penn’s campus to engage in both electoral and non-electoral organizing, outreach and activism--divorced from the primary pursuit of corporate pre-professionalism. Possible activities this semester include: phonebanking, bi-monthly meetings, debate watch parties, panel events with notable activists and political leaders, movie nights, happy hours, and more. Under normal circumstances, our events would also potentially include campagin canvassing (including traveling to different states!), large scale protests, and BYO's, among other projects and activities.
Club Structure
We do not have a club President or Executive Director(s). Instead, our Executive Board consists of 9 members who meet every week and bear their own respective responsibilities in Outreach, Communications, Finance, Internal Affairs, Club Organizing, or Social Events. Members not on the Exec Board are highly encouraged to "apply" for a Deputy Chair position on one of our two teams: Content (social media, newsletter, creative design, etc) or Engagement (event logistics, club retention, local and national outreach, etc). The acceptance rates are 100% for these positions.
If you want to learn more, please fill out the form to join our listserv!
