Constitution

Preamble 

The following constitution will be the foundational document for the Diaspora Pa’lante Collective. This is not a fixed document but a set of principles and structures agreed upon by members for a set period of time. The founding members of the DPC hope to see a once small collective grow into a movement for the liberation of our nation and for the dignity of the working people of the Caribbean. This will be our first constitution, formed to guide us through our second year of existence. As we continue to grow in knowledge and experience, our constitution will grow with us.

I Name 

  1. The Name of our organization will be the Diaspora Pa’lante Collective. 
  1. The group name can be shortened to the D.P.C. 
  1. The organization’s logo will be a “sol de Jayuya” with two machetes crossing at the center with a red star above the crux of the machetes within the Sol. 

II Objectives and Purpose 

  1. To popularize self-determination and socialism among Boricuas through education and mass engagement.
  2. To strengthen ties between Boricuas in the Diaspora and in the Archipelago. 
  3. To build a solidarity movement for Borikén outside of the country by amplifying Borikén’s struggle in our local communities and internationally. 

III Ideology and Orientation

  1. We approach organizing through the lens of dialectical materialism.
    1. We build our movement first and foremost by understanding our own history so that we can advance our struggle for self-determination, while learning from our past. We make our decisions based on the conditions that surround us and the conditions that affect our nation.  We understand that no social situation is fixed and that the problems and contradictions within imperialism will create openings for us to build our movement. 
  2. We are a Mass Organization.
    1. We are interested in organizing with and educating the largest number of Boricuas possible.
    2. We do not organize only with people that share our socialist politics. We seek principled alliances with those that support self-determination even if they are not socialist. We make alliances based on an organization or individual’s actions not simply on political identification.
    3. Our members are encouraged to be active and join other political parties to spread our politics and continue to popularize self-determination in movement spaces.
  3. Political Orientation:
    1. The DPC is dedicated to building Revolutionary Nationalism.
    2. The DPC is dedicated to popularizing Socialism as the correct path after national liberation.
      1. The DPC does not adhere to a strict “orientation”.
        1. We reject dogmatism and encourage principled political discussion amongst our members.

IV DPC Leadership

  1. The DPC will be led by a Central Committee (CC) of 5 elected members:
    1. The CC will be responsible for holding general meetings.
    2. The CC will be responsible for onboarding new recruits.
    3. The CC will be responsible for forming and dissolving committees.  
    4. The CC will be responsible for selecting committee leads.
    5. The CC will be responsible for organizing brigades.
    6. The CC will be responsible for delegating tasks to Committee and Chapter Leads.
    7. The CC will be responsible for conflict resolution.
    8. The CC will be responsible for group security.
  2. Leadership will meet twice a month and be expected to attend virtually with cameras on.
  3. Leadership is expected to strategically join local political parties/organizations and develop organizing skills and political experience.
  4. The CC will be elected once a year in September:
    1. If a CC member is removed or resigns from the post, an election will be held to replace that individual.

V Central Committee Elections 

  1. There will be a three-step election process to select CC members.
    1. A general meeting will be held where comrades can nominate those they believe have contributed to the organization and are capable of the required leadership responsibilities. You are able to nominate yourself. There are no terms limits for CC membership.
  2. Those nominated will be given time to consider the position and its responsibilities. If they accept the nomination, they can go to an election.
  3. A temporary election committee collects and counts votes at the following general meeting. Those elected will hold their position until the next election unless they resign or violate the conduct expectations of their role. 
  4. If a CC member leaves or is removed from their post before the yearly election time, a new election will be held within a month of the departing CC member.

VI General Membership

  1. Members will be onboarded in a three-step process:
    1. An initial 1-1 vetting call with a member of the Operations Committee.
    2. A secondary vetting call with multiple members of the CC.
    3. The membership orientation is given by the CC in cohorts. This means that orientations won’t be held until there are enough new members. So, when multiple members join around the same time, the CC can present the orientation to them all at once. Members must receive the orientation before they hold a leadership position.
  2. Membership responsibilities are as follows:
    1. Members are responsible for representing our organization and its politics.
    2. Members are responsible for holding others accountable in the space.
    3. Members are responsible for attending monthly general meetings.
    4. Members will be assigned to National and/or Local committees.
    5. Members are responsible for attending monthly committee meetings.
    6. Members are responsible for electing CC in yearly elections.
    7. Members will be expected to attend local DPC and allied events.
    8. Members have the responsibility to take up disagreements and concerns in the appropriate spaces with the respective leadership.
    9. Members are expected to respect group unity and our democratic structure.
    10. Membership is expected to respect our social media policy when relevant.
    11. Membership is expected to pay monthly dues:
      1. All members are required to pay dues unless unemployed and/or struggling with finances for the month, which in this case they should let a member of the CC know. Dues are $5 per month. Members are able to donate more if they wish. Dues will be used to develop our organization, allow for us to go on brigades, and to support our partner organizations.
  3. Membership rights:
    1. Members have the right to access a copy of our constitution.
    2. Members have a right to join and work with other political organizations and parties that support self-determination for Borikén.
    3. Members have the right to engage in principled debate and honest criticism and self-criticism.
    4. Members have a right to resign from the organization.
    5. If a vote is to be taken at the request of the CC, any proposal must be made 24-48 hours prior to the vote taking place or the vote will continue as initially proposed by the CC. 
  4. Membership resignation:
    1. If a member wishes to leave, they will inform their Chapter and/or Committee Leads and the CC.
    2. If a member does not attend four meetings in a row, they will be removed from the organization unless they have provided the CC with a reason for a leave of absence.
  5. Boricuas and non-Boricuas alike are allowed to join DPC, however, the organization must remain at least 70% Boricua.
  6. Members must fill out a proposal form at least 2 weeks before an event, speech, interview, or social media post. This will ensure structure and good communication, and allow for the Central Committee to ensure that the proposal is in line with our strategy, mission, and goals.

VII National & Local Committees 

  1. Committees will be formed by the CC:
    1. Each committee will have one assigned CC point person.
    2. The CC point person will report committee developments to CC using the designated chat following Committee meetings.
  2. Committees will be led by two Committee Leads (CML):
    1. CMLs will be selected by CC.
    2. CMLs will be responsible for delegating tasks to committee members.
    3. CMLs will be responsible for reporting updates to the CC point person.
    4. CMLs will be responsible for calling committee meetings.
    5. CMLs will be responsible for checking in with committee members.
  3. Committees must meet at least once a month.
  4. Permanent Committees are as follows:
    1. Political Education Committee
    2. Outreach Committee
    3. International Relations Committee
    4. Operations Committee
  5. Temporary Committees are as follows:
    1. Election Committee
    2. Brigade Committee
    3. Congress Committe

VIII Chapters 

  1. A local group of DPC members will apply to become a Chapter. If and when the application is accepted by the CC, a Chapter will form with local leadership consisting of two Chapter Leads that will be voted on by members of the Chapter. This will most likely change in the future as Chapters continue to grow. Each Chapter will present the Central Committee with a work plan and a principles and structure document that will be approved by the Central Committee.
  2. Chapter Leadership Responsibilities:
    1. Maintain consistent and honest communication with the Central Committee.
    2. Keep chapter members engaged.
    3. Set up Chapter meetings.
    4. Follow the Chapter responsibilities below.
  3. Chapter Responsibilities:
    1. Build a local solidarity movement by organizing events and demonstrations in respective areas in coordination with CC.
    2. Build alliances with local political parties, mass organizations, and unions and advocate for Puerto Rican independence and socialism in these spaces.
    3. Support material conditions of the community by hosting mutual aid events at least once every other month. This will mean providing material goods in return for political education.
    4. Recruiting Boricuas and allies to join the organization.
    5. Hosting fundraiser events for DPC Brigades.
  4. Chapter Guidelines:
    1. Do not engage with organizations that do not align with our values and principles.
    2. Do not get involved with drama and be respectful of organizations/individuals.
    3. Receive approval from CC before attending an event as DPC, speaking at event on behalf of DPC, and/or sponsoring an event on behalf of DPC.
    4. If there is a conflict that is happening within the local Chapter that cannot be solved by leadership, communicate this with CC.
  5. DPC Chapters are as follows:
    1. DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV)
    2. New York City/New Jersey

IX Disciplinary process

  1. If a member violates our Pillars of Unity and/or our orientation expectations, the issue should be brought to either a Committee Lead or to the Central Committee.
  2. The CC is responsible for dealing with internal issues and correcting errors in membership.
  3. If the incident requires action, the following disciplinary steps will be taken:
    1. Incident – Individual(s) violate our Pillars of Unity/orientation agreement. 
    2. Report incident – members report the incident to CC.
    3. Warning – CC calls in person and allows them to correct behavior.
    4. Probation – if the behavior persists, CC asks the individual(s) to take a certain period of time away (this will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the CC) from the space to engage in self-criticism and follow the established accountability process created by the CC after the probation period is up. If a CC member is in error, their leadership position will be suspended until the rest of the leadership can decide if they can be reinstated or moved back to general membership.
    5. Expulsion – If the individual shows no change in behavior consistently, then leadership moves forward with expulsion. 
  4. The following behaviors will result in immediate probation:
    1. Sharing internal documents outside of the organization.
    2. Engaging in openly racist, misogynistic, or homophobic/transphobic behavior.
    3. Making sexual advances on comrades in movement spaces.
    4. Engaging in violence while representing the group (we support armed struggle, however, that is not the purpose of this organization).
    5. Engaging in factionalism or trying to disrupt group unity.

X Social Media Policy

  1. DPC social media is to be used for the following purposes:
    1. Educating and popularizing our politics.
    2. Updating the audience about events and brigades.
    3. Amplifying the struggle in Borikén.
  2. DPC social media is not to be used for:
    1. Engaging in interpersonal political debate or argument.
    2. Engaging in online movement drama and gossip.
    3. Calling out or publicly shaming individuals.
    4. Trash-talking other organizations. 
    5. Posting internal documents and information. 
  3. Membership is expected to uphold our social media policy when it is relevant.  
  4. When requesting a social media post be created, members will fill out the social media proposal form. All social media posts and collaborations will be approved by the Central Committee.

XI Congress

  1. The constitution will be the foundational document for the DPC.
  2. The constitution is a document that can be reviewed by any DPC member.
  3. Once every two years, we will hold a general congress to review and update the constitution as necessary.
    1. A Congressional Committee will hold an organization-wide meeting where all members can discuss and turn in suggested changes and criticism of the constitution.
    2. Suggested changes will be voted on and CC will rewrite the constitution to bring it back to Congress.
    3. The Congress will then vote on the changes or send the document back to the CC to be worked on further. 
    4. The constitution will be ratified by a simple majority vote.