Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee

Line illustration of a fist holding a red rose on a white background with black text underneath

The Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, or DSOC, was an American socialist organization founded in 1973 by socialist writer Michael Harrington. It began as an offshoot of the Debsian Socialist party, splitting over the original organization’s stance on the Vietnam War. The DSOC eventually grew into a coalition of close to 5,000 people, including trade unionists, activists, and liberals. In 1982, the DCOS merged with the New American Movement and reorganized into the Democratic Socialists of America.

The symbol of a fist and rose is one used by many socialist organizations around the world. The flower is meant to invoke hope and an ultimate desire for peace (as well as environmentalism in some uses) while the fist represents the fighting spirit of the laboring class.