An ISO Member at a demonstration.
About Us
The International Socialist Organization (ISO) is committed to building an organization that participates in the struggles for justice and liberation today--and, ultimately, for a future socialist society.
The ISO has branches across the country whose members are involved in helping to build a number of struggles: the movement to stop war and occupation, fights against racism and anti-immigrant scapegoating, the struggle for women's rights like the right to choose abortion, opposing anti-gay bigotry, and standing up for workers' rights.
In Chicago, our members—around the city and on a number of campuses—are involved in antiwar struggles, labor organizing, fighting for health care, fighting for immigrant rights and against the racist death penalty.
We have four branches that meet weekly in Chicago:
- CHICAGO – PILSEN
Meetings are on Thursdays at 7 p.m. at Casa Aztlan, 1831 S. Racine
For more information email pilseniso@gmail.com - CHICAGO – UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO (UIC)
Meetings are TBA for the upcoming semester
For more information email isc.uic@gmail.com - CHICAGO – LOOP BRANCH
Meetings are on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Cafe, 1 E. Jackson
For more information email iso.hwc@gmail.com - CHICAGO – NORTH SIDE/TRUMAN COLLEGE
Meetings are on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Truman Cafe, 1145 W. Wilson Ave
The misery that millions of people around the world face is rooted in the society we live in--capitalism, where the few who rule profit from the labor of the vast majority of the population.
In the U.S., a tiny proportion of the population enjoys fantastic wealth, while millions of people live in desperate poverty, and many more live paycheck to paycheck. Yet we have the resources to feed, clothe and educate everyone on the planet.
A world free of exploitation--socialism--is not only possible but worth fighting for. The ISO stands in the tradition of revolutionary socialists Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin and Leon Trotsky in the belief that workers themselves--the vast majority of the population--are the only force that can lead the fight to win a socialist society. Socialism can't be brought about from above, but has to be won by workers themselves.
The Democratic Party, much like the Republicans, acts in the interests of Corporate America and the privileged few at the top. Therefore, we do not support their candidates.
We see our task as building an independent socialist organization with members organizing in our workplaces, our schools and our neighborhoods to bring socialist ideas to the struggles we are involved in today, and the vision of a socialist world in the future.