Rooted in love, care, and collective power, the Bronx base is where organizing grows—sometimes quite literally with a backyard garden nurtured by our members. Formed in 2016, this base has become a living, breathing example of grassroots leadership. It’s powered mostly by women who have pushed back against domestic violence, sexism and male domination not only in their homes, but in their neighborhoods. Our members have placed the leadership of women at the center and it has organized them to transform the conditions around them.
Our Bronx members know firsthand what it means to struggle for dignity. With crumbling housing, neglectful landlords, and little city accountability, we’ve fought for eviction protections, demanded social housing, and organized for homes that are livable, stable, and dignified. When our key leaders have had their basement homes flooded and have lost everything to fires, we’ve organized to lend a hand to help pick the pieces back together. Fighting for housing and climate justice are personal to us.
The base is deeply intergenerational: elders pass down stories and strategies, while youth lead bold actions, from citywide school walkouts to coalitions of students, parents, and teachers demanding better education. Through gardening, political education, and collective care, they create spaces where people are seen and heard.
The Bronx base has also shaped how DRUM organizes. It was here that we first built our most disciplined and accountable chapter leadership structure, an organizing committee led by members, for members. That framework now guides all of DRUM’s bases.
DRUM is not just seen as an organization in the Bronx—it’s family, neighbors, trusted hands. Whether showing up during crisis or celebration, our members are known not just for what they fight against, but for how they show up, with love, discipline, and vision.