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SAVE THE DATE:

2009 DSA Convention

Over twenty young Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members representing over a dozen DSA locals and YDS chapters attended the 2009 DSA Convention in Evanston, IL.  Composing over 25% of the delegates there, the youth caucus was more visible this year than during the 2007 Atlanta convention.  In Atlanta, young people acted as  representatives of YDS but in Chicago they played an active role, as many were representing their  DSA locals. YDS members proposed a resolution, adopted at our summer conference, that outlined ways to build bridges between the youth and adult sections of the socialist organization.  Lastly, three young people were elected to DSA’s leadership body, the National Political Committee.  A more detailed report is available here and on The Activist.  

Pictures: (starting clockwise) YDS members with Bill Fletcher Jr.;  YDS members Matt Porter (Wooster) and Jackie Sewell (Wichita State); DSA members Maria Svart (NYC), Sean Monaghan (Philadelphia), and David Duhalde (Boston) presenting on building youth presence is DSA locals; YDS Co-Chair Tati Guerrero (William Paterson); and group picture of majority of YDS caucus.  Photograhs courtesy of Stuart Elliott.

The Activist Presents: End of Decade Symposium

The stolen 2000 election. 9/11. Afghanistan. Anthrax. Iraq. Two Bush presidencies. Climate change. Katrina. Obama. Who knows what’s coming next? As the end of the decade sneaks up on us, it’s time to look back at an era that has, for better or worse, shaped our young lives personally and politically. The Activist is sponsoring an end of the decade symposium that will feature YDSers’ reflections on the crazy 10 years we just lived through, and we invite you all to make a contribution. Essays should be limited to roughly 800-1000 words in length, and can cover more or less any topic you might be interested in (just don’t make it too personal - we don’t need to know what happened during Spring Break 2005!). Submit your essays to Chris Maisano, the editor of The Activist, at cgmaisano(at)yahoo.com. We hope to hear from you! 

Fall 2009 Red Letter is Here!

You can read the Fall 2009 Red Letter by clicking here.  This issue of the Red Letter, the newsletter of YDS activism, features reports on our summer conference, participation in the IUSY 2009 World Festival, and our presence at the Swedish Social Democratic Youth Congress.  The paper also features our current Activist Agenda and five-year strategic plan in full.

G-20: YDS Joins Thousands in Pittsburgh

Last September, over twenty Young Democratic Socialists activists from Michigan to New York join together in Pittsburgh.  They united with nearly 10,000  other global justice fighters to rally against the G-20, the global alliance of the 20 largest capitalism economies. Events ranged from “People’s Tribunals” to marches against the institutions of injustice. For a full report by YDS organizer Erik Rosenberg click here.

Please check out The Activist, YDS’s online magazine’s, discussion about the class nature of police actions in and outside of the G-20.   Sean Monahan of Philadelphia DSA wrote “Aren’t Cops Workers Too?” to which Bhaskar Sunkara of George Washington University responded with “N.W.A.’s Second Album, Track Two.”

YDS Fall-to-Winter Organizing Drive

If you are involved in a YDS chapter or organizing committee, please draft an overview of how your group is doing, what you’ve accomplished, any problems you might have run into, what you hope to do the rest of the semester, and how national YDS can support your efforts. Contact the YDS National Organizer (erik@dsausa.org) if you are interested in starting a new YDS group at your high school, college, university or community. As always, please contact our national office if you would like us to mail you or your group organizing materials in the mail or as email attachments (YDS chapter guides, buttons, literature, stickers, sample meeting fliers etc.). These are very useful when setting up a table at important events like your campus activities fair. Contact us for help organizing teach-ins, trainings, or visits from YDS organizers to strengthen existing chapters and help new ones get off the ground. We can also put you in touch with democratic socialist faculty members on campuses across the country. YDS can be reached at: yds@dsausa.org or 212-727-8610

A VISION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

YDS is the youth section of the Democratic Socialists of America. We are the only US members of the International Union of Socialist Youth, the largest political youth coalition in the world. With members and local chapters across the US, YDS works to transform our society - on the job, in the streets, in the classroom. We are a broad, diverse network of young activists who share a vision of a more humane future. Instead of waiting for some final, magical instant when a utopia appears, we organize and struggle every day to redistribute power. Building democratic socialism is a long struggle, and we take it one step at a time.

DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALISM

Socialism is one of the most misused words in the American political vocabulary. Contrary to misrepresentations by both conservatives and liberals, socialism is not about breadlines, fur hats, or police states. Rather, we fight for the extension of democracy into all aspects of social life, including the economy. We are proud of the relative democratic freedoms enjoyed by US citizens. But without economic democracy, this political liberty is weak and incomplete. People must have a voice in the economic decisions which affect their lives. Democratic socialism also means fighting non-economic inequalities of power- including racism, sexism and heterosexism in all their forms. A radical democracy is the only way to ensure a world in which class, race, and gender do not decide our futures.

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