By David Duhalde

According to the Chicago Tribune, 45 year-old David Abrams, a Florida-based member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is a “baby” in the socialist movement. That’s because the reporter covered DSA’s three and half day biannual convention for only one night, before the main business of the body had even gotten underway. Had the periodical’s impatient journalist bothered to attend the next day he’d seen over twenty young people arrive. Abrams’ age would certainly been pushed back to at least adolescence.

The 2009 DSA convention was another stepping stone towards the revitalization of our organization and rising youth presence and leadership in it. Over twenty-five percent of the convention delegates were young DSA members. They represented over a dozen Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) chapters and DSA locals, a marked increase over the fifteen young people who attended in the 2007 convention in Atlanta.

But the major difference between the youth delegation in Illinois and Georgia could not be solely measured by the numbers. In 2007, young cadre represented primarily YDS chapters. Some had been elected as DSA local delegates, but no one’s activism was through the “adult” section exclusively. In Evanston, several young socialists were leaders in their locals such as Sean Monahan, who is rebuilding Philadelphia DSA with veteran John Strauss. Others, such Andrew Bowe of Denver, were looking to restart locals. Half of the New York City’s delegation was composed of members under thirty, including several on the local’s elected leadership committee.

YDS alumni had a greater role in the conference’s programming as well. Monahan, New York City DSA Chair Maria Svart, and I led a workshop on integrating young DSA members into locals. I spoke about the need to address generational difference before they become problems, Svart explained the tensions and rewards involved in integrating a group of YDSers into a DSA local, and Monahan tackled building a campus presence at Temple University around the revitalized Philadelphia local.

The YDS National Organizer Erik Rosenberg and National Co-Chair Tatiana Guerrero addressed the convention as well. They provided an overview of the current state of the YDS and our new goals around the five-year strategic plan adopted earlier this year. Rosenberg covered our recent national activity around Renegotiate NAFTA, Student Labor Week of Action, and G-20 protests in Pittsburgh, and the successful ongoing publication of the Red Letter (YDS’s internal news bulletin) and The Activist. Guerrero addressed the work of the Coordinating Committee, which is developing a regional organizing strategy to build YDS beyond its current base. She explained the need to use new technologies, such as a new and improved website, to reach student activists and bring the YDS web presence up to speed.

The convention also moved a motion pushed by YDSers entitled “Building Bridges and Locals.” The document, referred favorably to the National Political Committee (NPC, DSA’s elected leadership), outlined principles of building new locals with intergenerational participation. In addition, three young people were elected to the NPC. This marks the first time the NPC will a have under thirty-year old voice outside of the Co-Chairs in nearly a decade.

Despite wonderful and measurable organizational gains, the strongest mark of success of the convention and of YDS over the past few years was the level of camaraderie present at the event. Veteran YDS activists and first-time socialist delegates mingled with ease and spent the convention and afterhours discussing life and politics. Friendship and common purpose are two critical foundations to any group’s success. Now DSA and YDS both can confidently proclaim they have each.

Photos: (Left to Right) YDS National Organizer Erik Rosenberg and National Co-Chair Tatiana Guerrero; DSA youth section members with Bill Fletcher Jr.; and Philadelphia DSA activist and YDS Coordinating Committee member Sean Monaghan.  Pictures taken by Marty Luster.  More at: ../../../gallery.me.com/editormard1#100083

ERIK ROSENBERG

My trip to the G20 protests was a reflection of the G20 itself: way out of whack.

The sojourn to Pittsburgh, PA began early, especially by leftist standards. I rose at 5:30 AM on Thursday, September 24, from a mattress I would soon long for. Three William Paterson Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) cadre and I made our way to their campus where we rendezvoused with five other activists from their chapter. And we were off. Well not quite…we realized that there was some miscommunication about the YDS banner and we had to turn around to get it after about half an hour of driving. My comrades and I agreed that this would be the fluke of the trip but in retrospect it was more like breaking the toilet handle on Apollo 13 before the oxygen tanks exploded.

So we were off…again! Our first stop was in Allentown, PA were we picked up a prospective and now full fledged YDSer George Cedeno. After a protracted bathroom brake at George’s house, we were back on the road driving through a beautiful and winding mountain highway. The highway might have been a little too beautiful and winding because there was no “I” on the signs marking it, but what can you do? As part of the paperless and thus mapless, generation we were at the mercy of the Global Positioning System.

In addition to the circuitous route, our progress was also hindered by the condition of one of our vehicles. This little baby was no Formula 1; at 55 Mph it started to shake, and if you dared to break 85 the car would indicate its disapproval by letting go of the road and swerving back and forth. Good thing there was not a cop to be seen. (Un)fortunately for us all the boys and girls in blue within 1000 miles were playing with playing with their Billy clubs and tear gas launchers in Pittsburgh. Needless to say, our seven hour trip lasted upwards of ten.

When we finally reached the City of Bridges there was little rest for the weary. We were stretching our legs in the parking lot for no more than 30 seconds when an attractive “good cop” rolled up and asked us if we needed any help. Being naïve youngsters, we informed our new matron that we wanted to go downtown and asked which buses would take us there. The officer politely responded she wasn’t sure and about one sun salutation later we looked up to notice we were being surrounded by six police cruisers and a paddy wagon.

At first the group was calm. We weren’t doing anything wrong; therefore the cops couldn’t do anything to us. Then we remembered what country we were in and we were gripped by a small panic. After some accelerated democracy, plans to go downtown were scrapped and we agreed to go to “The People’s Tribunal,” a mock trial of the G-20, located across town. Eager to make sure we arrived at our destination safely, our new police friends escorted/followed us for over 20 minutes. Boy did I feel safe!

“The People’s Tribunal” convened at Calvary United Methodist Church, where YDSers enjoyed a free hot vegan meal and relaxed out of sight of big brother. We were joined by comrades from Jobs With Justice, Coordinating Committee at-large member, Sean Monahan of Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America and Maria Spadaro, currently organizing a YDS group at the University of Pittsburgh. The tribunal was filled with other young activists and we began to distribute around 800 pieces of YDS literature to new friends and allies.

The mock court was charged with determining if the G-20 was responsible for violating the human rights of the people. We heard the testimony of over half a dozen witnesses including representatives from Domestic Workers United, United Students Against Sweatshops, and the American Friends Service Committee. One speaker astutely asked “What is our measure of development?” The speaker from the AFSC noted that capitalism and war are both dehumanizing forces and that the G-20 has worked hard to militarize and capitalize the world. The speakers mentioned the ills of the earth, ranging from child soldiers in Africa to abused workers on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the “Wild West” world of domestic workers.

“The People’s Tribunal” was definitely more consciousness-raising than a brick thrown through a Starbucks window. The speakers were articulate and informative, and the judges represented organizations like Hemisphere Social Alliance and Africa Action, Unsurprisingly, the court found the G20 guilty of violating all 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nevertheless, the event could have been improved if the speakers cited specific actions taken by G20 that led to the violation of human rights.

After the court adjourned, the William Paterson delegation and I drove to Maria Spadaro’s apartment for some drinks but we didn’t stay long as we were exhausted by the day’s adventures. We got back in our vehicles and made a short drive to the housing that we had arranged.

As we arrived our hostess came out to greet us. She looked a bit strange but that isn’t unusual for the left (though it turned out she was a libertarian). Right before we walked in the door she exclaimed that she had four cats and a dog. Being the cat lover I am I thought, “Yeah! Kitties!” But my yeah soon turned into a gag. To say that the house reeked of cat piss would be like saying George W. Bush was not a great president, i.e. a gross understatement. A more accurate description would be that the house was characterized by a cat piss atmosphere. You might even say that it had a cat piss weather system since the floor and carpeting were wet with the feline excrement. An unfortunate few, who will remain unnamed out of courtesy to their families, were “rained” on in their sleep. Needless to say, at least six socks were abandoned on that foul planet.

Waking up the next morning was easy and we kept goodbyes to a minimum. We ate breakfast at a diner with a broken window. Bystanders automatically assumed the “darn protesters” were behind the vandalism. But employing the analytical tools developed by discussing socialist theory for hours in the car ride over, we determined that it was unlikely that protesters were behind the shattering since the McDonalds and the Starbucks across the street were untouched. It was later announced that a group of frat boys were behind the destruction.

After providing the most economic stimulation Pittsburgh enjoyed since the invention of the Bessemer0587AA54C2

The People’s March was organized by the Thomas Merton Center, a Pittsburgh antiwar group. At the intersection of Craft Street and Fifth Avenue we rendezvoused with other YDS activists from Michigan State University, Philadelphia, and Wooster College of Ohio. There were over twenty YDS activist marching.

We were also joined by just about every other leftist group ever established. From Free Tibet, to Free Palestine, to Legalize Marijuana, they were all there. This is unsurprising considering that the march was co-sponsored by seventy organizations. The group of about 10,000 marched into downtown. Once the buildings were over five stories tall, the sidewalks were lined by police officers spaced five feet apart, dressed in full riot gear, with batons in hand. If you looked up you could see cops on top of and inside buildings, and they stood in ranks five or six deep where space permitted. Some carried tear gas launchers and some carried automatic shotguns. All were really scary.

The march paused in front of a county building and speeches were given. Some of the speeches we heard last night and all spoke of the sad state of the world.

The march continued across the Seventh Street Bridge out of down town where it ended with a rally and more speeches including one by Cindy Sheehan. Realizing the scope of the drive ahead of us, the William Paterson group decided to leave as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that wasn’t so soon.

We needed to get back to our cars but the buses were barely running and when they did they were completely full. After about an hour of waiting we decided we might as well just walk back, but just as soon we started we bumped into a young man we met at “The People’s Tribunal” Thursday night. He had flown in from California so he rented a car. Our new savior offered to take the drivers to the cars so we wouldn’t have to walk all the way back. This was great news since we were all tired from the four hour march. The non-drivers sat down on a curb and waited. And we waited and waited some more.

During our wait we noticed that some police cars were marked Palm Beach County. Palm Beach, Florida? No way! We asked the cops and they confirmed that they came all the way from the Sunshine State just to keep us out of trouble. We later met some cops from Milwaukee, WI who told us that they were making lots of money being in Pittsburgh and beseeched us to hold even more protests in the future so they could all buy second homes. Yeah big government!

After about two hours of waiting to be picked up, the drivers finally called us and said the police had closed all the bridges and had split the city in half with a barricade. So after all that waiting we had to walk back anyway. Finally, reunited in our vehicles, we began our long trek back east. The ride back was relatively uneventful if you don’t count stumbling upon a Nazi book store and being hit by change thrown by a bunch of thugs in Allentown. It’s safe to say that I’ve never been happier to cross the Delaware River and enter the great state of New Jersey.

Overall, the G20 protests were a mixed bag. The protestors performed the important task of visibly criticizing the undemocratic G20 for facilitating the sad state of the world. On the other hand, there was no central organization of the protests and the demands were unclear. The speakers, while they vividly described the world’s many problems, failed to provide the smoking gun needed to garner a mainstream indictment of the G20 for its crimes against humanity.

Nevertheless, the YDS expedition was a great success. Despite my sarcastic tone, we had a good time and strengthened the social bonds that are the mortar of our movement and socialist organization. Like I said before, well over 20 YDSers from New Jersey, Philadelphia, Ohio, and Michigan were united at the demonstrations. Our membership is normally separated by distance, but here we were able to meet, catch up, and trade organizing wisdom. The trip was also an organizing opportunity and will hopefully yield new groups in Pittsburgh and Allentown. With any luck, we will soon be reunited at another large demonstration against the capitalist system and provide the cops from Milwaukee the dough they need to finally purchase that dream house on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Grassroots support is critical to the success of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). That’s why the the Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) has mobilized for EFCA with local and national activism.  YDS has collaborated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) (our parent organization), Jobs with Justice, and the Student Economic Justice Action Coalition (SEJAC)  in this effort.  The labor movement needs outside allies like these organizations to push reforms like Employee Free Choice. Otherwise, organized labor will continue to be viewed as a “special interest,” not a social movement creating good beyond its membership.

Together with DSA, YDS has produced two fliers on the bill (here and here). The literature articulates that trade unions — at their best — bring democracy to the workplace. Our belief in economic and workplace democracy coincides with our support of this legislation. We favor unions to increase the power of workers against capital.

This spring, YDS National Organizer Erik Rosenberg spoke to seven chapters about Employee Free Choice and how it can help mitigate this economic crisis. Stops on the tour included Colorado, with its undecided senators, and Michigan and Ohio with their deep union history. In Boulder, Erik  spoke on a panel with a worker who’d been fired for attempting to form a union. The nonprofit he worked for was convicted for twelve unfair labor practices. The punishment: an apology posted in the form of a flyer. With EFCA, the employer would have been fined up to $25,000 per violation and the worker would have been entitled to up to triple back pay.

Rosenberg also visited chapters at Oak Park River Forest High School in Oak Park, IL, the Meadows School in Las Vegas, NV, Indiana University at Bloomington, and University of California at Berkeley. In a separate event, the University of Colorado at Boulder YDS chapter teamed with Jobs with Justice to bring AFL-CIO organizing director Stuart Acuff for a talk. Acuff jazzed up the crowd of forty, saying EFCA might return labor to the strength it once enjoyed. The group also worked with the nation’s biggest union SEIU to canvass and letter write to pressure US senators Udall and Bennett. Their worked pushed Sen. Udall into supporting the bill.

The Wooster College YDS chapter of Ohio, in alliance with Jobs With Justice, also pressured their senators. They sent 130 pro-EFCA letters to GOP Senator George Voinovich. While their hopes to push Sen. Voinovich came up short, chapter president Dan Buckler said their action was an excellent way to move beyond the “converted” and reach a wider audience to talk about labor law reform.

Unions are under constant attack in “right-to-work” Kansas. Wichita State YDS played a critical role in building community support for EFCA. Wichita State YDS Vice-President Jackie Sewell said “outside of YDS, only the unions were pushing EFCA” in Wichita. She added they came up against a “lack of knowledge about the good unions do for the economy and people’s lives.” YDS members also successfully lobbied their student government to endorse a statement in support of campus workers’ right to organize.

In Arkansas, former YDS Coordinating Committee member and current Working America staffer Kenny Grand, facilitated the coming together of community and labor. In the home state of Wal-Mart, Grand organized town hall meetings and canvassing, uniting unions with groups such as ACORN and people of faith. Grand’s efforts have elevated the nascent Conway, Arkansas DSA local into a serious force for EFCA. New members have gone door-to-door and phone banked for the legislation. They also distributed the Economic Justice Agenda, DSA’s topical political vision for short-term economic change, to connect EFCA with broader social justice issues.

Boston DSA’s work has focused on intergenerational activity to build local support for the Employee Free Choice Act. I organized a panel with Jobs With Justice and United for a Fair Economy in February. The discussion featured speakers Elaine Bernard, who stressed the importance of unions to democracy, and Steve Schnapp, who addressed the correlation between unions and social equality. After the event, DSA recruited several young activists. Our group has gotten dozens of signatures for the EFCA petition and participated in rallies for the bill with labor. This success has increased DSA’s profile with the labor movement and community groups.  This major battle for worker rights is far from over. We’ll keep you posted on further efforts by YDS on the legislation.

When: Saturday November 22, 2008 (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Where: William Paterson University (Wayne, NJ)

“What now?” is the question facing many young activists who have just dedicated a good portion of their political time and energy to electing Barack Obama.  Even for those on the left who did not support him, the Democrats’ new electoral dominance changes the conditions in which we all fight.  As radicals, we understand that power concedes nothing without a demand. Please come and take part in this dialogue about how we can capitalize on these new opportunities.

Among the speakers featured at the conference will be journalist Greg Palast, New York Times bestselling author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Armed Madhouse; and John Perkins, New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman.

Conference topics include: left-wing analysis of the election, immigration, education,  militarism and foreign policy, democratic socialism, racial justice, feminist rights, LGBT issues, environmental sustainability, and more.  Click here for a flier with the conference program.

The event is sponsored by YDS, Brothers for Awareness, Organization of Latin American Students, and Feminist Collective of William Paterson University.  For more information please e-mail wpu-yds_40hotmail.com.htm. 

William Paterson University
Registration w/ light breakfast starts at 8:30am

Student Center
Conference: 9:30am - 6:00pm

300 Pompton Road, Wayne NJ 07040

10:00am - Panel I- Leftist Critique of the Republican and Democratic parties -  Shea Auditorium

Chair, Department of Political Science, Temple University and Chair, author of The Permanence of the Political, and The Future of Democratic Equality, also a member of the National Political Committee of the Democratic Socialists of America;

Dr. Joseph Schwartz, professor political science at Temple University, author The Permanence of the Political and The Future of Democratic Equality.  Member of National Political Committee of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA; YDS’s parent organization)

Dr. Michael Thompson, professor of political science at William Paterson University, author of Confronting the New Conservatism: The Rise of the Right in America and The Politics of Inequality: A Political History of the Idea of Economic Inequality in America, and Founder and Editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society & Culture.   Member of DSA.

11:45am – Workshops

Racial Issues,  Feminist Rights,  LGBT Issues,  Environmental Sustainability

Lunch

2:30pm – Panel II - US foreign military and economic policy – Shea Auditorium

Greg Palast, investigative journalist who broke the story of how Gov. Jeb Bush purged thousands of Black Florida citizens from voter roles before the 2000 election and New York Times bestselling author of Armed Madhouse and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

John Perkins, author of the New York Times bestseller Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which has been published in 25 languages. His new New York Times bestseller, The Secret History of the American Empire, details the clandestine operations that created the world’s first truly global empire and provides a compassionate plan for crafting a world that future generations will be proud to inherit.

4:15pm – Workshops

Immigration,  Education,  Militarism and Foreign Policy,  Democratic Socialism

5:00pm – Closing – Multipurpose Room

Dr. Christine Kelly, professor of Political Science at WilliamPaterson University and serves on the Editorial Boards of two
peer-reviewed journals — New Political Science: A Journal of Politics and Culture and Labor and Social Policy. She is an Editorial Board member of the book series Contemporary Issues and American Political Theory with the University Press of Kentucky.

*Moderators for the workshops include:

Madeline Hoffman, Executive Director of New Jersey Peace Action;  DaveWatson-Hallowell, President of Sustainable West Milford;  PresidentStafford X

To RSVP or for any questions including directions please email
wpu-yds_40hotmail.com.htm

*NJ Transit Available to Campus

Sponsored by:

*Young Democratic Socialists (YDS)
*Brothers For Awareness (BFA)

*Feminist Collective
*Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS)

Funded by the William Paterson University Student Government Association

The NYC Young Democratic Socialists chapter co-sponsored with NYC Democratic Socialists of America (DSA; YDS’s parent organization) a panel discussion entitled “Crisis in Capitalism: Money, Power, and the Economy.” The event was held at the Local 1199 Service Employees International Union in mid-town New York City on October 29^th – the anniversary of the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression.  The event drew thirty-five attendees and was featured on WBAI radio. Panelists included Paddy Quick (Chair of the St. Francis College Economics Department), Mark Engler (YDS alumnus and recent author of How to Rule the World: The Coming Battle over the Global Economy, and Frank Llewellyn (DSA National Director).

Click here to listen to the coverage by WBAI radio of coverage of recent Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) event: “Crisis in Capitalism: Money, Power, and the Economy.”

The 2008 Socialist Summer Retreat held between August 8th and 10th in Wurtsboro, New York exemplified the resounding success of the work YDS and its activists have done over the past two years. Forty-five youth and students participated from places as far away as Colorado, Nevada, and Texas, including delegations of five or more from William Paterson University (NJ), College of Wooster (Ohio), and Brown University (Rhode Island). National chapter growth has resulted in an increasingly diverse YDS; this was reflected in the higher-than-usual number of people of color and working-class young people in attendance. The new seriousness of YDS members was indicated by the fact that despite the retreat site being far from any major city (with subsequent higher registration fees), this was the largest attendance at a summer conference in nearly six years!

The gathering began Friday night in the main hall with a roll call of the eight chapters in attendance. The conference then watched the documentary film Made in L.A., about the struggle of three immigrant women to win basic labor protections from a mega-trendy clothing retailer in Los Angeles. The moving story about self-empowerment and labor activism set a strong tone for YDS to continue our work on immigrant rights. Afterwards, YDS friends – both new and old – gathered around the camp fire to roast marshmallows, play the guitar and drums, and sing songs.

Saturday was a full day of political and ideological workshops in addition to fun interactive plenaries (and tons of nonpolitical activities, too). We opened with an overview of the tenets of democratic socialism by Joseph Schwartz and Michele Rossi, followed by small group discussions which focused on questions that the YDS members had to answer for themselves. This is the beginning process of creating a new YDS cadre who can be tribunes of socialism for themselves and the organization.

The day saw a good number of workshops on topics ranging from the environment and the current rise of socialist activity in Latin America to our Activist Agenda (national priorities) of student and immigrant rights. Between excellent panels and internal education one would find YDSers playing sports like soccer and waffle ball, swimming, and just relaxing with one another. The chance to be friends as well as comrades made the weekend exceptional. The only way for our organization to move forward is if we have both political agreement and loyalty to one another. Both were fostered during the retreat.

The night ended with the plenary “‘YDS and Realities of the Hope’: The Obama v. McCain presidential campaign and building towards and after Election Day.” Sarah Lawrence professor, former DSA NPC member, and veteran activist Komozi Woodard reflected on previous work by radicals in elections. He stressed how young radicals could use elections as a vehicle for building ties with local communities to create change. Joseph Schwartz touched upon the need to not focus on candidates as individuals but as policy-makers. He reminded young students that absent an Obama presidency alongside a near filibuster-proof Democratic-controlled senate, serious labor law reform such as the Employee Free Choice Act, which could bring millions of new members into trade unions within a few years, is doubtful. Both Woodard and Schwartz stressed that political change is only as potent as the strength of the movements that hold elected officials accountable.

Sunday was filled with a mixture of workshops and annual voting on documents, positions, and volunteer leadership. Elections to the Coordinating Committee posts, which have been uncontested in the past five years, saw challenges for both the Feminist Issues Coordinator and At-Large seats. Today, the committee is one spot away from being half people of color and women, a welcome change from previous overwhelming male and white leaderships.

A healthy Activist Agenda debate narrowed YDS’s national priorities to only two. It added to our existing National Immigrant Rights Project two proposals: for chapter activism around DSA’s “Renegotiate NAFTA” petition, and amplifying our socialist solidarity with the Florida based Coalition of Immokalee Workers (representing migrant tomato pickers). We also voted to continue our education and anti-student debt activism, and added a new emphasis on K-12 in addition to our existing higher education work.

Debate on the constitutional amendment to change the name from Young Democratic Socialists, USA to Campus Democratic Socialists of America concluded with the group sentiment being towards building greater ties between DSA community locals and YDS, and possibly incorporating “Democratic Socialists of America” into our name in the near future. Nearly all members, however, felt that changing to “Campus DSA” risked alienating non-students.

A new element of the conference was the emphasis on inclusive discourse about privilege and oppression. No group, no matter how progressive, is free from societal flaws. YDS made space for queer, people of color, women, working-class, and student caucuses. Each caucus addressed personal issues and how they feel YDS as a collective could address their concerns. In addition, artist Javier Cardona led conference participants to address their own privilege and oppression through honest artistic questions and theatrical dialogue. Students enjoyed the safe spaces provided by the caucuses, which allowed them to express their feelings in private, and everyone came away having learned more about themselves and their comrades from Cardona’s theatre.

YDS members know we have come a great way from when we barely had chapters, much less could put on national coordinated actions. YDS still has a good amount of work to do, but it’s readier than ever to do serious work with DSA and the student left. This fall, YDS will hit the ground both with our own Activist Agenda and with a readiness to bring a democratic socialist viewpoint about the Presidential election to the campuses. After November 4th we’ll be working with other progressives to challenge reactionary policies coming from corporate politicians and their right-wing base. Re-elected at-large Coordinating Committee member Andrew Porter has said “my goal is to see YDS in a major newspaper before the year is out.” The sky is the limit: let’s make it happen!

Left to Right: Wichita State YDS winning “Best Action of the Year” for their “Tomato Challenge” in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, William Paterson YDS being recognized as the largest chapter delegation, and YDSer Trace Cabot being recognized for traveling the farthest distance (Las Vegas, NV) to be at the retreat .

(This program is subject to and probably will change. Please feel free to contact us with any feedback or questions at yds_40dsausa.org.htm. Space will be provided for caucuses, but attendance is not mandatory. Any group can choose to use it or not)

FRIDAY August 8th

5 PM to 7 PM

Check-in and Dinner

7 to 8:30 PM

Made in L.A. (documentary film showing and discussion)

8:30 PM to bedtime

Organized Fun (board Games, movies, cards, guitar, etc.)/Working-class Caucus

SATURDAY August 9th

9 to 10 AM

Breakfast - People of Color Caucus

10 to 11:30 AM

Plenary: What is Democratic Socialism? (with break-out small group discussions)

11:30 AM to 11:45 AM

Break

11:45 AM to 1 PM

Workshops

a) Our Neighbor’s Socialism: What the Democratic Anti-Capitalist Movements in Latin American Means for the US Left

b) YDS & the Labor Movement Today

c) Green Socialism

1 to 2:30 PM

Lunch and Soccer Game/Women’s caucus

2:30 to 3:45 PM

Workshops

a) Immigration and Capitalism

b) Kabul, Baghdad, and now Tehran? US Military Actions and the Left Response

c) Education is a Right

3:45 to 4:00 PM

Break

4 to 6:15 PM

Understanding Oppression and Privilege Bloc

An interactive workshop with Javier Cardona.

6:15 to 6:30 PM

Break

6:15 to 7:15 PM

Dinner/Student’s Caucus

7:15 to 8:45 PM

Plenary: “YDS and Realities of the Hope”: The Obama v. McCain presidential campaign and building towards and after Election Day

8:45 PM PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUNDAY August 10th

9 to 10 AM

Breakfast - Queer Caucus

10 to 11:30 AM

Workshops

a) Building a YDS chapter

b) The Housing Crisis

c) Understanding the Capitalist System

11:30 to 11:45 AM

Break

11:45 AM to 1 PM

Constitutional Amendments, Activist Agenda, and Election of Coordinating Committee

1 PM to 2 PM

Working lunch if prior discussion not finished

2 PM onward

Continue discussion if necessary, if not free time

Spring Semester YDS Chapter Highlights 

Wichita State University (Kansas): WSU YDS members helped registered nearly 500 new voters at the largest Wichita Democratic caucus. The chapter also co-hosted a talk with Wichita’s mayor. They’ll end the semester with a movie showing and a panel with national speakers on the issue of student debt as part of YDS’s “Education is a Right - Not a Privilege: Campaign Against Student Debt.

William Paterson YDS (NJ): This new YDS chapter’s rally for education was one of it’s the most successful activities. The event featured students, professors, and YDS organizer David Duhalde speaking about the need to prioritize education and end the crisis in student debt. The gathering was featured on the local news. Check the YouTube here: ../../../youtube.com/watch@v=16qr3wmwfjq

New York City YDS: NYC YDS is working with Socialist Alternative to bring socialist education and activism to New York University. A joint club, Socialists at NYU, has done several events. One featured a debate, entitled “What Kind of Change Do We Really Need?” between Socialist Alternative, YDS, and the College Democrats on the 2008 Presidential election.

By David Duhalde, YDS organizer

On the heels of an excellent Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) turn out at the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) 2007 convention in Atlanta, YDS’s winter outreach conference’s success seems to be another stepping stone for a fantastic new YDS. In Georgia, YDS sent a diverse delegation of fifteen young activists from across the country (Texas and Kansas to Miami and southwestern Virginia) to the gathering. At the meeting, a point was made for young cadre to caucus in order to prepare for the coming annual national outreach conference. Collectively, it was decided to name the event “Be Realistic, Demand the Impossible: Reviving Democratic, Socialist, and Youth Activism.” The title was chosen to pay homage to the spirit of young radicals in 1968 - as a reflection of the hopes and dreams of the past 40 years and the tasks that still remain for left-wing youth and student activists. We all left Atlanta set on bringing not only ourselves to New York City on President’s Weekend but many more comrades and friends as well.

On Friday February 15th, we opened the event with a panel discussion called “2013 Isn’t Soon Enough: The Anti-War Movement Post-Bush.” The plenary served both as a conference opener and an Iraq Moratorium event. YDS has participated in Iraq Moratorium events (monthly actions to raise awareness against the war in Iraq) since September. The panel served as an excellent way to showcase our grassroots work on a national stage. DSA members Bill Fletcher Jr., Stephen Eric Bronner, and Frances Fox Piven answered individual and group questions. Each had a chance to personally reflect on other panelist’s thoughts and opinions. The excellent discourse covered a range of pertinent topics such as U.S. policy towards Iran, changing political conditions for the anti-war movement due to the presidential race, the role of young socialists in ending the war, and much more. The plenary set a positive and proactive tone that held throughout the conference.

The following Saturday morning YDS members, chapter activists, progressive young people, and friends from across the country began to trickle in. Even before the program began, it was clear that a new YDS had arrived both physically and organizationally. One visible element to the new YDS was diversity. This was one of the widest ranges of people, places, and ideas ever to appear at a YDS conference. The representation came not only from those who came to learn about YDS but also from the chapter activists. The conference saw delegations of eight people (respectively) from campuses ranging from the elite Brown University, small liberal arts Wooster College of Ohio, to the working-class and commuter campuses of University of Central Arkansas and Wichita State University. In all, over 125 students and youth came to the event. The variety of activists symbolized what a strong social justice movement could look like; the positive mixture of different people showed the growing potential for YDS as a force on the student left.

Weekend plenaries featured an excellent range of speakers, ideas, and topics on issues ranging from racial justice, immigrant rights, the relevance of democratic socialism, and the future of the youth and student movement. Saturday’s opening plenary, “The Struggle for Racial Justice Under Capitalism,” was moderated by YDS Anti-Racism coordinator Emahunn Campbell and featured Manning Marable, Monami Maulik, and DSA National Political Committee member Corey D.B. Walker. The speakers touched upon the need to connect the struggle for socialism to the fight against racism. The closing plenary on Saturday saw DSA veterans Joseph Schwartz, Nancy Fraser, and Jose LaLuz discuss the continued importance and relevance of democratic socialist values. LaLuz concluded the panel with a standing chant of “Si, Se Puede.” The energy revived the crowd which we carried with us afterwards into a fun and bonding get together in Brooklyn.

The conference workshops touched upon a range of subjects of great importance to the democratic left. The discussion on Latin America featured a well-received presentation by the Bolivian United Nations ambassador Hugo Siles Alvarado. DSA Honorary Chairs Maxine Philips and Steve Max each held discussions, the prior on faith and the left and the later on healthcare. All workshops presented a democratic socialist viewpoint on the issue and explained how students can incorporate socialist politics into their activism.

A late night did not stop these new young Jimmy and Jannie Higgins from starting the conference on time Sunday. The Sunday crowd took full advantage of the day, asking great questions and bonding over lunch sponsored by AFSCME. The afternoon plenary featured voices from the immigrant rights movement, including DSA member Rabbi Michael Feinberg. Rabbi Feinberg made the critical connection for students that they should understand how capitalist globalization has created such conditions that desperate people are forced to make risky migrations without documentation. The role of socialists is therefore to fight for the rights of all to insure economic security for both domestic and immigrant labor.

Sunday concluded with a group dialogue called “Have We Reached a Revival in Democratic and Anti-Capitalist Youth Activism?” The resounding conclusion was “yes, but we have a great deal of work ahead of us.” Professor Christine Kelly of William Paterson University, who led the discussion with myself, expressed the importance of learning from past youth movements and making your own identity. I emphasized the importance of YDS relating to other left-wing young people, especially those dedicated to working on the upcoming presidential election. Our relevance depends greatly on how well we connect to such movements on the ground.

I have high hopes and aspirations for the new YDS. This conference was the best in terms of quality of the participants, organizers, panels, and speakers in many years - certainly since I first joined in 2003. Paul Collins, who has served with me on the YDS elected leadership and is currently an 1199 SEIU organizer, reflected on how impressed he was with the ownership young cadre had in YDS. No longer, he contended, was YDS merely the youth organizer’s show. On Monday, Beth Garton of Wichita State YDS expressed to my family the feeling that encapsulated some of the most important successes of the conference. She told me and my parents how nice YDSers were, how the workshops had helped her understand anti-capitalism better against the conservative arguments she heard growing up, and that she looked forward to the summer conference. The first comment was especially touching for me as it was the reason I stayed with YDS and DSA. I felt that this was an organization that focused on fighting for social justice, not upon holding moral “superiority” over others; a home where comrades wanted to share in the struggle with you, not judge the quality of your participation in it.

I remain as optimistic as ever about the future of the progressive movement, here and abroad, and YDS’s contributions to making the world a more democratic and humane place. New YDS leaders will continue to reshape and build this socialist youth group as a positive force. I feel comfortable knowing that while I would trade almost anything to be a young chapter activist again, I and other graduating YDS veterans can happily look forward to dedicating our energy to DSA. We have a solid group of younger YDS cadre who will carry on the tradition of building the left-wing of the possible through out the United States.