Young Democratic Socialists
| Young Democratic Socialists of America | |
|---|---|
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| Headquarters | 75 Maiden Lane, Ste 702 New York City, NY 10038 |
| Ideology | Democratic socialism |
| Mother party | Democratic Socialists of America |
| International affiliation | International Union of Socialist Youth |
| Website | www |
Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) is the youth section of the Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist political organization in the United States. As Democratic Socialists of America is the American affiliate of the Socialist International, Young Democratic Socialists of America is the American affiliate of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY).
Formerly known as the "Democratic Socialists of America Youth Section", the organization played a significant role in the 1980s in the movements against apartheid in South Africa and U.S. intervention in Central America. It helped introduce many student activists to trade union struggles, with many of the organization's alums going on to become labor organizers and union staff members. In the late 1990s YDSA chapters, most notably the ones at Ithaca College and Arizona State University, became heavily involved in the national movement against the prison-industrial complex. Chapters tried to force colleges to cancel their contracts with food service provider Sodexho Marriott because its parent company, Sodexho Alliance, owned stock in Corrections Corporation of America, a for-profit prison company.
More recently, YDSA had a contingent march in the NYSPC section of the United for Peace and Justice march against the Iraq war in Washington, DC on January 27, 2007. In September 2009, YDSA members participated in a march against the G20 in Pittsburgh. In October 2010, dozens of YDSA members joined the union-sponsored One Nation Working Together march in DC.
YDSA chapters and members are encouraged to pursue and promote a democratic socialist political education and participate in social justice activism, often taking part in anti-war, labor and student-issue marches and rallies. Each year, YDSA members vote on an agenda for the chapters to adopt. This year, the issue it is an anti-racist agenda. The organization publishes an internal newsletter called The Red Letter, and its members run and contribute to their official blog, The Activist. The organization's most visible current national activities revolve around supporting initiatives for their parent organization, Democratic Socialists of America, and organizing various national conferences, usually held in New York City.
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