Young Democratic Socialists - Current Activities

Current Activities

The group's most visible current national activities are its participation in the Student Labor Week of Action and Defend Public Education coalition, Activist Agenda (i.e. national priorities) items such as a Blue-Green Action Campaign (around green jobs) and Free Higher Education, and organizing various national conferences, usually held in New York City. The organization publishes an internal newsletter called the Red Letter. In addition, its members and allies run an online magazine called The Activist.

YDS chapters or groups of members often participate in peace, labor, or global justice marches. For instance, YDS 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, YDS members participated in a march against the G20 in Pittsburgh. In October 2010, dozens of YDS members joined the union-sponsored One Nation Working Together march in DC. YDS Co-Chair Amber Frost was a featured speaker at the youth feeder march before the One Nation Working Together demonstration.

The organization runs two annual conferences: a larger outreach conference in the winter, and a smaller retreat or conference that focuses on internal matters. From February 16 to 18, 2007, YDS held its largest youth conference in several years at Bayard Rustin High School in New York City. Called "Justice Beyond Borders: Democracy and Socialism in the 21st Century," the conference featured keynote speeches by Professor Noam Chomsky, journalist and author Barbara Ehrenreich, The Nation correspondent Christian Parenti, author and journalist Liza Featherstone, Columbia University Professor Gayatri Spivak, and Temple University Political Science Chair Professor Joseph Schwartz. The 2010 outreach conference was held March 5–7 at Norman Thomas High School in Manhattan. The event kicked off with a plenary session by long-time activist Steve Max and noted sociologist Frances Fox Piven. Prominent academic and Democratic Socialist of America Honorary Co-Chair Cornel West was the keynote speaker. Other speakers included Professor Gayatri Spivak, Dan Cantor of the Working Families Party, Christian Parenti, Liza Featherstone, and Professor Joseph Schwartz.