75 Maiden Lane Suite 505
New York, New York 10038
United States
212-727-8610A 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 organizations 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.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We are a diverse collective, informed and inspired by a variety of movements and figures in the long struggle for social justice. From the American labor movement, to the fight for civil rights, from European Social Democracy to women's liberation, the Young Democratic Socialists takes lessons and hope from the wide history of our progressive project. But YDS is not a theoretical debating society. We are proud of our heritage as socialists, but don't get bogged down in endless arguments about how many Karl Marx books can fit on the head of a pin. We are the nation's largest socialist student and youth organization, but unlike many socialist groups, we don't think we are the end-all-be-all of progressive politics in America. We work in coalitions, as a principled ally of a variety of struggles. We work to be a socialist voice within the left, but don't think that we should tell other movements that we have all the answers. We want to see a progressive, democratic majority in the US, and work in good faith to build that majority. Progressive Democrats, queer activists, people of color, Greens, labor activists, feminists, we have come together because we don't think there is currently room in US politics for our vision of a society based on solidarity, instead of greed. We are going to make that room. This is a campus group. Geographical Scope: National This group is a network. Added on 10-15-2003 Updated on 12-20-2007
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