New YDS Organizer

Democratic Socialists of America and it youth section, Young Democratic
Socialists are pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth
Rothschild as the new National Youth Organizer. She began working right
after Labor Day. We also wish to publicly acknowledge the dedicated
service of Lucas Shapiro for the last two years, who is remaining active
in a volunteer capacity and assisting in the transition. Here is an
excerpt from her first message to YDS'ers:

"I can't wait to begin working with all of you -- now let me tell you a
little bit about my background in politics:

The last two summers I have spent teaching in a program called Freedom
Schools in NYC, which is run by the Children's Defense Fund and modeled
after the Freedom Schools from the Civil Rights Movement Freedom Summer
of 1964. The program integrates reading, conflict resolution and social
action in an activity-based curriculum that promotes social, cultural,
and historical awareness. Working with the Freedom Schools has helped
me develop ways to connect large macro-level ideologies informed by my
socialist vision, to a micro-level (classroom) experience. But the
Freedom Schools were more than a classroom experience, they were about
building a movement - linking schools across the nation together,
creating an alternative educational institution, and engaging in
political struggles for progressive change (we participated in voter
registration in the community last year, protested at City Hall against
Bush's tax cuts, and worked with an ex-felon rehabilitation program
learning about the cradle-to-prison pipeline).

I have also worked with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and
did extensive Affirmative Action organizing around the Michigan case
several years ago. I recently graduated from the University of Virginia
where I majored in African American Studies and Sociology with a minor
in Politics and was involved in anti-racist organizing through both
leadership in groups such as the NAACP and Sustained Dialogue. I worked
as a liaison between many different groups and coalitions on campus as
we tried to bring structural changes to the rather minority-unfriendly
university.

I believe deeply in the importance of political education,
self-criticism and constant re-evaluation to the movement for social
justice. There is a lot of work to be done to build a stronger Left in
this country, especially towards connecting anti-racist, feminist,
labor, queer rights, environmental, community and electoral activism in
a much more meaningful and effective way. I'm definitely looking
forward to working with many of you, traveling to campuses and
communities around the country, and working to strengthen YDS and the
democratic socialist movement. Onward!"

Elizabeth Rothschild, the new YDS National Organizer, can be reached at:
elizabeth@dsausa.org or at 212-727-8610 ext. 24


HOW YOU CAN HELP A NEW GENERATION OF SOCIALISTS

With the beginning of the new semester YDS is launching a campaign to
expand and increase its presence on campuses. DSA'ers (and others),
particularly those who are campus based, can help this campaign in a
number of concrete ways.

1. Keep yourself informed about YDS and its activities by signing up
for their regular email blasts (sent every 1-2 weeks) which contain
excellent articles written by DSA and YDS members, action items, and
lots of information YDS' projects and political priorities. For
archives of the YDS email blasts and instructions on how to join the
list, visit: www.dsausa.org/ydsupdate/index.html

2. Refer student activists to YDS. Have them check out the YDS
website, (www.ydsusa.org), hand out YDS literature materials to them
(www.ydsusa.org/resources.html), and put them in touch with the YDS
National Organizer (see below).

3. Sign up as a campus contact. If you are on campus and want to
assist in developing a new chapter, mentoring an existing one, or just
to act as information resource for interested students, we need to know.


4. Organize a visit from a YDS organizer to your school or community.
You can help arrange for someone from YDS to come speak at a teach-in,
to conduct an activist training, to organize a debate, or to meet with
students interested in working with YDS.

We all believe that building a new generation of smart and effective
activists is every socialist's responsibility. To act on any of these
important items simply send an email to: yds@dsausa.org.

Visit our Web Site: WWW.DSAUSA.ORG