Early Friday morning, ETSU’s Young Democratic Socialists of America set out to the annual YDSA Convention, held this year in Chicago, Illinois. The theme of the conference was “Unite! Fight! Win!” and focused on how to organize a grassroots movement for socialism.

(Contributed / ETSU YDSA)

Students in the YDSA of ETSU have helped lead movements such as Adjunct Action, campus climate events in support of the Green New Deal and the local Bernie Sanders campaigning. 

While democratic-socialist candidate Bernie Sanders is the most recognizable face of the movement, a constant refrain of the convention was that we, the working masses, hold the real power. Our capacity to build political power is not measured in the success of Sanders, but in our ability to collectively organize, maintain momentum and fight against the pervasive disillusionment that defines modern politics. 

Students at ETSU are countering the narrative of right wing dominance in the south by building a grassroots movement in our own backyard. The attendance and energy at the conference proves that students are not alone in their work. Across the nation, young people are searching for alternatives to the bourgeois politics that solely protects the interests of the moneyed elite. For many, these efforts have coalesced around the YDSA.

Students from ETSU are on the frontlines of the movement. Joining other young socialists, students learned organizing skills they will return to the community to serve the working people of Johnson City. Workshop topics included “Building a Multi-Racial Working Class,” “Building Capacity and Developing Leaders” and “Campus Labor 101.”

After the 2018 convention, students learned skills that helped win adjuncts a raise of $100 per credit hour. With nine more students attending the conference this year, students will certainly bring more energy to campus to more effectively organize.

Though other groups on campus boast high membership, YDSA at ETSU does the work required to build a mass movement, affecting genuine chance on campus and in the community.

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