Socialist Action /March 1999
Youth in Action:
UCLA Students for Socialist Action
LOS ANGELES-In the short amount of time that Students for Socialist Action
has been here on the UCLA campus, we've been able to establish a presence
as the largest and most active youth socialist group in the area.
Since October, we've taken up issues that affect the student population,
from the struggle of the Teachers Assistants (SAGE) to become unionized
in the face of administrational opposition, to the fight to save Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Our meetings and activities reach up to 40+ students, and we are optimistic
that the future holds more progress for building a revolutionary youth group.
We have been holding consistent forums on campus, with an average attendance
of about 25 to 30 people. Topics of these events have ranged from Mumia
to Malcolm X, from the environment to SAGE, and we have planned forums on
"Art and Revolution"and on capitalism's effect on education.
At the beginning of this winter quarter, we initiated a student coalition
to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. It has developed into a broad organization of vibrant
youth; participants and sponsors are from USAC (the undergrad student government),
RAZA women, the Environmental Coalition, and more.
Our first event for Mumia, a showing of the film "A Case for a Reasonable
Doubt?", drew a crowd of nearly 50. We are bringing a delegation to
the March 6 Mumia conference in Berkeley, which we will be actively participating
in, and we are working with the common goal of bringing an army of youth
to San Francisco on April 24, the national day of protest.
We organized an undergraduate march to the picket line of SAGE earlier
this year, and we are continuing to work with them. Our members are active
in other social issues that effect working people and youth, such as the
Bus Riders Union and the Affirmative Action Coalition.
We are planning a trip this summer to Cuba, where we can communicate
with our fellow brothers and sisters there and commend them on upholding
their revolution for a 40th year (any donations for this trip, which we
are in need of, can be sent to the national headquarters of Socialist Action).
Now that we have a dedicated core of youth, we are able to table every
day of the week, giving us the opportunity to actively recruit every day.
Our organization is becoming more experienced and larger in numbers, and
we have bigger plans for the future.
We urge all youth to get involved in the revolutionary struggle. If you
have a Students for Socialist Action branch in your area, then contact them
and get active; if you don't, get in touch with our national office at (415)
821-0458.
We here in LA, as well as our other youth groups in other cities and
campuses are actively engaged in the historic struggle for a socialist society
that satisfies the needs of all-not the greed of a few. We need a potent
leadership composed of strong, hard-working young people to embrace the
upcoming radicalization of the youth.
Socialist Action /March 1999 |