After I got my second COVID vaccine shot and hit full immunity, I immediately scheduled a visit with my parents. While at their house, I discovered something interesting: an old membership card from my time in the Young People’s Socialist League!
Let’s take a brief trip down memory lane.
Young People’s Socialist League Through the Years
The Socialist Party of America founded the Young People’s Socialist League back in 1907 as its youth wing. It did so during a time when it stood out as the socialist party in the U.S. And, in fact, YSPL organized and re-organized itself a number of times during its original run. I can’t say I know much about this period. But I do know that Bernie Sanders joined at some point in the 1960s.
What I do know is that YPSL reformed in 1989 as the youth wing of the Socialist Party USA. This might require a brief history lesson of its own. After the Socialist Party of America split apart in 1972, various factions emerged and formed or moved into other groups. The ‘far left’ of the old party joined various smaller anarchist, communist, or socialist groups. The ‘center-left’ of the party joined the Democratic Socialists of America, of which I’m currently a member (though not a part of any ‘center-left’). And the right-most wing of the party founded the Social Democrats, USA.
Where does the Socialist Party USA enter the picture? For the most part, it drew its members from wings of the socialist movement to the right of anarchists and communists, but to the left of the DSA. It thereby occupied something of a niche, odd space in the socialist movement.
Back in the early 2000s, YPSL tended to maintain a large degree of independence from the SP-USA, despite being its official youth wing. It thus avoided, if I recall, most faction fights going on at the time. As a youth organization, it was a bit more forward-thinking than the party at-large. Especially on issues concerning race, gender, and other categories of identity.
YPSL and The Torch
I joined the Young People’s Socialist League and lasted as a member for about 5 years. So, I joined shortly before my high school graduation and 18th birthday. And I stayed until around the time I graduated from college (undergrad).
Unfortunately, I’ve lost touch with all the people I met through YPSL. But I do remember I joined YPSL’s National Executive Committee. I also joined the editorial collective that ran The Torch, YPSL’s quarterly newsletter.
While visiting my parents, I also found a few old copies of The Torch. In the tradition of 90s zine culture, it was very much a DIY publication. It was fun to do a little reading about socialism in the early 2000s.
Some Questions for Readers about YPSL
For readers: were any of you involved with YPSL? How about other socialist organizations you joined when you were younger? Which was your first?
Furthermore, do any of you know if YPSL still exists? It seems to have a website, though that website raises as many questions as it answers.
