The Activist

The ties between American democratic socialism and the struggles of farm workers have existed for over a century. Since the founding of the Socialist Party of America (SPA) in 1901, democratic socialist ideals have been often found at the root of farm workers’ struggles. The Socialist Party of America was formed by the merging of the Social Democratic Party and a faction of the Socialist Labor Party. The SPA focused on interaction with organizations such as the Industrial Workers of the World, whose objectives emphasized industrial inequities and the necessity of worker unification. Thus, the SPA revolutionized the idea of industrial unionizing by expanding to the level of mass organization. The notion of mass organization is parallel and further demonstrates the long-standing links between democratic socialism and the struggles of the working class, particularly farm workers. In fact, democratic socialist solidarity has often found itself manning the frontlines in this battle for justice.

While democratic socialism finds its roots in a multitude of philosophies, the central theme is that democracy and socialism go hand and hand and more importantly, that there is a need to extend true democratic accountability to the political and economic spheres of society. Thus, Democratic socialists believe organized labor is a necessary check to the power of business under capitalism, and that organized labor will play a central role in the movement towards a post-capitalist future. American democratic socialist involvement in organized labor and farm worker struggles are exemplified in the 1930s by the formation of the Share Cropper’s Union (SCU). The SCU was a large labor force in the deep South consisting primarily of disenfranchised tenant workers and sharecroppers, a majority of whom were minorities. The ability of share croppers and tenant farmers to successfully organize in the face of the mechanization and proletarianization in the South marked the first of many major victories of farm workers in the struggle for justice. Using strikes and taking direct action against both police and corporate authorities, the SCU along with other sharecropper organizing substantiated the notion of the potential power held in these farm worker organizations.

This belief proved vital to the formation and success of the National Farm Workers Association, founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, who is today a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Honorary Co-Chair. The National Farm Workers Association soon became the United Farm Workers Association (UFW), the nation’s first successful and largest farm workers union. In 1965, an independent group of Mexican and Filipino farm workers orchestrated the beginnings of the historic grape boycott that would last through 1970, staging a walkout that Cesar Chavez used as a spark to nationally ignite the UFW. Chavez understood the importance of demonstrating the potential power within an organization such as UFW and set about sending representatives of the grape boycott throughout the entire country. In New York and Chicago, the local Socialist Party chapters were known to be particularly helpful in aiding these representatives. Organizations that were affiliated with the Socialist Party of America, before the formation of DSA, took on the jobs of finding them homes and providing them with the networks that allowed for success. Democratic socialist solidarity was particularly helpful in New York where grape consumption was decreased by 90%, due in large part to the cooperation between UFW activists and democratic socialist advocates such as DSA Chair Michael Harrington.

One of the more important results of the connection between DSA and UFW became the work of Eliseo Medina, currently the Vice President of the Service Employees International Union and highest ranking immigrant union official in the United States. Medina, a UFW activist in the 1960s, was sent to Chicago with the orders of organizing and extending the grape boycott. In 1969, Medina came into contact with Carl Shier, a member of the local Socialist Party of America chapter and later to be one of the founders of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, the organization that preceded DSA. Shier connected Medina with the Chicago Labor movement, a decision that propelled Medina’s success with both the grape boycott and his career. At a 2001 DSA national convention dinner honoring Eliseo Medina and the work he did for organized labor and as DSA Honorary Co-Chair, he epitomized the experience of many UFW activists in their interaction and cooperation with democratic socialist solidarity:

“…it was the DSA chapter that adopted me in Chicago, that got us food, found me a place to live…And so I want to thank you, 35 years later, for what you did for me and for what you did for farm workers, because, I think, thanks to that help, we were successful, and we did stop the sale of grapes, and we did build a farm workers union.”

Medina’s organizing, with the help of the Chicago Labor movement, resulted in a great deal of democratic socialist participation in the grape boycott. This relationship did not exist only in Chicago, however, and was represented in cities across the country. The main engine of this work was the original Young People’s Socialist League (YPSL), the predecessor organization to the Young Democratic Socialists. Chapters at schools such as Harvard and New York University became very active in the grape boycott, spending incredible amounts of time on the picket lines. Today’s YPSL, an affiliate of the Socialist Party of the United States of America (SP-USA), is also active in farm worker solidarity.

One of the major ties between DSA and the struggles of farm workers remains the common ground shared between the two entities in their anti-racist and pro-immigrant right perspectives and activism. Recent National Agricultural Workers Surveys shows that over 70% of farm workers are born outside of the United States. Overall, 65% of the farm working population is of Hispanic descent. Leo Casey, a former National Director of DSA, was a volunteer for the UFW in the early 1970’s. Duane Campbell, later an NPC member,  and Dolores Delgado Campbell, former UFW volunteers formed the Sacramento Immigration Committee to advocate for the rights of the undocumented and to urge a new immigration policy.  In the 1980’s Duane Campbell was the Chair of the DSA’s Anti Racism Commission and Dolores Delgado Campbell was co-chair of the DSA’s Latino Commission.  The focus of the SIC was immigrant rights and the continuing expansion of the organization was prominent in the decision to merge the institution into DSA, as their Anti-Racism Commission. Thus, this branch of DSA has strong roots in the struggles of farm workers, with the goal to ensure their ability to organize and protect their civil rights. The formation of the SIC and Anti-Racism Commission show the ability of democratic socialist solidarity to stay realistic with the changing trends of society. While Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of UFW, continued to show that it was “okay to be a socialist” , democratic socialists began to recognize the importance of a partnership and mutual respect between their organization and the growing Hispanic and Latino populations within the country. The goal became to work with labor in an anti-racist manner, and more importantly work with youth such as the Chicano student movements to display the draw of democratic socialism and the importance of organized labor to their shared cause.

While the 1960s saw the polarization of the African American and white cultures, DSA used the 1970s and the new decade to emphasize the importance of the Latino populations. Helping to organize Latino-dominated organizations such as the Farm Worker’s Organizing Committee or farm workers unions of North Carolina, DSA saw the importance of these organizations in respect to their mission. The organizing of farm workers had three major achievements related to both democratic socialist and farm workers goals. First was the creation of unions and organized labor, a step that protected immigrant worker’s rights while also creating a greater sense of true democracy in society. Second, this organizing often created a sense of Latino solidarity, vital to the survival and flourishing of Latino culture. Lastly, farm worker organizing served as a way for immigrants to empower themselves and gain democratic control over their own lives. Such reforms, which challenge structures of power, are important to begin moving a capitalist society towards social justice, and ultimately democratic socialism.

The emphasis on immigrant rights and organized labor has carried through DSA into the 21st century. Currently, the struggle for justice of immigrant and undocumented workers remains a high priority of both the DSA and Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) national agenda. While YDS, the youth section of DSA, has remained an ally of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) since the beginning of their organization in 1993, DSA and YDS’s more recent work with CIW shows the continuing trend to fight for the rights of immigrant workers in the face of big corporations. CIW has been noted on several accounts for their achievements in fighting the unfair business practices of Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and now Burger King. Leading protests over the wages paid to farm workers on tomato plantations with the “penny-a-pound” movement, CIW was hugely successful in their fight against Taco Bell and McDonald’s. The “penny-a-pound” movement was aimed at increasing the salary of farm workers by one cent per pound of tomatoes picked, which in time and in large quantities takes CIW members out of poverty wages. DSA was able to help publicize and organize two conferences during the McDonald’s struggle, as well as house many CIW supporters in Chicago during the protests and meetings. Along with financial contributions, the Greater Oak Park Branch of Chicago DSA organized the final protest of McDonald’s before McDonald’s agreed to the CIW terms, a protest that also drew large support from YDS. Demonstrations organized and aided by YDS chapters nationwide continue for the struggle against Burger King. YDS members recently played a key role in the 2008 Student Labor Week of Action where we were highlighted by Jobs with Justice for our support work of CIW. DSA and YDS intend to continue the close relationship between democratic socialism and the struggles of farm workers. Democratic socialists believe that true democracy and social equity are intrinsically linked and that neither can be reached until all workers in society are viewed and treated equally.

Perry Landman-Hopman is a rising sophomore at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, currently pursuing two degrees in International Development Patterns with a concentration in Africa and African History. He is interning with YDS in the summer and plans to serve a large role in the founding of a chapter at George Washington University in the fall.