The Rag:

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

Students for a Democratic Society is an association of young people on the left. It seeks to create a sustained community of educational and political concern; one bringing together liberals and radicals, activists and scholars, students and faculty. It maintains a vision of a democratic society where at all levels people have control of the decisions which affect them and the resources on which they are dependent. It seeks a relevance through the continual focus on realities and on the programs necessary to effect change at the most basic levels of economic, political and social organization. It feels the urgency to put forth a radical, democratic program whose methods embody the democratic vision.

-Preamble, SDS Constitution

Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS)

Many of us came of age in the sixties, inspired by the activism of that era. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the largest student organization at that time, was based on a vision of participatory democracy - the radical idea that people should have control over the decisions and resources that affect their lives. A younger generation is organizing SDS chapters on high school and college campuses today.

We are older now and most of us are not students, but we want to support the efforts of today’s generation of SDS activists by organizing Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS). We also want to organize around critical issues that now face our country and planet. We want an end to the occupation of Iraq. We want our nation’s resources to be invested in the public good — in education and universal health care, in solutions to global warming and oil dependence, in jobs with dignity, in an end to poverty and an equitable distribution of wealth. Our experience has taught us that we must have a radical analysis in order to understand the root causes of injustice and war. We want to build a democratic, non-violent movement that can effectively advocate systemic solutions.

We must learn not only from the exhilarating idealism of an earlier era, but from mistakes that were made. We do not want to be separated by racism, gender bias or discrimination based on sexual orientation. We hope to build a diverse movement and encourage leadership from all who participate. And we hope to have fun. JOIN US!

Alice Embree
David Hamilton
March 2007

First 12 issues of The Rag are available online.