I tweeted some responses, and wanted to make sure they got attached to this for all who are reading - t

@hailsnow so you think the problem is who is let in the room at caucuses? What are your 3 steps to fixing this prob?

@hailsnow yda is a federation, diversity probs start at the local level. Want diverse membership? Create chapters in comms of color then help those chapters succeed. Symbols, caucuses, development … Whatevs. Eventually those can be addressed but first key is getting new local chaps up and running away from the trad white dominated college campuses and neigborhoods. How? Go there. Yda state orgs don’t. National org can’t/hasn’t. Before I left u helped us develop a plan to fund state chapters creating local chapters in these types of communities. Maybe money dried up ao quickly we couldn’t do anything but it seems like something vol leaders could do either way. History aside though …. Isn’t this the real prob not the strucuture of national meetings and leadership? Seems u identfied a problem but picked wrong culprits

The YDA Caucus Fail Part 1

YDA claims to encourage diversity, to work for all communities, to actively recruit from under represented communities, and to develop leaders from their entire membership base. YDA should practice what they preach. 

YDAs system is fatally flawed. Without creating and promoting a safe space for communities of color and under represented communities, the different constituencies in YDA will never be able to effectively organize or grow. What is the purpose of a caucus? Most people in YDA dont know the true meaning and reason for a caucus- and it is killing YDAs diversity. Listen people- a caucus is for a group of traditionally under represented communities or systematically oppressed constituencies to come together and unite around issues affecting their communities. A caucus is supposed to be a safe space to discuss issues, setbacks, and action that you and your peers can take. Open caucuses dont work. How do you have an open conversation about systematic oppression or issues negatively affecting your communities with your oppressor in the room. Lets take the Womyns caucus for example: why do you need men in the room? Men the oppressor of women. Men the reason women are considered an under represented constituency. You dont. Women need a safe space to discuss issues and action. Example number 2: GLBT Caucus- what if youre not out? This is politics people… how are you supposed to go to a caucus and have a safe conversation when its not a safe space. YDA uses caucuses to advance their own agendas. Theyre not taken seriously, theyre not given actual roles or empowered to take on actions or issues, they are a time to meet and campaign. Am i wrong?

Maybe this is why YDA fails at diversity. As a proud Chicana woman getting to talk to the other 3 Latinos in YDA was always stimulating. False. Did i ever see any Latino outreach? No. Did i ever see anymore Latinos result from the lack of outreach? No. Did i hear Isaac Robinson complain about diversity. Once. 

And now YDA is hosting a reception to honor the work of strong women of color? That seems strange. Have these women of color advanced the agenda or the opportunity for other women of color in YDA? Hardly. Why would you honor a group of women of color in an organization where women of color are so easily dismissed? Thats right- youre honoring them as symbols. If you wanted to actually do something to combat the fact that i can count the Latinos on one hand, and the women of color on one set of appendages you would empower women of color. Empower them to actually take actions in their communities, in their country, and in their party. But no, no, youre right. Send out some messages on facebook, drink up, campaign for yourselves, and talk badly about the people that arent in the room. Thats sure to increase the diversity in YDA.