Diablo Valley College Young Democratic Socialists of America
Template:TOCnestleft Diablo Valley College Young Democratic Socialists of America is a Northern California affilate of Young Democratic Socialists of America.
Comrades
2020 Diablo Valley College Young Democratic Socialists of America comrades including Joseph Mauro, Ali Noorzad.
Backing Marisol Rubio
Diablo Valley College Young Democratic Socialists of America February 25 2020.
Yesterday we met Marisol Rubio and discussed the challenges in electoral politics! for starters, her opponent Steve Glazer won't have a public televised debate with her! sign the petition to force Glazer to face Marisol who will bring up the real issues with him taking money from fossil fuels etc.
Founder
Ali Noorzad is the founder and cochair of the Diablo Valley College Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter.
“I wanted to get involved in organizing in the last few years as I grew more politically conscious following Bernie 2016 but didn’t really know where to go. Luckily, last summer, a DSA member approached me and urged me to start a YDSA chapter at the community college I attend. Since then I’ve been working with other students at Diablo Valley College in building a group of like-minded organizers that are able to learn and fight together for the issues that matter most to each and every one of us.”
“Socialism means a world where workers have control over their own lives. A world in which political and economic power resides with working people, rather than private corporations. Right now, people see that there is a dangerous concentration of wealth and power in this country. For me, socialism is the natural antidote to that.”[1]
BLM support
October 2020 students from Diablo Valley College sent a list of demands for the Contra Costa Community College District on August 24, calling for change related to equity and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The list demands the complete disarmament of 4CD campus police, a free student health center, the development and support of an Ethnic Studies program, fully paid office hours for all adjunct faculty and the removal of paid parking permits.
The demands have been specifically organized by Diablo Valley College Young Democratic Socialists of America.
Club founder Ali Noorzad, a history and political science major, said the death of Minnesota man George Floyd was a sparking point for change.
“My entire life, I’ve been living through constant upheaval and police brutality – and nothing’s changed,” Noorzad said.
“CCC and Los Medanos College have higher crime rates…so just in relation there are going to be more police (on campus) than at DVC,” Clare Katko, a political science major and DVC YDSA member said. “We wanted to make it a district-wide campaign to include all students.”
DVC YDSA believes the current spending on police services is expensive and overinflated. In fact, 4CD’s 2019-2020 budget states that over $3 million have been spent on police services in the 2018-2019 academic year.
DVC YDSA is pushing to establish a health services center for each campus in 4CD. According to DVC YDSA, these health centers should cover, but not be limited to, physical medical services including the treatment of colds, viruses and minor injuries.
DVC YDSA also demands mental health services like counseling, interventions, long-term care and psychotherapy. Educational health services are also included in their demands, which would provide information and resources on healthier lifestyles, substance abuse prevention and other behavioral challenges.[2]