Parker Brandenburg

Parker Brandenburg

YDSA rebirth

Students unofficially re-established a chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America in September 2025, reviving the political and labor-focused organization at GW after four years of inactivity.

Leaders of YDSA GW said the progressive organization, which leans farther left than GW College Democrats but still lends support to Democratic candidates, will appeal to a wide swath of liberal and left-leaning students at GW that straddles the line between supporting Democratic candidates while also advocating for more progressive positions. The chapter’s leaders said they will advocate for expanded affordable housing options in Foggy Bottom, support local labor unions — including GW’s graduate student union — and back political candidates in the DMV area who align with DSA policies, such as affordable housing and health care, advocacy for a Palestinian state and increased taxes on wealthier Americans.

YDSA GW joins Socialist Action Initiative as the only other socialism-focused organization on campus but will join a slate of other left-leaning organizations on campus, including College Democrats, Students for Justice in Palestine and Immigrant Liberation Coalition. YDSA is an unofficial organization, as it is unable to become an official student organization after the University paused the official process for forming new student organizations over the summer for the 2025-26 school year.

YDSA GW, the chapter of the student wing underneath the national Democratic Socialists of America, had a chapter at GW from 2015 to 2021, according to now-inactive social media pages. During that time, the chapter focused on calls for the University to divest from companies tied to fossil fuels — which officials announced plans to do so by 2025 in June 2020 — promoted a previously unsuccessful graduate student union, which students failed to form in 2017, and D.C. affordable housing rights, according to the previous chapter’s social media posts.

Parker Brandenburg, a junior and one of the group’s leaders, said the group wants to become involved with the electoral wing of the Democratic Socialists of America and help support political candidates endorsed by the party, including Aparna Raj — a DSA member who is running for Ward 1 councilmember in 2026 and well-known candidates like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

Boyang Cai, a sophomore and member of YDSA’s executive board, said the group is promoting itself on campus with a strong social media presence — posting their own content as well as sharing other progressive content online — and a postering campaign across Foggy Bottom.

He said the group will also introduce an initiative called “Elliott Watch,” which aims to inform students and community members about and protest controversial speakers and professors at the Elliott School of International Affairs who have “radically right-wing” views. Cai said he did not have any other information about the initiative, which they are still in planning.

“We want to make sure that Elliott is held responsible and people are well informed on who’s coming to Elliott, who’s talking to Elliott and are these people that we want to host at GW, as a community,” Cai said.

Ishan Parasher, a third-year student majoring in international affairs and one of GW YDSA’s leaders, said he and three other students opted to found the chapter because they all live in the New York City area and spent their summer working with Mamdani’s campaign and felt encouraged to join the organization.

“Just organizing students, GW, from across the left of the political spectrum to get involved in electoral work, labor organizing work because we felt that like in these trying times, that’s really important,” Parasher said.

On GW’s campus and within D.C., Parasher said GW YDSA will look to participate in a range of left-leaning political issues, including supporting progressive candidates in local elections, protesting for Palestinian self-determination and calling on the University to reject President Donald Trump’s policies targeting immigrants, especially in the wake of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at Circa in September.

Jasper Caro, another member of the YDSA executive board, said he helped bring the chapter to GW because he wanted to get involved in left-leaning electoral politics, but he felt there was no opportunity for students on campus to support progressive political candidates like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Mamdani because other socialist organizations on campus don’t focus on political campaigns.