Ralph Helstein

Ralph Helstein was the father of Nina Helstein.

Institute for Democratic Socialism Founding

Institute for Democratic Socialism was a non-profit organization founded by Michael Harrington to advance socialism.

The Institute for Democratic Socialism was announced in the October 1977 issue of Democratic Left:

Socialist Institute formed The Institute for Democratic Socialism, a nonprofit educational corporation has announced that it has been granted tax-exempt status under section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Institute was formed earlier this year by socialist leader Michael Harrington to encourage public understanding of the achievements and potential of democratic socialism and to further democratic socialist analysis of American society.

According to Harrington the Institute's first activities will center around a series of youth conferences. He also announced that the Institute's first publication--on problems of achieving full employment-will be issued in October. The Institute plans to begin fund raising mailings this fall.

Harrington is the president of the Institute and John Clark is its secretary/ treasurer. Also on the Board of Directors are: Julius Bernstein, Harry Fleischman, Ralph Helstein, Ruth Jordan, Deborah Meier, Victor Reuther, and Carl Shier. Frank Llewellyn is the Executive Director of the Institute.

Supporting Civil Rights

In the 1960's radical activist Hunter Gray, attempted to enlist Ralph Helstein, Charles Hayes and especially Jesse Prosten to help finance "civil rights" activists in the South.

In April, 1966, with the Civil Rights Movement having now substantially opened up much of the South, I met at Chicago with Ralph Helstein, President of United Packinghouse Workers and Vice-President Charles Hayes and Director of Organization Jesse Prosten.

Packinghouse, of course, although AFL-CIO, was certainly anything except a business union. Its leaders were essentially radicals. I carried a complex but clear and direct proposal from the Deep South that Jesse -- a friend -- strongly supported: that Packinghouse would fund a number of proven civil rights organizers in Mississippi and the Carolinas who would focus on broad community grassroots organization. And those new, broad organizations would both stimulate new, interracial unionism in those Southern settings and would provide significantly tangible community support for union organizing and eventual strike actions. In the end, although Jesse -- Director of Organization -- continued to support the proposal with the greatest vigour, Packinghouse backed away. Again --money, more than anything else.

Salute to Harold Washington

On April 6, 1983, the Hyde Park Herald published an endorsement from the Hyde Park/Kenwood Citizens Committee of Democratic Party Chicago mayoral candidate Harold Washington. Signatories to the endorsement included Ralph Helstein and Rachel Helstein.