The Southern California Young Communist League (SoCal YCL) Mission Statement
The Southern California Young Communist League
A Call for Change, a Call to Join!
Our Ideology:
Our ideology is Marxist-Leninist. We believe and work for socialism, but only as a means to achieving a true, equal and workers-run classless society. This fundamental understanding guides and shapes our entire work. It’s a long shot but if we are granted the luxury of talking ideology, that’s what it is.
We believe in equality. We believe in peace. We believe in democracy. We do not believe in capitalism, nor do we think that there are any reforms or other movements in existence or that can exist to repair it or reform it enough to have it so that peace can exist. That being said, we do fight for immediate reforms and work in coalitions for democratic struggles. The fundamental, ingrained contradictions that riddle capitalism will not allow it to continue. As long as there is man by man exploitation, wage-slavery, this country (and world) will never know peace. This is not a debatable point in our ideology; there is no compromise.
First and foremost, we follow the scientific modern socialist approaches of Marx, Engels and Lenin. We study all different columns of historic communist and socialist thought including but certainly not limited to Mao, Lenin, Castro, Hugo Chavez and South America’s Bolivarian Revolution and 21st Century Socialism. We do not believe in deviating from Marxism-Leninism; we understand that each country, each people, each being a slightly unique and different stage in world-economic development will have to deal with socialism and communism in their own way. Furthermore, we do not believe in changing or completely eliminating any Marxist-Leninist principles from the overall science; but we understand each country is at a different economical development stage in history.
We do not believe in violence simply as a means to an end. However, we support all forms of revolution, which historically have included violent forms but only were they successful or lasting and positive when the circumstances had called for it, when the assessment was correct (under fascism, extremely repressive and life-threatening conditions are set in place and creates justifiable responses) and ultimately if the end result is the achievement of a democratic, just society.
Furthermore, this is a characteristic of historical social transition. To dismiss this would contradict history and all of its revolutions, from the French and Russian Revolution to the Ameican and Vietnamese Revolution.
That being said, peaceful forms are the most ideal conditions for any revolution.
We are in complete agreement with the National Young Communist League Mission Statement (found here: www.yclusa.org), in which many groups are mentioned as being represented by the YCL such as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (GLBTQ) community, women and the immigrant community, which is comprised of illegal and legal Latinos but of course not limited to Latinos.
In addition to this, we are students; we face military recruitment on school campuses and soaring school costs such as tuition and books. The Southern California Young Communist League (SoCal YCL) will take an active part in fighting against military recruitment on school campuses (in middle schools, high schools, community colleges and universities) while simultaneously working toward lowering tuition and other school costs to make it more affordable for the youth to receive a higher education.
We have worked, are working, or will work with all of these groups and issues, for these are all part of the human rights struggle, democratic struggle and working class struggle
Our Goal:
Youth and issues that pertain to youth will be at the forefront and our involvement and approach will be guided by this focus – while linking youth issues with working class issues, though they often are interwoven.
As communists, and what sets us apart from other youth organizations, is our task to blur the lines of separation and merge all practical struggles for social change as the same struggle against capitalism, the architect and architecture of exploitation and repression, and the struggle for democracy, peace, socialism and communism.
The SoCal YCL will work with any group, coalition, party or individual that is willing (not limited to groups that are decidedly socialist or communist); this goes for all groups (on the Left or not) that understand the importance of having a strategy that involves working together to make a force as broad and strong as possible, for it is only in broad participation and with popular support by working-class people of this country that a fundamental revolution is possible.
