Minnesota Young DFL

Minnesota Young DFL
President Quentin Wathum-Ocama
Founded 1947
Headquarters Saint Paul, Minnesota
National affiliation Young Democrats of America and College Democrats of America
Website
www.mydfl.org

The Minnesota Young DFL (MYDFL) is the official youth caucus of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). The group's membership is open to any Minnesotan Democrat under the age of 36 or who is a college student.[1] The Minnesota Young DFL is nationally affiliated with both the Young Democrats of America and the College Democrats of America through its college outreach arm, the College Democrats of Minnesota. Its current president is Quentin Wathum-Ocama.

History

The Minnesota Young DFL was formed shortly after the merger of the Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party and the Minnesota Democratic Party. While still in its infancy, it provided an early endorsement for then-Minneapolis Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey's U.S. Senate run. As Walter F. Mondale recalls (then a student at Macalester College):

In early 1948, hoping to earn the party's nomination for the Senate in November, Humphrey made one last push to consolidate the organization behind him. One of his first moves came at the convention of the Young DFL in Minneapolis.... The room was divided right down the middle, the United Front supporters on one side and our group on the other, and you could have cut the tension with a knife. I was afraid we were going to be outnumbered if it came to an endorsement vote, so I brought a big crowd over from the St. Paul college campuses -- Macalester College, Hamline, and St. Thomas. We packed that place, and I think we caught the other side by surprise. The hard-left people got up and gave their speeches about how we were fascists, then Humphrey got up and brought the crowd to its feet. At one point, someone in the audience asked if he thought the United Front supporters were actually members of the Community Party. he said, "Well, if they're not members, they are cheating it out of dues money."[2]

Afterward, Mayor Humphrey received the endorsement and a month later at the state convention did the same. "He had the numbers and he won the crowd, and after that the party belonged to him."[3]

Minnesota Young DFL leadership

The membership of the Minnesota Young DFL elects its officers at an annual convention. The most recent convention was held on May 2, 2015 in Minneapolis.

Its executive committee consists of a President, Vice President, Membership, Outreach and Inclusion Officer, Secretary, Treasurer, Political Director, Finance Director, Communications Director, Events Director, Administrative Director, and two (2) National Committee Representatives not of the same gender identity. The Chair of the College Democrats of Minnesota also serves as an ex-officio voting member of the MYDFL Executive Committee.

In addition to electing officers of the Minnesota Young DFL, all the members who within a period of six months will be enrolled full-time or part-time in a technical, academic, or professional degree program elects College Democrats of Minnesota Officers consisting of a Chair, 1st Vice Chair, 2nd Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and a Membership & Outreach Director

In addition to their duties within the Minnesota Young DFL, the President also serves on the DFL State Executive committee while the Vice President serves on the DFL State Central Committee.

Executive Board of MYDFL:[4]

College Democrats of Minnesota Officers:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Constitution of the Minnesota Young DFL" (PDF). Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  2. ↑ Mondale, Walter (2010). The Good Fight: A Life in Liberal Politics. New York: Scribner. p. 12.
  3. ↑ Mondale, Walter (2010). The Good Fight: A Life in Liberal Politics. New York: Scribner. p. 13.
  4. ↑ "Officers". Minnesota Young DFL. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
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