Trotskyist and socialist feminist American political party
TheFreedom Socialist Party (FSP ) is aTrotskyist andsocialist feminist political party in the United States . FSP formed in 1966, when its members split from theSocialist Workers Party . FSP views the struggles of women,people of color andsexual minorities as intrinsic to the struggle of theworking class . Notable FSP members includeMegan Cornish ,Heidi Durham ,Richard S. Fraser , andClara Fraser .
FSP has branches in theUnited States , as well asAustralia ,England ,Germany andNew Zealand .[ 2] Radical Women , a socialist feminist organization.
Former FSP logo FSP was headquartered in Freeway Hall inNorthlake ,Seattle FSP is headquartered in New Freeway Hall inColumbia City , Seattle The immediate forerunner of FSP was the Kirk-Kaye tendency within the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), led byRichard S. Fraser (Kirk) andClara Fraser (Kaye) who were then married.[ 3]
The Kirk-Kaye tendency primarily disagreed with SWP leadership on three points: The Kirk-Kaye tendency supportedrevolutionary integrationism , in contrast to the SWP's support forBlack nationalism and theNation of Islam .The Kirk-Kaye tendency argued thatsocialist feminism must be a top priority for socialist organizations. And the Kirk-Kaye tendency claimed that the SWP was undemocratic.[ 4] : 936
FSP formed in 1966, when its members split from theSocialist Workers Party . The party'sSeattle branch, with support from individuals in other cities, split off from the SWP over what it described as the SWP's entrenchedopportunism and undemocratic methods.[ 4] : 937–938
FSP advocated forclass solidarity ofBlack andwhite workers, called for a greatly expanded understanding of and attention towomen's emancipation , and urged theanti-war movement to support the socialist,anti-colonial aims of theVietnamese Revolution .
FSP became a pole of attraction for Seattle leftists opposed to the SWP's internal politics and established a home at Freeway Hall.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] Radical Women with the dual goal of building a revolutionarysocialist feminist organization and teaching women the organizational and leadership skills that were often denied to them in male-dominated organizations.[ 8]
In 1978, FSP joined theCommittee for a Revolutionary Socialist Party (CRSP), an attempted united front of Trotskyist parties. In 1980, CRSP collapsed.[ 9] [ 4] : 936–938
In 1989, FSP founded the United Front Against Fascism (UFAF), an anti-fascist organization that included a broad coalition of theLeft , theLGBT community,labor unionists ,feminists ,people of color ,Jews , andcivil libertarians . UFAF took the lead in mobilizing againstneo-Nazis in thePacific Northwest in the 1980s and 1990s.[ 10] [ 11] [ 12] [ 13] [ 14] [ 15]
In 1991, the Seattle FSP ran two members forSeattle City Council ,Heidi Durham and Yolanda Alaniz, who campaigned on guaranteed income for families living in poverty, community control of the police, anddomestic partnership rights forsame-sex couples .[ 9]
In 2003,Lyndon LaRouche filed a complaint with theFederal Election Commission that FSP'sRed Letter Press and its managing editor, Helen Gilbert, had violated campaign finance laws. Gilbert had issued a pamphlet critical of LaRouche's ideology and political history.[ 16] [ 17]
FSP is aTrotskyist revolutionary socialist organization.[ 1] [ 18] Clara Fraser and Gloria Martin hoped to build aLeninist party that is "socialist-feminist" in ideology and practice.[ 19] [ 20]
FSP supports military aid toUkraine .[ 21]
FSP has fieldedelectoral candidates in the United States forlocal ,state , andfederal offices. FSP candidates usually run as official FSP candidates.
No FSP candidate has yet won an election.
Presidential elections [ edit ] Year Presidential candidate Vice presidential candidate Popular votes % Electoral votes Result Ballot access Notes Ref 2012 Stephen Durham Christina López 117 0 Lost write-in campaign[ 22] [ 23] [ 24] [ 25] [ 26]
In2016 , FSP critically endorsedJeff Mackler ofSocialist Action for president.[ 27]
In2020 , FSP again critically endorsed Jeff Mackler of Socialist Action for president.[ 28]
In2024 , FSP declined to make a presidential endorsement and instead suggested votersspoil their ballots by writing-in "free Palestine."[ 29]
Congressional elections [ edit ] State legislature elections [ edit ] ^a b "Red groups in the United States" (PDF) .web.cortland.edu . Cortland.^ "Where We Are" .Freedom Socialist Party . Retrieved4 November 2019 .^ Sheppard, Barry (2005).The Party: The Socialist Workers Party, 1960-1988, Volume 1 . Resistance Books. p. 104. ^a b c Alexander, Robert J. (1991).International Trotskyism, 1929–1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement Duke University Press . pp. 761– 951.ISBN 978-0-8223-0975-8 ^ Crowley, Walt (2010).Rites of Passage: A Memoir of the Sixties in Seattle . University of Washington Press. pp. 21– 22. ^ Winslow, Barbara (2007). "Primary and Secondary Contradictions in Seattle: 1967-1969". InRachel Blau DuPlessis ;Ann Barr Snitow (eds.).The Feminist Memoir Project: Voices from Women's Liberation . pp. 227,230– 231,235– 236. ^ McKay, Ian (2005).Rebels, Reds, Radicals: Rethinking Canada's Left History . Between the Lines. p. 242. ^ James, Edward T., Janet Wilson James, Paul S. Boyer.Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 5 . Harvard University Press. p. 414. {{cite book }}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )^a b c d "Clara Fraser papers - Archives West" .archiveswest.orbiscascade.org . Retrieved2022-07-05 .^ Kubelbeck, Amy (Aug 4, 1990)."Groups Of Gays Protest Picnic" .The Seattle Times . Retrieved2013-03-17 . ^ Lacitis, Erik (1991-07-16)."An Ax To Grind -- When It Comes To Skinheads And Nazis, Loggers, Gays Unite" .The Seattle Times . Retrieved2013-03-17 . ^ Angelos, Constantine (1990-05-19)."Rice, Citizens Groups Join To Declare Seattle Won't Tolerate Hate Crimes" .The Seattle Times . Retrieved2013-03-17 . ^ Gough, William (Dec 8, 1991)."A Gathering Of Neo-Nazis -- Encampment Draws Protest" .The Seattle Times . Retrieved2013-03-17 . ^ Reang, Putsata (Oct 2, 1996)."Supremacist Guilty In Klan Scuffle -- Federal Way Man Broke Free- Lancer's Camera" .The Seattle Times . Retrieved2013-03-17 . ^ Wilcox, Laird (2002). "Who Watches the Watchmen?". In Jeffrey S. Kaplan, Heléne Lööw (ed.).The Cultic Milieu . Rowman Altamira. pp. 334– 335. ^ Helen Gilbert,"Lyndon Larouche: Fascism Restyled for the New Millennium" , Redletterpress.org ^ "COMPLIANCE CASE MADE PUBLIC" .Federal Election Commission the original on August 31, 2009. RetrievedAugust 24, 2009 .^ Baxandall, Rosalyn (2001)."Re-Visioning the Women's Liberation Movement's Narrative: Early Second Wave African American Feminists" Feminist Studies 27 (1):225– 245.doi :10.2307/3178460 .hdl :2027/spo.0499697.0027.116 ISSN 0046-3663 .JSTOR 3178460 .^ Love, Barbara J. (2006).Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975 158 .ISBN 9780252031892 ^ Ware, Susan; Stacy Braukman (2005). "Martin, Gloria".Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 5: Completing the Twentieth Century . Harvard University Press. pp. 414– 415. ^ "Stand up for Ukraine!" .Freedom Socialist Party . Retrieved10 October 2025 .^ "Federal Elections 2012" (PDF) .Federal Election Commission . July 2013.Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019.^ Durham/Lopez campaign website , Votesocialism.com^ Ballot Access News, January 29, 2012,"Freedom Socialist Party Nominates its First National Ticket" . ^ The Green Papers"Votes for Stephen Gaylord Durham" . ^ Ballot Access News"New York State Posts Final 2012 Election Returns Tally; Presidential Vote Increases by 400,332 Votes" . ^ "This Year of the Detestable Election, exercise your democratic rights with a protest vote!" .Socialism.com . October 2016. Retrieved30 July 2018 .^ "FSP endorses Socialist Action candidate Jeff Mackler for president" .Socialism.com . October 2020. Retrieved3 October 2020 .^ "2024 Alternative Candidates in Review" .Socialism.com . September 24, 2024.^ "Union stalwart and socialist feminist Steve Hoffman runs for U.S. Senate" .Freedom Socialist Party . Retrieved13 January 2019 .^ "United States Senate primary election in Washington, 2018" . Office of the Washington Secretary of State. RetrievedJune 6, 2019 .^ "OR State House 45 Race - Nov 02, 2004" . Our Campaigns. Retrieved2016-01-29 .^ Martínez Zapata, Eduardo (October 2004)."FSP candidate Jordana Sardo challenges the corporate-welfare tax system in Oregon" . Freedom Socialist Party.Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. ^ "2004 General" . Oregon Secretary of State.^a b c d Averill, Linda (October 1998)."Enthusiastic support puts radicals on the ballot in four states" . Freedom Socialist Party.Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. ^ "General Election - Statement of Vote, November 3, 1998" .California Secretary of State . December 12, 1998.Archived (PDF) from the original on February 11, 2017.^ "1998 General Election Official Results ED/19/58867" .Oregon Secretary of State .Archived from the original on October 21, 2019.^ "Elections Search Results November 1998 General" .Washington Secretary of State .Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.^ "1998 Election Results" . December 15, 1998.Archived (PDF) from the original on February 18, 2020.^ Murphy, R.V. (October 2005)."FSP candidate Averill offers "ideas that make sense" .Freedom Socialist . ^ Brunner, Jim (July 14, 2005)."Mayoral hopeful seeks to conceal donors" .The Seattle Times ^ "Past elections" . King County, California.^ Bauer, Andrea (December 2015)."Farewell to Heidi Durham: Revolutionary feminist and fighter for the oppressed" . Freedom Socialist Party.Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. ^ "General and Special Elections - CityArchives" . seattle.gov. 1963-10-25. Retrieved2022-08-21 .Freedom Socialist Party Seattle Branch Records , 1984–1992. 3.14 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Freedom Socialist Party National Office (Seattle) Records , 1976–1998. 3.09 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Radical Women Seattle Office Records , 1991–1997. 0.37 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Radical Women National Office (Seattle) Records , 1976–1998. 1.28 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .United Front Against Fascism records , 1945-2021. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Melba Windoffer Papers , 1910–1993. 7.42 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Megan Cornish Papers , 1970–2003. 10.26 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Clara Fraser Papers , 1905–1998, 36.70 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Heidi Durham Papers and Oral History Interviews , 1937–2017, 1.57 cubic feet. At theLabor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections .Articles and interviews [ edit ] Megan Cornish , Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, 2005.Megan Cornish Interview with Nicole Grant and Alex Morrow, October 20, 2005,YouTube , uploaded by Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, September 9, 2016,Megan Cornish - YouTube Megan Cornish, Conor Casey, and Ellie Belew Interview with Mike Dumovich , "We Do the Work,"KSVR , February 22, 2019.Nicole Grant,Challenging Sexism at City Light: The Electrical Trades Trainee Program , Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, 2006. Ellie Belew Interview with Mimi Rosenberg,YouTube , uploaded by Radical Women - U.S., uploaded March 28. 2019,HIGH VOLTAGE WOMEN: Interview & slideshow Ellie Belew,High Voltage Women: Breaking Barriers at Seattle City Light , Red Letter Press, 2019.
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