Radical
Rose
Collective
Meet the
Collective
As climate change, genocide, and tyranny run rampant, the capitalist controlled corporate media has shown its true colors. The news sources we’ve grown reliant on consistently uphold oppressive institutions. At their best, they turn away from the victims of capitalism and colonialism. At their worst, they actively dehumanize them. Watching this journalism without humanity or integrity, we’ve decided to introduce new voices into the conversation.
The aim of Radical Rose Collective is to magnify the voices of and speak up for oppressed peoples everywhere, expose and denounce oppressive institutions, and provide a space for our community to spread ideas about how we – as a collective force – can create a democratic world in which everyone lives in health, dignity, and justice.
But theory also becomes a material force as soon as it has gripped the masses. Theory is capable of gripping the masses as soon as it demonstrates ad hominem, and it demonstrates ad hominem as soon as it becomes radical. To be radical is to grasp the root of the matter.
Karl Marx, 1843
Radical Rose Collective is a project of Furman University’s Young Democratic Socialists of America. We are a student group that recognizes capitalist systems of production and exploitation as the chief cause of oppression, environmental destruction, and dehumanization. We believe the solution to these systems is a radical shift to true democracy, attained through collective action. As students at Furman University, we are especially committed to determining the role our campus can play in the struggle for liberation against all forms of oppression.
What’s in a Name?
The term “radical” is often used to demonize and dismiss policy, action, and groups that oppose long-standing oppressive institutions. We hold the title proudly, as we recognize that the only way to combat the sprawling issues of climate change, colonialism, fascism, and class exploitation is drastic change brought on by the masses. In short, unrepentant love and ceaseless action. We are not radical for the sake of being different, we are radical because it is what is necessary for this moment in history.
The rose (and the corresponding fist in our logo) are long standing symbols of leftist politics. We understand the rose and fist to represent, first, the better world we are fighting for, and second, the commitment the struggle will require to realize it. The rose itself has strong ties to the American women’s suffrage movement – suffragette Helen Todd, in a 1911 speech, popularized the phrase “bread for all, and roses too,” demanding not only the physical requirements of subsistence, but dignity and respect as well.
Contact Us!
Want to contribute? Submit your writing and/or any questions to [email protected]
