A Brief History of the Dinner

The Dinner began as the Debs Day Dinner in 1958 under the auspices of the old Socialist Party of America (then known as the SP-SDF). For the first 13 years, the event was not an awards dinner, but generally featured one or more speakers. Norman Thomas, Bayard Rustin, James Farmer, Charles Chiakulas were among those who addressed the Dinners.

The Debs Day Dinner was a part of an older tradition of celebrating Eugene V. Debs' birthday (rather like the Democratic Party once widely celebrated the birthday of Andrew Jackson). Even as the Socialist Party of America lost its hegemony on the left, Debs Day dinners typically drew a broad cross-section of the left. As a birthday celebration of Debs, the Dinner was held in November rather than May as is done today.

In 1969, the Dinner became the Thomas - Debs Dinner in honor of Norman Thomas. It became an awards dinner in 1971. In 1973, the newly formed Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) took over the Dinner's sponsorship. In 1983, DSOC and the New American Movement merged to form the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). DSA has sponsored the Dinner since then.

As you can probably guess, our records for 1958 through 1972 are very fragmentary. It has long been our hope that we could reconstruct at least the main outlines of the Dinners in this period. Can you help us? Copies of old programs, flyers, photographs, etc., would be greatly appreciated. Contact the Chicago DSA office at 773.384.0327 or email chiildsa@chicagodsa.org.

A 75th Birthday Tribute to Norman Thomas

Norman Thomas and A. Philip Randolph

"A New Foreign Policy for Labor"

Emil Mazey

Saturday, November 12

Midland Hotel

"America's Unfinished Revolution"

Bayard Rustin and James Farmer

 "Labor as a Social Movement; Labor as Organizer of the Opperessed"

Norman Thomas and Charles Chiakulas

Friday, November 11

Midland Hotel

"The Crisis of Cities"

Michael Harrington and Leon Keyserling

Saturday, May 17

Midland Hotel

"Labor, Liberals and the Democratic Left"

Michael Harrington and David Selden

(David Selden did not attend this dinner as he was in jail because he "aided and abetted a teachers strike" in Newark, New Jersey.)

Sunday, April 12

Midland Hotel

"What Is Ahead for the Seventies?"

Stephen Lewis

Saturday, May 5

Midland Hotel

"After Impeachment... What Lies Ahead?"

Victor Reuther

Saturday, May 4

Midland Hotel

"Prospects for Survival: Is There Hope in Congress?"

Joseph L. Rauh, Jr.

Sunday, May 4

Midland Hotel

"Challenging the New Tories: a Politics of Hope or a Politics of Fear"

Michael Harrington

Sunday, May 16

Midland Hotel

"Challenging the New Conservatives: the Crisis of Liberalism"

Robert Lekachman

Sunday, May 1

Midland Hotel

Sunday, May 7

Midland Hotel

"The Politics of the 1980s"

Irving Howe

Sunday, May 6

Midland Hotel

Michael Harrington

(with special guests Crystal Lee Sutton and Eleanor Smeal)

Saturday, May 10

Pick Congress Hotel

"Needed: a Bold Imaginative Program for Survival and Progress"

Ed Broadbent and Mildred Jeffrey

Sunday, May 3

Midland Hotel

Saturday, May 1

McCormick Inn

Harold Washington 

Ron Dellums

Saturday, May 7

McCormick Inn

Saturday, May 12

McCormick Inn

Edward Asner

Vicky Starr

Saturday, May 4

McCormick Inn

Michael Harrington

Jacqueline Vaughn

"On the Haymarket Affair Centennial"

Michael Harrington

Saturday, May 10

Ascot Hotel

Jacquelyne Grimshaw

Heather Booth

Saturday, May 9

Americana Congress Hotel

Joe Jacobs

Saul Mendelson

"Education Reform: Is It Possible?"

Deborah Meier

Saturday, May 7

Congress Hotel

Milt and Sue Cohen

William Winpisinger

Saturday, May 6

Midland Hotel

"Victory Over Pittston: Lessons for the Progressive and Labor Movements in the 1990s"

Cecil Roberts

Friday, May 4

Midland Hotel

Steve Culen

Kathy Devine

"Victory in Ontario: Building a Social Democratic Government"

Dennis Drainville

Saturday, May 11

Congress Hotel

Sue Purrington

Dr. Quentin Young

"Beyond Protectionism: Building Labor Solidarity in the Americas"

Jose LaLuz

Friday, May 1

Congress Hotel

Mollie West

Julian Bond

"Universal Health Care: A Long Time Overdue"

Dr. Linda Rae Murray

Friday, May 7

McCormick Inn

Louis "Lou" Pardo

Carole Travis

Saturday, May 14

Congress Hotel

Rosetta Daylie

Harold Meyerson

Saturday, May 13

Bismarck Hotel

Maxie Hill

Deborah Meier

"The Power of Public Education"

Deborah Meier

Friday, May 3

Congress Hotel

James Weinstein

George Becker

"Winning Economic Justice"

George Becker

Friday, April 11

Holiday Inn City Centre

William Adelman

Marilyn Sneiderman

"A Better World to Win: Labor's Fight for Social Justice, Past and Future"

William Adelman and Marilyn Sneiderman

Friday, May 8

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza

Jackie Kendall

James K. Tribble

"Setting the Terms for Globalization from Below"

Charles Kernaghan

Friday, May 7

Holiday Inn City Centre

"Fighting Back: Building the New Movement Against Corporate Greed and Globalization"

Harold Meyerson

Friday, May 5

Congress Hotel

Kim Bobo

Henry Bayer

"Building Coalitions for Social Justice"

Miguel del Valle

Friday, May 4

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza

Barbara Hillman

Thomas Balanoff

"Defending Labor Rights, Human Rights and Civil Liberties"

Douglass Cassel

Friday, May 10

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza

Bernice Bild

Sydney Bild

Mitch Vogel

"The War Really Worth Fighting:

Organizing the Low Wage Economy"

Henry Tamarin

Friday, May 2

Congress Hotel

Lynn Talbott

Eliseo Medina

"Defeating the Most Dangerous President Ever:

Building the Dump Bush Movement"

Jan Schakowsky

Friday, May 7

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza

Linda Rae Murray

Hal Gullett

"A Perfect Storm Rising:

The Crisis in Health Care

Defending Social Security"

William McNary

Friday, May 6

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza

Henry Tamarin

Rev. Dr. Calvin Morris

U.S. Labor Against the War

"Going Beyond Taking Back Our Country"

John Nichols

Friday, April 28

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza

Leo Gerard

Josh Hoyt

"Where Do We Go From Here?"

Leo Gerard; Josh Hoyt; Saul Escobar Toledo

Friday, May 4

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza

Yes, We Can:
Universal Health Care Now!

Rose Ann DeMoro

Friday, April 25

Crowne Plaza