SP Baltimore Celebrate their First "Debs Dinner"

On Saturday, the Socialist Party of Baltimore held its first annual Debs Day Dinner. Echoing a 1950s party tradition of gathering to commemorate the Socialist icon, local members met at a food hall to eat, talk, and celebrate comradery.

Party members talked about ongoing organizing projects and new ideas for summer events. After a brief overview of Debs' life and politics, the group discussed how today's modern political climate reflects Debs' time, with a federal government intent on targeting and criminalizing free speech, resistance to war, and opposition organizing.

The Baltimore chapter has scheduled the next Debs Day Dinner for Saturday, June 13, 2026 and hopes that all SP local chapters will plan a similar event. The chapter also celebrates a local Socialist Party icon - Baltimorean Elisabeth Gilman - with a Gilman Day Dinner in December.