New Orleans       Randy Shaw, director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic in San Francisco, and a longtime colleague and observer of community and political organizing, shared with me his recent column in Beyond Chron.  I’m forwarding it on, not just because it mentions ACORN, but more pointedly because Randy issues a call to action that needs to be widely heard.

“No Kings”

I had a great time at Saturday’s No Kings protest. It was inspiring seeing photos of similar actions across the nation. Anti-Trump forces are great at mobilizing rallies. Now the focus should be on expanding grassroots organizing. It’s the best strategy to win over Trump voters and others who have yet to join the opposition.

Organizing shapes public attitudes. So does the lack of organizing. The November 2024 election further confirmed this.

People who canvassed voters in swing states often felt their targets should have been called or door-knocked several months earlier. That isn’t done by volunteers flying into a state for a weekend. Or by nightly phone calls to voter lists. Rather, it’s what fulltime organizers do.

This is particularly true with young voters. The Democratic Party still shortchanges organizing programs targeted to youth. Young people who feel disconnected from politics do not suddenly become engaged by a stranger knocking on their door two weeks before an election. A deeper relationship—like those fostered by community organizers—is needed.

Increased organizing is the best strategy for changing the nation’s political dynamics. But how does that happen? The  grassroots organizing infrastructure that built support for progressive goals from the 1970’s through 2008 is largely gone.

It must be rebuilt if national progressive policies are to return.

The Rise of Community Organizing

In the heyday of community organizing we had the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the primarily Christian-funded Industrial Areas Foundation (founded by Saul Alinsky), the Center for Community Change, National People’s Action and the nationwide community group ACORN.  Connected to these groups, and there were far more networks than listed above, were a huge number of community-based nonprofits that received funding to do grassroots organizing.

Secular foundations supported organizing. Many were staffed by the activists emerging from 1960’s and 70’s movements.

We are in a different organizing landscape today.

Progressive constituencies took a huge hit in 2009 when the foundation world defunded the national organizing group, ACORN. ACORN was the nation’s preeminent progressive grassroots organizing group. It did more to recruit and develop young organizers than any other entity.

A book should be written on the negative impact on low-income people, immigrants and other vulnerable communities caused by ACORN’s demise. And the tragedy is that foundations walked away from the group based on a misleading story going viral manufactured by a right-wing activist.

ACORN built community leadership. It offered political education to those bypassed by election campaigns. Building community leadership requires one on one meetings and the development of organizing skills. It’s a process many organizations deem too time consuming. But it makes a difference on the ground.

And in winning the hearts and minds of voters on election day.

Based on funding patterns some foundations have lost faith in the power of organizing. The only current national organizations that rigorously trains large numbers of young organizers is the PIRG’s and their related Environment America. The PIRG’s New Voter Project has boosted campus turnouts but lacks the resources to reach young voters who are not in school.

Obama Defunds Organizing

ACORN’s demise coincided with President Obama’s decision to sharply reduce the scope of the powerful Obama for America that got him elected. Obama had over two million campaign volunteers. Those were the troops that could have won passage of comprehensive immigration reform, labor law reform, health care with a public option, and other progressive policies.

Obama’s post-election Organizing for America group was a shadow of the campaign organization. After enlisting a new generation of organizers, Obama pretty much let them disappear.

Obama’s team was allegedly uncomfortable with Obama-funded organizers pressuring Democrats. So to avoid potentially causing discomfort to Democrats not on board with the president, Obama sacrificed his agenda.

That’s what happens when Democratic power-brokers don’t fund organizing. Progressive policies lose.

You don’t expand a movement by repeatedly mobilizing those already involved. Organizing reaches people who do not attend these events. Organizing builds a broader political base.

Organizing Wins Elections

The UFW door to door outreach model won Barack Obama the Democratic presidential nomination and then the White House.

Yet the forces that spent over $1 billion to elect Kamala Harris are not investing meaningful dollars in organizing. That has to change. Organizing reaches the low-information voters who disproportionately backed Trump.

So while we get inspired by how many took to the streets last weekend, let’s think about how to reach those who did not attend. Let’s think how best to get them on our side.

I think that primarily happens through community organizing.

Needless to say, I couldn’t agree more!

(Randy Shaw’s column was slightly abbreviated for length).