WADE RATHKE is the founder of ACORN, Chief Organizer at ACORN International, and Author of "Nuts & Bolts", "Citizen Wealth", "Global Grassroots", and "The Battle for the 9th Ward".
Houston Years ago, my one-liner response to questions about how I had chosen a career as an organizer of unions and community groups was simple: I was looking for a job where I didn’t have to do heavy lifting. I had to drop that joke, when ACORN offices in the late 70s and 80s …
New Orleans During this year’s US Independence Day, I was in London speaking to ACORN members there and answering questions, following a screening of the The Organizer, about ACORN history among other things. I was asked whether ACORN, at the national or international level, used patriotism as an organizing tool or principle. The …
Amsterdam There are a lot of rules in my house. They come and go, but one has been permanent for over forty years: don’t ever miss a flight home! It’s a rule worth taking seriously, and I believe in it heartily. One old colleague, based in Dallas, once memorably turned to her staff on …