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".
London Four-forty in the morning saw me jumping into a cab to head for the Lyon airport. Three emails from British Airways warning of a potential strike by security there advised – in the strongest terms – everyone to be there two hours early. I was sixth or seventh in line, but of course …
Grenoble When I sat down in the evening to visit with some of the Grenoble leaders of ACORN’s Alliance Citoyenne affiliate, one kidded me about being “on tour.” Now at the end of this UK-France trip, maybe they had a point. Counting quickly, I had met with organizers and leaders in eight cities that …
St. Sauveur We found ourselves in the rolling hills of the French countryside almost an hour’s drive from Lyon before we headed again for the Alliance’s headquarters in Grenoble. Hardy, multi-course country meals on the farm table were enjoyed as rain and fog drifted outside and yellowed leaves fell on the road to break …
Lyon Traveling from Paris, we arrived in time to meet the head organizer of ACORN’s affiliate, Alliance Citoyenne, in Lyon for a quick coffee, and then were off to a community center in one of the housing complexes where we had a chapter organization. We passed by the building where, earlier in the week, we …