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".
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 …
Paris I met with three of the primary leaders of the Alliance Citoyenne, ACORN’s affiliate in France, in their church basement office in Aubervilliers, the low-and-moderate income suburb of Paris. These women were not only leaders of their local chapter, but on the national board and in one case a co-chair of the national organization. Did we talk …