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".
New Orleans Recently, I was somewhat horrified to read about actions taken unanimously by the Indonesian Parliament. The Organizers’ Forum had taken a delegation there in 2005, and met with amazing groups organizing among the urban poor and lower-income workers. We were especially impressed that so many of the organizations were directed by …
New Orleans How does a neighborhood-based community organization continue to fight and win, when they can’t meet? That was the question before thousands of community-based groups around the world during the global pandemic. ACORN’s affiliate in New Orleans, A Community Voice, had to meet that challenge head-on and adapted the best they could. …
Pearl River I’ve always said about organizing that the “beginnings prejudice the ends.” Meaning simply, how you start things – like an organization – will have an immense impact on what that organization is ever able to do. If you begin as a tenants’ group, it’s unlikely that you will somehow morph into a …