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".
Philadelphia We were looking forward to seeing the progress ACORN’s affiliate, Progressive Maryland, was making by employing our organizing model since early in 2026. Craig Robbins, ACORN’s Field Coordinator, had worked with PM leadership to help hire and train five organizers and put them into organizing drives. The field staff had hardened at …
New Orleans Bill Becker was president of the Arkansas AFL-CIO from 1964 to 1996. He passed away in 1997, shortly after retiring. I met Bill in 1970 in the fall after founding ACORN in Little Rock. I used to drop in and see him every month or so, asking advice, having a cup …
Pearl River My annual trip to India was snakebit this year. The cost of the ticket was hundreds of dollars higher than usual, but that turned out to be the least of the problem. Scheduled to leave on Sunday, the East Coast blizzard was expected to hit Newark airport hard, which was my jumping …