Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now

From KeyWiki

ACORN was the largest organization of lower income and working families in the United States. The organization now has over 500,000 dues-paying families spread throughout more than one hundred cities.

ACORN’s mission is to win "a bigger voice and fairer share for low and moderate income families". Through the "hard work of hundreds of community organizers and thousands of community leaders across the country, ACORN has won landmark victories in the areas of community reinvestment, fair lending, living wages, education reform, environmental justice, and other issues."^[1]

ACORN announced March 22, 2010 that it is folding after revenue numbers fell.^[2]

Contents 1 ACORN International's new name 2 ACORN’s Outside Advisory Committee 3 History 4 Affiliations 4.1 Extended network 5 DSA connections 6 International expansion 7 "Power Plan" in Oklahoma 8 Washington state office 9 Proteus Fund 10 External links 11 References

ACORN International's new name

ACORN International is the former name of the organization now known as Community Organizations International.

It was a Wade Rathke project, an extension of ACORN into countries other than the United States. On Rathke's Chief Organizer site, he said ACORN International is now known as Community Organizations International.^[3]

ACORN’s Outside Advisory Committee

ACORN’s Advisory Committee comprises the following individuals^[4];

• John Banks Vice President of Government Relations Con Ed

• Dave Beckwith Executive Director, Needmor Fund

• Henry Cisneros Executive Chairman, Cityview

• Eric Eve Senior VP of Global Consumer Group, Community Relations, Citigroup

• Harvey Hirschfeld President, Lawcash

• Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Board Member, RFK Foundation, former MD Lt. Governor

• John Podesta President and CEO, Center for American Progress

• Andy Stern International President, Service Employees International Union

History

ACORN was founded by Wade Rathke in Arkanas in 1970 as Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform Now. As the organization spread to other states the name was changed to Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

Affiliations

The ACORN "family of organizations" includes radio stations KNON and KABF, publications, housing development and ownership (ACORN Housing) and a "variety of other supports for direct organizing and issue campaigns", such as Project Vote and the Living Wage Resource Center. ACORN Community Labor Organizing Center is also an affiliation of ACORN.

Extended network

A list of ACORN's extended network provides the names of many organizations affiliated with ACORN.

DSA connections

ACORN has long worked closely with Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

After ACORN's New Orleans HQ was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, DSA stepped in^[5]to help out;

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the DSA Fund has established a special fund to accept tax-deductible donations from DSA members and friends. This fund will be used primarily to provide help to community-based and other social change organizations in the affected area recover from the storm and its aftermath...

The DSA Fund has already designated an initial beneficiary of this fund: ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) saw its national headquarters in New Orleans destroyed. ACORN has a long history of defending the interest of the poor and working people of New Orleans. The group is attempting to re-establish its headquarters in Baton Rouge so that it will be able to continue to address the needs of the displaced population of the region. Other organizations will be added to the list as they are identified and approved by the Fund...

International expansion

ACORN International has expanded rapidly in recent years, with operations in Canada, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Dominican Republic, and India, as well and emerging projects in Kenya and Ecuador and partnerships in Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines.

ACORN International’s "unique style of grassroots, membership based community organizing has found traction in places from squatter communities in Latin America all the way to the diverse cities of India, including Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bangalore. ACORN International also supports direct low wage worker organizing with among waste pickers in Delhi and hawkers in Mumbai".

"Power Plan" in Oklahoma

Among many documents left behind in 2008 in an abandoned ACORN office was a five-year ACORN plan to "make Oklahoma a progressive state in the way it was 100 years ago." The office space was the former location of the Oklahoma City ACORN branch.^[6]

Because ACORN is tax-exempt and non-profit, it is required by federal law to avoid partisan politics. However, the heart of the "Power Plan" shows the organization's goal to transform the red state to a blue one.

"Therefore, the route to power is twofold: First, build powerful city organizations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa that can control these municipalities. Second, become an influential organization by shaping a handful of strategic legislative districts that, by themselves, can change who controls the state legislature.

"(W)e will be seen as the force that is making Oklahoma a progressive state in the way that it was 100 years ago.

"By using this power to win significant changes for working people, by the end of our 5 years, we will have legitimized the progressive takeover of the statehouse and head into 2012 with a real possibility of changing what Oklahomans look for and expect out of their Congressional delegation."

Also found among the documents, according to OklahomaWatchdog.org, was a suggested script for approaching volunteers in Houston to help ACORN recruit voters to support President Obama during the 2008 presidential election:

"Those internal documents include a sheet titled 'Canvass recruitment' a script directed towards ACORN activists in Houston which says: 'Hi, my name is ____. We are hiring Outreach Workers to remind people to get out and vote for Barack Obama in the upcoming election. One of our team members spoke to you today and you signed up for our intake tomorrow. You are interested in working with us on this important election, correct?

"It continues: 'We're hiring for people to go door to door talking to registered voters in Houston to get out the vote for Barack.'"^[6]

Washington state office

A journalist from the Evergreen Freedom Foundation discovered that the Everett, Washington chapter of ACORN is down the hall from State Representatives John McCoy and Hans Dunshee as well as the local Service Employees International Union office in a building with a sign labeling it the "Labor Temple."^[7]

Proteus Fund

ACORN is a grant recipient of the Proteus Fund.^[8]

External links

• ACORN website
• Tax liens for ACORN and related organizations
• "ACORN operating illegally in Arizona"

References