Originally published in May 2021. Listening to President Biden’s speech to Congress this week (4/28/2021), I was a little nervous. I was remembering when Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shockingly yelled out, “You lie!” at President Obama during his speech in […] » Read More
Activists are so busy doing. But they have to take the time to stop, rest and reflect. They have to learn how to say, “No.” This is not a luxury; it is the real work activists must do in order […] » Read More
Originally published in April 2021 Stacey Abrams and LaTosha Brown sure shook a lot of folks up. They followed Organizing 101: go to the people to get them to the polls, listen, make sure they understand the issues, be patient, […] » Read More
We Know What We Want, But How Do We Get There? Vision without action is “just pretend,” as a young activist told me. A vision works only if we create a plan for how to accomplish it – a road […] » Read More
Originally published in March 2021. The Biden/Harris administration has a lot going on. Dealing with the pandemic, the economy, climate change, infrastructure, cybersecurity, immigration, a $15 minimum wage….exactly what we call dealing with “complex change.” There are some lessons I […] » Read More
I was once asked to come speak at a university in Iowa where my book, Bridging the Class Divide, is taught. I agreed to come, but I asked the professor if they would also organize a visioning day for the […] » Read More
Originally published in 2020 Questions for Your Organization– Part 2 “No One Told Me!” Community organizations are frequently working in a reactive and defensive posture, holding back bad things from happening. The challenge is allowing enough time and space to […] » Read More
Originally published in 2020 Questions for Your Organization– Part 1 In times of economic turmoil, organizers and activists rarely have the time to think about how to take advantage of the opportunities before us and build on our organization’s strengths. […] » Read More
Originally published in 2020 It is with great hope that I write today. Hope for a better tomorrow and for a better future. Because of the work I do I get the privilege of seeing huge wins and changes happening […] » Read More
Like many people who grew up in poverty in this country, I was embarrassed and ashamed about my background. Not until after I had spent time in Nicaragua in the 1980s, where people understood poverty in a very different way, […] » Read More
