“What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be.”
Those words were penned in the opening paragraph of the book Rules for Radicals, whose author, Saul Alinsky was born today in labor history January 30, 1909.
He became one of the most famous community organizer in Chicago, and even U.S. history. Alinsky was born to Russian Jewish immigrants. He earned his degree in archaeology from the University of Chicago, but could not find work due to the Great Depression.
His first turn at organizing was as a part time labor organizer for the Congress of Industrial Organization. Soon he left labor organizing for a more broad-based community organizing.
He worked in the Back of the Yards forming the “Back of the Yards Council” which became a prototype for scores of community organizations. In 1940, Alinsky formed the Industrial Areas Foundation, which served as a leader in community organizing training.
He traveled the country helping to form similar community organizations. He then worked with African American organizers, most notably helping to found Chicago’s Woodlawn Organization. The Woodlawn Organization took on issues such as segregated housing and community health, and remains active to this day.
Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals became a guidebook of organizing strategy for countless campaigns. At the core of this book are twelve straight forward maxims. For example “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” Another is “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.”
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