Probably not. Perhaps even Sarah Palin did not know she was a community organizer. But she was a member of one of the oldest community organizations in the country. Like most community organizations, this one was founded to promote a cause, a cause that its founders felt was being largely ignored at the time. In 1897 when the National Congress of Mothers was formed by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, women did not even have the right to vote. The organization these community organizers began on that cold February day in Washington, D.C., would grow from the 2,000 women in attendance then to more than 5 million members in 2007. John McCain has cited Palin's membership in this organization as part of her qualifications to be Vice President.
The National Congress of Mothers would eventually go on to become the National PTA. While Republicans might think of the PTA as a sort of social club for women with school-aged children, the PTA was a legitimate agent for reform in child welfare and education. The PTA advocated for kindergarten, child hygiene programs, teaching children with special needs, nutrition for children, vaccinations for children, toy safety and child safety in general, to name a few. Local PTA chapters are often responsible for the creation of programs that benefit children in their own districts. But none of this would have been possible without community organizers.
So when Sarah Palin proudly mentions her PTA membership, she is acknowledging the work of community organizers and building upon that work by contributing to the efforts of the organization. The importance of community organizations in bringing about needed reform cannot be stressed enough. Many of the reforms in our education system would not have come about without a large and active group advocating for change. Government is seldom the catalyst for change.
When politicians denigrate community organizers and community organizations, they are really avoiding an admission of failure on their part. Community organizations arise as a result of unresponsive government and social institutions. They form as a response to a need within the community that is not being met.
Community organizers are by nature problem solvers, which makes them perfectly suited for getting things done. They are not in it for the money, the recognition, or the power, unlike many politicians. They see a need and they try to satisfy it, not because it may help get them re-elected, but out of a deep desire to help their fellow human beings. Community organizers want to make people's lives a little better and leave the world a little better off than they found it. How could anyone take issue with that?