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Full-Text Articles in Social Work
Racial Diversity On Acorn's Organizing Staff, 1970-2003, Fred Brooks
Racial Diversity On Acorn's Organizing Staff, 1970-2003, Fred Brooks
SW Publications
Using historical and case study methods, this paper analyzes how the organizing staff of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) went from 10% organizers of color in 1970s and 1980s to 64% organizers of color in 2003. Keys to this transformation included experimenting with different organizing models, job descriptions, and recruitment methods; aging and lifestyle changes of senior management; developing a "critical mass" of organizers of color; and an internally organized Caucus of Color. Many of the steps ACORN took to diversify support findings from the business literature on diversity management. With the racial composition of staff …
Don't Be A Blockhead: Acorn, Protest Tactics, And Refund Anticipation Loans, Robert Fisher, Fred Brooks, Daniel Russell
Don't Be A Blockhead: Acorn, Protest Tactics, And Refund Anticipation Loans, Robert Fisher, Fred Brooks, Daniel Russell
SW Publications
The recent proliferation of community-based responses to urban problems has been characterized by a shift away from protest tactics to more moderate approaches of building community and consensus, developing social capital, and identifying and improving local assets. This case study examines the persistence and effectiveness of protest tactics in a campaign by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now against H&R Block around predatory tax preparation practices. It reveals the potential of direct action, especially when local protests are coordinated nationally. This combination helps to transcend the inherent limits of both community-based activism and national-oriented advocacy efforts.