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New York A.C.O.R.N. Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now Celebrates its 21st Birthday
April 30th, 2003
Citicorp Building, New York, NY
 Since the New York Association of Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN) began organizing in New York City in 1982, it has become the acknowledged leader in community organizing in the City. Although ACORN is the nation’s largest community organization of low and moderate-income families, with chapters in over fifty cities across the country, all organizing begins at the local level where neighborhood chapters in each city from the heart of the organization and the locus of direct action. 25,000  member families have joined NY ACORN during its twenty years of issue-oriented community organizing, and this strong membership base has enabled ACORN to tackle a wide range of issues confronting working families.
 ACORN is committed to working for changes that will improve the quality of life for its members and their communities, and promote economic justice and social equity in American society. ACORN members employ mobilization, direct action, leadership development, political strategy, policy research, and creative use of news media to force policy changes and program improvements that will positively affect themselves and their communities. Individual NY ACORN neighborhood chapters address extremely localized issues such as increase police patrols in neighborhood crime hot-spots, creating and maintaining safe public recreation spaces, and ensuring sufficient translation capacity at local hospitals. These chapters join forces to address city-wide and state-wide issues such as the prevalence of predatory lending in poor neighborhoods, the lack of affordable housing, welfare rights, immigration, and the plight of the City’s public schools.
Three important characteristics not only distinguish ACORN from other groups that serve low and moderate-income neighborhoods but also contribute to its unparalleled longevity among grassroots efforts.
ACORN is a membership-based and membership-led organization
The members are ACORN. ACORN members continually their ownership of the organizations by paying their dues, recruiting their neighbors, friends, and relatives, and organizing meets and rallies where they use “people power” to influence policy.
Local meetings provide residents with am opportunity to identify issues, plan actions, plug into city-wide activity, and hold politicians accountable for past promises and current performance. ACORN chapter officers and representatives to the city and national boards are elected by and from the membership. One of ACORN’s top priorities is providing leadership development opportunities for local residents who have been bypassed by the more traditional civic organizations.
ACORN is committed to building power and holding onto power won through the struggles of our membership.
Working with local residents to build a neighborhood base, mobilizing a low and moderate income constituency, and signing up hundreds of members each year are all ongoing tasks. ACORN members and staff are continuously working to further strengthen the organizations so that we have the numbers and power necessary to lead effective campaigns that will attract the attention of politicians, other policy makers, and the media.
ACORN is committed to financial independence.
The organization relies on a broad base of financial support including membership dues, local fundraising activities, church and foundation assistance, and corporate and philanthropic support. This approach support. This approach ensures that ACORN is never dependent on any one source of support.
Acorn’s History
ACORN stands virtually alone in its dedication to organizing the poor and powerless – a dedication as it was in 1970, when a group of Arkansas welfare mothers formed ACORN’s first membership[ base. New York ACORN began 1982 with neighborhood organizing drives in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvescant, East New York, and Flatbush. Newly organized communities began building a core of ACORN members who would eventually be ready to tackle issues that were larger than their neighborhood concerns. Today, those members, and the tens of thousands who have become involved along the way, have build a “people’s machine” that can tackle issues down the block as well as downtown at City Hall and on Wall Street.
7:24 AM 6/7/2003 NY ACORN’S first major campaign was a successful squatting campaigne, during which the inchoate organization leveraged its growing member base and power to force the City’s Housing Preservation and Development to turn over control of a number of abandoned buildings to ACORN. On the heels of this early victory, NY ACORN members waged a successful campaign against local banks that redline neighborhoods. Since this campaign, we have run the ACORN Loan Counseling Program, which has provided free loan counseling for over 1500 first time home-buyers.
ACORN fights for affordable housing: ACORN Housing Company, Inc. NY ACORN’s early squatting campaign victory led to the development of 33 city-own properties, which are now home to 92 families. On a formal level, this victory allowed ACORN to establish the Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY), the community-controlled ownership structure for ACORN housing ventures. Through MHANY’s work, ACORN has earned a reputation for successfully renovating small, scattered-site, vacant and partially occupied buildings. We have now renovated more than 700 units of housing which remain accessible to lower-income working families and, in some cases, very low-income households. About half of these are in the process of being converted to owner-occupied co-ops.
The ACORN Network of Community Schools
In 1998, frustrated with the lack of effective schools in many low-income neighborhoods, ACORN members expanded the “small schools movement” by pushing for the creation of ACORN members expanded the “small schools movement” by pushing for the creation of small, community controlled schools in ACORN neighborhoods. Members wanted schools that would provide their children with an excellent academic foundation, create safe and small learning environments where all students could be nurtured, and expose children to organizing as a means of accomplishing social justice in their own communities, both as students and as adults.
The honorees for New York ACORN’s 21st Birthday Celebration were:
 While at the event, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with ACORN’s President, Ms. Gloria Waldron, who is a 14-year veteran with ACORN. She heads a committee of 14 people that is based in Brooklyn Heights. Her duties include being the spokesperson who negotiates press conferences and speaks about congressional testimonies. I would personally like to congratulate Ms. Waldron for her work in getting the new crediting and lending law passed.
Carl McCall, the former Comptroller, whom I also had the pleasure of meeting with, was also at the event. He is now working with the budgeting chairman at the conference on public higher education, in order that they continue to provide adequate money for education. When asked by myself, “Will we be seeing you again running for public office?”, he diplomatically said, with a smile, “We will see—I am happy with what I am now doing for New York State’s education.”.
Mark Green, former public advocate, and mayoral candidate, who also attended ACORN’s 21st Anniversary celebration, was one of the guest speakers. After his speech, we had the opportunity to speak with him, and ask him if he is interested in running again in the New York City Mayoral race. His words were “Right now, I am not interested in running for mayor, or any form of public office.” I am writing books and doing other projects, and enjoying life with my family, as a private citizen.
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For more information about this great organization and the wonderful work they're doing, please feel free to log onto their website, at www.acorn.org.
Abbey H. Muneer is the Executive Director of H.A.D. Organization of New York City, Inc., a world-famous athlete, author and, above all, a humanitarian. Abbey will write articles about charity events, benefits, fundraisers and galas which are raising money for humantiarian causes. If you are interested in having Abbey and one his staff members cover one of your charity events, benefits, fundraisers or galas, feel free to notify us one week in advance, at LNEvents@hadofnyc.org, or telephone us at (718) 507-7616, between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm e.s.t. and ask to speak to Abbey or Maria. If you would like more information, or would like to have Liberty News Online Magazine consult your next charitable event, please feel free to visit our website, at http://www.hadofnyc.org/store/success.html, email us at humanitarians@hadofnyc.org, or telephone our hotline, at (718) 507-7616, between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm e.s.t. (U.S.A.) |
