Beyond Local Organizing: Statewide Power & a Regional Netwok

• Ch. 3, p. 72-97
• El Paso, was the poorest of America's large cities
• Hispanics were excluded from meaningful political power
• conservatives want to crush IAF
• Democratic candidates have to support IAF
• sometimes local problems need greater resources & more complex programs from a higher level of government
• fact: the pope tries to suppress Liberation Theology in Latin America

Early Statewide Efforts, p. 75

• the Texas IAF fought a utility rate increase at the power company, Texas Utilities
• leaders in San Antonio & Houston created a 7pt proposal for reform
• 1. lobby elected representatives in home turf, 2. meet & negotiate with key public officials, 3. build alliances with other political actors
• six of the seven points of the utility campaign were picked up by the Texas legislature
  
• 1983, IAF wants to reform education @ the state level
• neighborhood schools were underfunded
• wanted to raise funding and standards in schools
• bill for educational improvements resurrected with IAF pressure
• upset about inadequate healthcare facilities
• hearings about healthcare, lobbied Governor White, brought 100s of leaders to meet with state legislators
• "Members of the Texas AIF network organizations flooded the capitol dome, yelling, chanting, and effectively blocking the major exits. A group of Hispanic legislators went to the Governor's Office, accompanied by Ernie Cortes and leaders of TIAF organizations, to demand an immediate special session-or else the Hispanic caucus would run its own candidate to oppose White in the next election. Under all these pressures, the governor had no choice but to call a special session to begin the following day, specifically to deal with indigent health care."(78, Dry Bones Rattling)
• Colonias, like shanty-towns, were along the border with Mexico
• no running water/sewers
• state agencies had to recognize the colonias problem
• it has taken years of follow-up to get the services in place (p.80)
• "bringing people together and sharing a common vision."
• public institutions that serve poor communities need to be reformed, not just funded more
• Fort Worth: black leaders address poor academic performance rates/high drop out rates among black youth
• needed a lot of outside support to reform schools
• oil crisis in 1980s in Texas > recession
• 1990, Democrat Ann Richards was elected governor. Worked with IAF on colonias issue when she was State Treasurer
• appointed COPS co-chair as director of education policy
• approved funding for teacher training, curricular development in schools
• grant for education coordinators
• want the kids to develop problem solving, use a 1000 different approaches
• develop higher-order thinking schools among students, implement block schedules
• test scores: do not equal cognitive development/community improvement
• school based organizing.
  
• Albuquerque, Tucson, Phoenix, Omaha

An Institute for Organizers

• need large number of professional organizers
• sophistication & unity among organizing staff
• an institute for organizers was created in Texas
• increase professional organizers salaries
• organizers suffered from burnout
• Texas is very spread out-issue
• seminars for collective support & intellectual stimulation
• political philosophy/theology/economics readers
• had ministers speak that had been part of the Civil Right's movement
• Ford Foundation money donated money to fly in speakers
• seminars every two months
• met with prominent writers, scholars, policy analysts
• developed mutual support among organizers that wasn't threatening

Expanding the Ranks of Organizers

• issue getting enough organizers
• IAF needed funds to put new recruits on payroll for training
• Florence/Schumann Foundation: trainee expenses for several years
• retreats for junior organizers
• Alinksy: organizer: male, from outside community, nomadic, leader: female, rooted in community, stayed when organizers left
• Alinksy: didn't believe women could be organizers
• Cortes, recruited women on his staff
• organizers, long hours
• large organizing staff consequences 1) organize into schools & elsewhere, 2) campaigns at the state level, 3) build new organizations in Texas & Southwest because there were enough organizers to lead new efforts

Why Texas?

• high receptivity to a public role for religion
  
• open field for organizing. less competition from other community/political groups
• IAF, only game in town
• clergy, little ties to the political establishment
• Democrats and liberals have worked with IAF
• bureaucracy is less in Texas then East/Midwest

Toward a Regional Network in the Southwest

• organizing in Phoenix in 1980s
• Pierson, hired as lead organizer
• Phoenix, has a strong libertarian tradition
• state government likes to cut taxes/fees, no minimum wage established
• Pima Country Interfaith Council, PCIC
• PCIC, got after school/summer youth programs
• PCIC got after school employment
• PCIC, JobPath, job-training program
• 1995, fight for a living wage ordinance
• 1999, $8 an hour with benefits
• 1. living wages, 2. school funding, 3. reform, 4. improvement of immigrant communities

Conclusion

• IAF: community-based organizations moved beyond the confines of their local areas
• how to stay true to local work? when working @ a state level...
• expand to new cities: how to monitor existing organizations
• local vs. state: creative tension