BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
I Am A Community Organizer - To Palin and Giuliani
September 8th, 2008
This past Saturday, along with my NBCC comrades, and with help from both public defenders and private lawyers and relevant governmental workers; I organized a felons rignts restoration and voter registration event here in the North Nashville community. We served a number of anxious folks in helping them on their way to once again becoming full participants in society, or participating in the political process of their country.
Having done this sort of thing on various issues for many years, and knowing the work, the struggle, the passion, and the sacrifice that goes into it by many people, who in most cases could sit at home and not be bothered; as the majority of the time the issues that they’re fighting for don’t directly affect them, other than in the chest cavity, because they care - I found it appalling to hear former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and VP candidate Sarah Palin ridicule community organizing at the Repblican Convention.
In an interview with Jerry Kellman, Obama’s supervisor when he was a community organizer 20 years ago, Newsweek quotes them to have said: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities,” said Palin; while Giuliani feigned befuddlement at Obama’s post-university career choice: “You have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer … maybe this is the first problem on the resume.” Giuliani also whiffed “A community organizer? What?”, as he chuckled and their was laughter in the hall. The hall also laughed during Palin’s jab at community organizing.
Being a community organizer puts you close to the issues of regular people;what all presidential candidates and most politicians in general pretend to be about. Quite often it puts you in touch with people from differing experiences than yours; and gives you the experience of fighting for the voiceless and the powerless.
Why is such funny to Giuliani, Palin, and all those in the hall at the RNC; unless they have contempt for regular folks in the community? A bunch of mostly rich, and mostly old white guys sitting around laughing at working to solve the issues and give civic power to regular people. Their laughter betrays what they think of such a notion.
Obama responds to McCain Co.’s attack on organizers: “why would that kind of work be ridiculous, who are they fighting for? What are they advocating for?”
And as Obama points out your Giuliani’s, McCain’s, and Palin’s haven’t spent much time working on behalf of regular folks, trying to improve their lives, and trying to improve the community for all; so they don’t get it and they don’t care. They think it’s just some whimsical pollyanna endeavor to work on behalf of others where it doesn’t involve some kind of grand financial reward or personal prestige and upward mobility like running for office.
They think it’s funny. They think that those who do the work to help folks who have their light turned off, to get utility assistance is funny. They think organizing to raise money to get air conditioning units for old folks in the summer is whimsical. They think registering people to vote who are usually not engaged or bringing people together to become involved in local school board issues is paltry. They think organizing free tutoring for children, feeding the homeless, increasing AIDS and STD awareness, bringing labors together to stand up for workers rights, and the myriad of other forms that community organizing takes, is laughable work.
When McCain took the stage on Thursday night at the convention, he said, ““my friends, if you find fault with our country make it a better one”; well that’s what community organizing is, yet McCain’s campaign at his party’s convention ridiculed that very thing.
The people at truthandhope.org think McCain, Palin and company need a history listen:
Popularity: 33% [?]
posted in Politics, Action Alert, youtube | | | View blog reactions | Print This Post
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13 Responses to “I Am A Community Organizer - To Palin and Giuliani”
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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Yet another example of the fact that Republicans are only out for the rich corporations. Working class people really need to read between the lines.
Great post! Thanks for sharing! Kudos to all Community Organizers!
I think the organizers of today’s blogging effort should be applauded for getting the word out about this Blogging Day For Justice! I am honored to join the ranks of other Community workers to let our voice be heard! I am proud to be a Community Worker and Community Organizer!
Blessings!
Well, I think they have a hard time coming down off Mt. Olympus or wherever Republicans think they hail from.
Of course, they would find a 36-year old white dude with my problems going out and campaigning for Barack a bit weird too. (Boy Indiana, you are very rude…)
Great Post.
Thank you for the great post! I guess Giuliani forgot who helped him with the problems
in New York. Community organizers are the people who help maintain peace when city officials
ignore injustice.
The Republicans are out of touch.
Thanks for participating Regina, and thanks for the compliments on the post.
This is an important message for us to get across.
Sandra indeed! These folks are so far up on their high horse they can’t see the ground from their position of self-importance.
Sjustice, they really do; but instead they fall for the same political demagoguery election after election; and also vote on prejudices and fears.
Thanks Jason; it is disturbing how common folk continue to so strongly support these snide, arrogant, elitist.
Hey, voter registration is the key to flip a state like Indiana: The young (such as college campus) and the Black community should be most strongly focused on to get Obama voters.
I’m telling everyone in swing states to go hard on voter registration, and then turn out on November 4th. Not many minds are going to be changed amongst regular voters at this point. I urge you to work in your state to up registration amongst people likely to vote for Obama in your state.
I feel your passion in this one yobachi and understand. The republican party disregards and disrespects anyone that’s not like them. I’ve visited many ….many blogs both liberal/progressive and conservative/republican. They all post about how their candidate is right while the other candidate is wrong. BUT the main difference I’ve found is the absolute display of intolerance and righteousness sprinkled in every word on the conservative circuit. They’re right and the world is wrong. It’s amazing
Roschelle, unfortunately their are a lot of Americans out here who share the condescending, we are the choosen people (”we” being whoever’s like them) attitude; who that crap plays well to.
But the Word says “the meek shall inheret the earth”.
Well, we did get 3 vote registrations handed out. 2 for Obama - everyone helps.
No doubt everyone helps; just keep pluggin away!
Check out this state-by-state registration links that was posted by Villager at one of the blogs I co-moderate: proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/2008/09/state-by-state-voter-registration-links.html
We need to be going hard up until our voting deadlines. I know it’s October 6th here in Tennessee. I just picked up 125 more voter registration cards today at the election commission. I’m putting on another voter registration event on the 20th.
I really hope that Obama has a team out there that will focus on the issues that really matter: simplifying and exposing John McCain’s role in the Keating Five Scandal so thew working class understand his economic strengths, showing the MySpace photos now hidden of Bristol Palin during one of her underage drinking binges and going more in depth about Cindy McCain’s drug addiction. When did she get clean ? Do we need a first lady going to Betty Ford ? I also want to hear from Senator McCain’s ex wife. Was Cindy the only mistress or was there more ? Why are all of his financial holdings only in her name ? What is the average teen preegnancy rate in Alaska thanks to the abstinance only educational policies ? Are Sarah’s other daughter’s sexually active ? When’s Bristol’s wedding ? What other books does she believe should not be exposed to children in schools and libraries ? Besides harry Potter and Our Bodies , Ourselves. And finally, does her getting offended by Obama’s analogy about pigs mean she has no respect for Middle America’s farming community ? Putting lipstick on a pig should only affect the vegetarian vote so why is Palin so upset unless she is one too. Obama needs to start looking at the way the game is being played .