Shout Out to Community Organizers

I’m shaking my head over the sheer disrespect Sarah Palin & the GOP showed for community organizers during her big ol’ speech last night. Yes, I’ve got lots to say about her position on issues — the woman doesn’t support comprehensive sex education & thinks abstinence-only is the way to go (as has been demonstrated with her daughter). But I’m starting on the topic of her bashing community organizers because, frankly, that’s a manageable topic and I know where to start on that one. Suffice it to say, I find it the epitome of irony that Palin, feted as a true conservative leader within the GOP — the party that touts individual responsibility and small government — lambasts community organizers with a straight face. You know, the people who *don’t* rely on taxpayer dollars for the work they do, if they get paid at all? The people who act on their own individual initiative to effect change in their communities, without expecting any sort of hand-out? I’m going to use this space to recognize the accomplishments of anyone who ever has and continues to put in the time, energy and passion to empower others in their community to realize something better than their current environment. Consider this an open invitation to recognize, thank & pay tribute to those who are in the field, in the neighborhoods, in the churches, in the schools, in the advocacy organizations, who are educating, training, empowering, and leading. To start things off, check out Jay Smooth’s commentary at about 1:15 in the clip below.

Jay Smooth on the RNC, Hating & Community Organizers (thanks to Feministing for publicizing)Thanks to… Lucy Burns, Dora Lewis, and Alice Paul for going to jail so that women could vote in the United States Martin Luther King Jr. for daring to dream Barack Obama for reminding all of us who do any sort of community organizing that you don’t have to get your start in politics by being an attorney — you can in fact be an effective politician, in the sense of one who deals with policy, by listening to your community and understanding their needs, struggles, hopes and dreams The leader of my Brownie troop, the leader of my church youth group, my fellow sorority members, my colleagues, the human rights advocates at my grad school program, and so many others who fostered a sense of community through which I was able to grow, meet other people, and take the lessons I learned onto the next step of my journey.