The New Yorker had an article online last December, and the title caught my eye: "What Professional Organizers Know About Our Lives."
The picture that appeared with the article (you can see that picture above) should have tipped me off, but I was a bit misled. When I think of "professional organizers," I think of people like those who trained with Saul Alinsky, and who are focused on how to win and wield political power. In fact, though, The New Yorker article, by Jennifer Wilson, was focused on "decluttering," and how there are paid professionals who can help you do that.
I have resisted paying for this type of "decluttering" support, myself, but maybe I should rethink. The picture below shows you the condition of a desk in my office as I am typing out this blog posting. The next picture shows you my garage:
What do you think? Do you think I may need professional help?
To change the subject from "decluttering," however, I actually think that while "decluttering" may be important, it is even more important to think seriously about the other kind of "professional organizers," those who help small groups of people achieve their political, social, and economic objectives by organizing themselves, with others, to be effective politically.
If you click on the following link, you will be directed to a very nice article about former Santa Cruz County resident Pat Bakalian, who I think now qualifies as one of those "professional organizers." Here is a link that will tell you about Pat's book, Persistence: The Power To Make Change. According to the cover, Pat's book tells the story of "one woman’s evolution from shy girl to feminist political activist."
Well, when did Pat's evolution begin? To return to the article I linked earlier, headlined, "Pat Bakalian turned her love of politics into an eventful career," we find that Pat was introduced to Shirley Zimmerman in the early 1970's. Zimmerman was a genuine, Saul Alinsky-trained political and community organizer who had a profound impact on Santa Cruz County. Zimmerman was instrumental in helping local residents (including Bruce Bratton) successfully oppose the "Wilder Ranch And Beaches Project." If you click this link, which will take you to my recent tribute to Bruce, you will see how important it was that the local group in which both Bruce and Pat were involved, "Operation Wilder," called upon professional assistance, and stopped a project that would have completely altered the destiny of Santa Cruz County had it not been stopped by citizen opposition.
What do "professional organizers" know?
What those "professional organizers" who focus on political action know is exactly what Pat Bakalian wrote a book about. If you are willing to get organized, and to "persist," as well as to "resist" - to go "positive," in other words, not just "negative" - you can, as Pat's book title says, "Make Change."
In fact, what professional political organizers know is something that we all need to know: We - ordinary people - can truly change the world.
The world, in my opinion, does need to be changed. I think it's pretty clear that the world is even more f**ked up than my garage, so I'm all for getting serious about organizing to make those changes we all know we need to make!
PS: My posting about "Creative Instigation" was intended to make the same point.
(1) - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/23/more-than-pretty-boxes-carrie-m-lane-book-review
(2) and (3) - Gary Patton personal photos
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