Saul Alinsky Essay

Community organizing doesn’t seem like an accessible task to undertake, but Saul Alinsky made his movements seem effortless and possible for the common person to initiate. One of his tactics that I truly admired was his ability to blend in with the crowd. Alinsky grew up in the an underprivileged neighborhood and was fortunate to finish his graduate degree in criminal justice. All his graduate research was valuable, but his real education came from his work with the mob in the streets known as “back of the yards”. His tactic was to ingratiate leaders on the streets because they would know more about the habitat than he would. This is a great tactic because not only did he study criminal justice from the outside perspective, he had the opportunity

Franklin Florence delivered an empowering speech at a community meeting with FIGHT organizers. In this speech, Rev. Florence articulated, “Everybody understands what White power is because they own the banks. But earlier in the 1960’s there emerged a new order on the stage, the order of Black power.” Furthermore, his particular comment captured my attention since it is analogous to ongoing issues of racism that are present today. Our society is experiencing comparable treatment as to what people were dealing with during Alinsky 's movements. Although communities of organized people have fought to change the view of African Americans individuals, there is still ongoing racism. The current controversy that is surrounding us is the concern of young African American men being targeted by law enforcement. As well as the injustice that these individuals are experiencing when they encounter law enforcement, which has resulted in an increase of police

His power to be able to organize large crowds of people would empower these communities to fight for change and justice. A monumental error that I’ve seen these communities display is their level of angry towards the enemy. It is understandable that they are enraged and their feelings on police brutality are strong, but Alinsky would be disappointed in their actions. He wouldn’t have allowed the burning of buildings and robbery of community stores because at the end of the day, these places are part of the community. Therefore, I believe that Alinsky was a man that planned out rallies with networks of people to reach an endpoint that would benefit the community and he is much needed today. Educators today can use his compelling achievements to organize people, public officials, and create the necessary change they desire for their