"Community Organizer" Is Not A Bad Word

I'll be the first to admit that until recently, I had no idea what a "community organizer" was. I knew enough not to disparage it in the smug, arrogant way that Sarah Palin and others did at the Republican Convention, but if you asked me what a community organizer's responsibilities and job were, I wouldn't have been able to tell you. I now know more, and my respect for these people is enormous. If you don't know what a community organizer is, thank you lucky stars because it means you've never needed one. A community organizer helps underserved communities get the help and relief they need to live their lives. It might be job training or better bus routes or property repair or trash pick up.

Peter Dreier has an excellent piece about Karen Bass, a former community organizer who is now the Speaker of the California Assembly.