Synopses & Reviews
How an interfaith community organization is revitalizing our democracy
Democrats are looking for the right national message that will attract the most voters, leaving progressive politics to operate from the margins. Paul Osterman argues that political change lies not in crafting a better message to
beam from Washington but rather in effective local action. Gathering Power explores the most successful and promising organization to enable local activism and strengthen our democracy: the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF).
Osterman focuses on the successes of Valley Interfaith, a progressive multiracial coalition founded by the charismatic Ernesto Cortes. It is
based in the Rio Grande Valley, which straddles the border between Texas and Mexico and, since the passage of NAFTA, has been one of the fastest growing regions in America, as well as one of the poorest. With the help of the IAF, and working primarily through local churches, Valley Interfaith has brought together Latino residents to improve their communities. They have fought for, and won, reform in their schools and improved wages—but most important, the members of Valley Interfaith have been transformed into activists, ready to take on future battles as a community.
Gathering Power shows how the IAF teaches people to become activists, and argues that religious values have an important place in progressive
politics. Paul Osterman is professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with joint appointments in the Sloan School of Management and
the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He travels extensively throughout the country and abroad to speak to business groups, community
organizations, and government and public policy organizations. He lives in the Boston area.
Review
"Osterman, an MIT professor of management and urban studies, offers a template to reenergize the American progressive movement. He believes that progressive politics is the best antidote to the top-down decision making of party politics, which he views as a danger to democracy and responsible for the well-documented alienation of voters. . . . Osterman makes a strong case that grassroots organizing can create real political power and improve the lives of many. . . . Those sympathetic to the progressive movement's goals will be heartened by this mix of stories of ordinary citizens transforming themselves into effective community advocates and studies of grassroots successes."
Review
"A timely primer of political action to reinvigorate a failing left. . . . Osterman's descriptions of IAF initiatives and successes, mostly in the American Southwest, will be helpful as case studies for fans of Rules for Radicals and as a powerful argument for giving renewed attention to local-level politics on the road to larger arenas. Good reading for activists."
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [193]-209) and index.
Table of Contents
Contents
Chapter 1: Reviving Progressive Politics
Chapter 2: Building Organizations
Chapter 3: Faith
Chapter 4: Practicing a New Politics
Chapter 5: Managing Our Economic Destiny
Chapter 6: Gathering Power
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index