For nearly 40 years ACORN has organized low-and moderate-income people to press corporations, governments and out-of-touch politicians for the changes needed to make their lives and communities healthier and stronger.  Time and again ACORN members have shown how David can sometimes defeat Goliath.

      Rooted in communities across America, ACORN has won victories at the local, state and national levels that have improved the lives of those who are usually left out of the corridors of power.  ACORN has partnered with a wide array of allies from community and civil rights groups, to elected officials, to labor unions, to businesses to achieve positive change.  An analysis of ACORN's work over the ten year period through 2007 concluded that the organization's work delivered $15 billion in improvement and investment to communities.  Whether in the best of times or the worst - praised or vilified - ACORN has always kept moving forward.That's why today I'm standing with ACORN, and I call on you to join me.

      For the past year ACORN has been subjected to vicious attacks from some powerful enemies: corporate lobbyists, cynical politicians, and the right-wing media.  In 2008, ACORN helped hundreds of thousands of minority voters register and get out to vote.  Their reward was a blistering attack of historic proportions and repeated attempts by opponents of change to disenfranchise those voters.  ACORN didn't back down; they fought back in the media and in the courts to defend the rights of all Americans to have a voice in our future.  They stood with us then and that's why I'm standing with them now.

      In recent months ACORN has committed their resources and organizational strength in the struggles for quality, affordable health care for all Americans, ending the foreclosure crisis and achieving employee free choice, financial regulatory reform and the rights of immigrants.  Just last month, during the summer recess, while the insurance lobby and their political allies were creating confusion, lies and disruptions,  ACORN had more than 70 organizers working hard to enable the voices of those without adequate health care to be heard in pro-health reform events in cities across the country.  Once again-they stood with us and we should stand with them.

      Now, the forces of reaction have unleashed another attack on ACORN. The FOX not news-attack machine, using illegally recorded tapes of a few employees' misconduct - for which they were immediately dismissed - are attempting to portray isolated cases of misconduct as common practice. This is dishonest and a misrepresentation of the facts - and they know it!  If FOX were a legitimate news agency, instead of a propaganda machine for the right, they would have shown on air the tapes of the other ACORN offices they visited and were properly ejected from such as Philadelphia, where a police report was filed and the Los Angeles ACORN office.   The same tactics were used by FOX-not news against Planned Parenthood to undermine that organization's mission of bringing affordable health care to women.  Who's next in their ideological crusade?

      Their intent is simple - to destroy the effectiveness of ACORN and deprive the progressive community of one of our most effective allies.  We need ACORN by our side now more than ever and that is why I am proud to proclaim-"I am ACORN". 

      Please join with us as we support the work of ACORN because we need them now more than ever.

 

Supporters

Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI)

Donald Cohen, Executive Director

Justice Overcoming Boundaries (JOB)

Norma Chavez, Director

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)

Madeline Janis, Executive Director

United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA)

AJ Duffy, President

Southern California Association for Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH)

Paul Zimmerman, Executive Director

Maternal and Child Health Access

Lynn Kersey, Executive Director

Congress on Racial Equality

Celes King IV, Director

From the Heart Preschool

Betty Luckett, Owner

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) - Los Angeles Chapter

Leon Jenkins, President

Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church

Reverend K.W. Tulloss

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) - Local 685

Ralph Miller, President

National Lawyers Guild - Los Angeles Chapter

Jim Lafferty, Executive Director

Strategic Concepts on Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE)

Anthony Thigpenn, Executive Director

San Mateo Central Labor Council

Shelly Kessler, Executive Secretary-Treasurer

Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN)

Patricia Diaz, Executive Director

Peninsula Interfaith Action

Mary Klein, Executive Director

Moveon.org - San Francisco

Richard Hauptman

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) - Local 101

John Ulrich, Political Director

San Francisco Central Labor Council

Tim Paulson, Executive Director

Unite Here - Local 2

Michael Casey, President

International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) - Local 10

Melvin McKay, President

Greater Richmond Interfaith Program

Arthur Hatchett, Executive Director

Faithworks

Maria Allegria, Executive Director

Real Choices

Vernell Crittendon, Executive Director

Contra Costa Central Labor Council

Pamela Aguilar, Executive Director

East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE)

Nikki Fortunato Bas, Executive Director

Oakland Education Association

Betty Olson Jones

Sacramento Central Labor Council

Bill Camp, Executive Secretary-Treasurer

Sacramento Housing Alliance

Shamus Roller, Executive Director

Coaliton on Regional Equity

Shamus Roller, Executive Director

Service Employees International Union-United Long Term Care Workers (SEIU-ULTCW)

Lasandra Butler, President

California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC)

Alan Fisher, Executive Director

United Farm Workers (UFW)

Irv Hershenbaum, 1st Vice-President

Health Access

Anthony Wright, Executive Director

California Partnership

Nancy Berlin, Executive Director

Statements of Support from Elected Officials

School Board Member Nury Martinez

Los Angeles Unified School District

Councilmember Mike Gibson

City of Carson

Trustee Christopher Jackson

City College of San Francisco

Councilmember David Canepa

Daly City

Vice-Mayor Mark Addiego

City of South San Francisco

State Senator Mark Leno

California State Senate - District 3

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma

California State Assembly - District 12

Supervisor John Avalos

San Francisco County Board of Supervisors - District 11

Mayor Gayle McLauglin

City of Richmond

Supervisor John Gioia

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors - Distirct 1