Update: Part II is here.
Here is an article, thanks again to Blulitespecial, that interestingly pulls together many points we have made in recent posts. (I’m splitting this post into two parts because there is so much to say.) Perhaps the most instructive part of this article from New America Media about Somali refugee, Asha Mohamed, is that she is a “community organizer”. Her story is a window into identity politics and the community organizing business.
I encourage readers to read the whole thing, but this is one section that caught my interest:
Now a mother of three, Mohamed is a counselor for the Seattle Housing Authority. She is also a community organizer, and a fervent immigrants’ and human rights activist at CURE – Coalition to Undo Racism Everywhere. She is looking forward to her role as a delegate to the Equal Voice for America’s Families town hall meeting in Los Angeles on Sept. 6. “We’re bringing 400 people from Seattle, 600 from the state,” she said energetically, prayerful that from within her group will emerge some who will help comprise “the next generation of critical thinkers.” Underwritten by the Marguerite Casey Foundation, there will be two other concurrent town halls in Birmingham and Chicago, respectively. The three-city event is expected to attract nearly 15,000 people, many of whom will have attended local and regional town halls 2007-2008.
Mohamed participated in an Equal Voice policy platform meeting in Chicago earlier this year where attendees spent four days to produce a working agenda for low-income families. That agenda will be submitted for approval on Sept. 6.
You gotta laugh, notice she went to another famous “community organizers” home town of Chicago. I would love to see both group’s (CURE and Equal Voices) financial documents because based on my previous research most of these types of groups get government grants in addition to foundation (tax subsidized by you) support. Now which Presidential candidate’s name do you think will be on everyone’s lips tomorrow?