People's Action is a national progressive advocacy and political organization in the United States made up of 40 organizations in 30 states. The group's stated goal is to "build the power of poor and working people, in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue campaigns and elections." People's Action and the associated tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, People's Action Institute, were established in 2016 through a merger of three national networks of community organizing groups,

National People's Action People's Action is a national progressive advocacy and political organization in the United States made up of 40 organizations in 30 states. The group's stated goal is to "build the power of poor and working people, in rural, suburban, and urban ...

, the Alliance for a Just Society and USAction, as well as of organizations like the Campaign for America's Future and the Center for Health, Environment and Justice.

National People's Action

National People's Action was a federation of 29 grassroots organizations in 18 states working together for racial and economic justice. Headquartered in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, the organization was founded in 1972 by Austin neighborhood activist Gale Cincotta and professional organizer Shel Trapp.

History

Founded in 1972 by Cincotta and Trapp, the organization pushed for federal housing legislation including the

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (or HMDA, pronounced ) is a United States federal law that requires certain financial institutions to provide mortgage data to the public. Congress enacted HMDA in 1975. Purposes HMDA grew out of public concern o ...

of 1975, the

Community Reinvestment Act The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA, P.L. 95-128, 91 Stat. 1147, title VIII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1977, ''et seq.'') is a United States federal law designed to encourage commercial banks and savings associations to help ...

of 1977, and the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990. For many years, Cincotta and Trapp offered training to the group's affiliates through their National Training and Information Center. The organization continued after the retirement of Trapp and the death of Cincotta in 2001, but refocused its efforts on organizing, issue campaigning, and direct action, de-emphasizing the training programs once offered through NTIC. Emira Palacios

George Goehl has been the executive director since 2008.

Program

The organization conducted a series of "Showdown" events starting in October 2009. The events, dubbed "Showdown In America", "called for the end of corporate lobbying and too-big-to-fail financial institutions". According to the group, it existed as a network to create a society in which "racial and economic justice are realized in all aspects of society, resulting in more equity in work, housing, health, education, finance, and other systems central to people's well-being". The organization pushed for stricter regulations on lending and financial institutions, including increased taxes. The organization has been part of the Democracy Initiative, a coalition including labor unions and environmentalist groups working to reverse what they saw as the takeover of American democracy by individual billionaires in collaboration with right-wing politicians. In August 2018, People's Action sponsored 50 community cookouts across the country to emphasize the value of families.

Criticism

The organization was notable for aggressive tactics, especially protests against the residences of their opponents.

Nina Easton Nina Jane Easton (born October 27, 1958) is an American author, journalist, TV commentator, entrepreneur, and film producer. In 2016, she co-founded SellersEaston Media, a private-client storytelling service that chronicles the legacies and impact ...

of '' Fortune magazine'' wrote in her column about one such protest, at the home of her neighbor, a lawyer for

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...

. In association with the

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...

, demonstrators trespassed on the executive's property, protesting while only his son was home, Easton said. Easton characterized the demonstration as "the politics of personal intimidation".

References

External links