Grassroots is a political organization in

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York (state), New York State. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147 ...

, which was founded in 1986 by a group of

block club A block club, block group or block association is a type of local organization found in some urban areas in the United States, especially in the Midwest. A block club typically focuses on one or both sides of a city block on a single street, but som ...

leaders, that is known for successful

voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise Suffrage, eligible to Voting, vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted ...

and elective placements such as

Byron Brown Byron William Brown II (born September 24, 1958) is an American politician who served as the 62nd mayor of Buffalo, New York from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. He was the city's first African-American mayor and the longest-serving mayo ...

in the

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North ...

and

Crystal Peoples Crystal Davis Peoples-Stokes (born December 22, 1951) is an American politician representing Assembly District 141, which includes the city of Buffalo within Erie County, New York. She is currently the Majority Leader of the New York State Assemb ...

in the Erie County Legislature. During its founding, organizers had gotten a map of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

's 437 election districts and found 29 candidates to obtain petition signatures to run for district committee slots. They won 16 positions. They originally organized to seek attention for their neighborhood problems, but have grown into a larger cause. Statewide leaders such as

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Charles Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from New York, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Democratic Party, he has led the Senate Democratic Caucus si ...

speak glowingly of the group. Schumer once described it as "...one of the smartest, savviest political groups in the United States."

Eliot Spitzer Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008 after a prostitution scandal. A member of the Democratic Party, he was also ...

said, "I think that a candidate running in Buffalo or for statewide office would be remiss not to sit down with the leadership of Grassroots." Brown eventually served as a vice president of the organization. By the mid-1990s, two Grassroots members were part of the City Council and Peoples had nearly defeated

Arthur Eve Arthur Owen Eve (born March 23, 1933) is a retired American politician who served as a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly (1967–2002) and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly (1979–2002) representing districts in Buffalo, New Yor ...

, the longest-serving member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

. Brown's

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

victory confirmed the organization's appeal outside of Erie County. By 2003, its members included three Buffalo City Councilmen, a New York State Senator, and a New York State Assemblywoman. The organization is a largely African-American group dominated by younger activists founded to challenge State Assemblyman Arthur Eve's control over State funding to the Buffalo area.

Notes

{{reflist 1986 establishments in New York (state) Political organizations based in the United States Politics of New York (state) Political organizations established in 1986