The Organizer

Documenting the work of the brilliant community organizer Wade Rathke, The Organizer takes us through his process of founding ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), the first of its kind community-based organization. Starting with a few driven welfare moms in Arkansas, ACORN quickly mushroomed into a highly energized and mobilized half-million strong constituency that influenced government and corporate policy on the local, state and federal levels. Through Wade's leadership, ACORN created unprecedented voter registration drives and brought economic gains for countless low income families, changing the socio economic and political map of the regions it operated in. But amid increasing difficulties, Wade left, and two years later controversy and scandal resulted in the organization's ultimate collapse and demise. The Organizer is a story of particular relevance in these highly charged political times and one with a lot to teach us. (Woodstock Film Festival)