Bøger af Larry Tramutola

Effective elected leaders can make a huge difference in their communities; conversely those elected who are ineffective can create significant and long term problems. The point of this book is to identify common problems that elected officials face during their service, and offer practical solutions. Since we rarely elect "perfect leaders," our democratic system is structured so ordinary citizens can become successful as long as they work at it. Interestingly, the people who find the greatest success as public officials are those who quickly pivot their attention from "Me" to "We," develop effective relationships with their colleagues, and listen more and talk less.

When I first wrote Sidewalk Strategies, my goal was to provide people who were interested in grassroots organizing an inside look at what it takes to successfully organize. This new edition retells some of the important lessons learned from years of organizing and adds new stories and examples to inspire a new generation of activists. Today more people are interested in organizing than ever before. And wow, do they need to be. Donald Trump and his followers have wreaked unprecedented damage to our democracy, to the environment, and to communities across the country. Repairing the damage to our country and our democratic institutions will take great organizing and it is going to take a lot of hard and sustained work, long after Trump exits (finally) from office. The damage won't be undone by winning an election or two. It will take many battles on many fronts. And it is going to take a lot of well-trained organizers who can inspire others to get involved and take action. In this era of rapid mass communication, it is important to understand that successful organizing often takes years and that the lessons learned by the Labor activists in the 30's and the Civil Rights activists in the 60's are even more relevant today. Demonstrations and marches are important, but real change requires sustained effort over time. While our country and our institutions are resilient, there is too much money and power on one side and too little effective opposition on the other to be complacent. Organizers are needed to fight hatred, bigotry, racism, and inequality that exist throughout our country. As organizers we learn our work is never done. Since this book was written primarily for young people who may be interested in social justice, I included a section on reflections from organizers young and old. I am extremely grateful to each organizer who provided their insights." - Larry Tramutola

Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta have one thing in common: they're organizers who committed their lives to improve their communities. In this easy-to-read book Tramutola provides practical lessons on how organizers build power against significant odds. Today, as Trump and his supporters wreak havoc on political institutions from school boards to Congress, this book is a must read. Spanish: Nelson Mandela, César Chávez y Dolores Huerta tienen algo en común: son organizadores que se dedicaron a mejorar sus comunidades. En este libro, Tramutola provee lecciones prácticas sobre cómo los organizadores construyen poder entre la gente. Hoy, cuando Trump y sus seguidores causan destrucción en las instituciones políticas por todo el país, este libro es una lectura necesaria para todos.