Gale Force--Gale Cincotta

Did the US mortgage implosion of 2007 which led to the worldwide recession have to happen? Gale Cincotta (Chicago, 1929-2001), and the National People's Action (NPA) she founded, battled for decades to get the laws and regulations which would have made it much less likely. In the 1960s Gale battled the Chicago Public Schools for a better education for her six sons. She then fought realtors and lenders to provide reasonable mortgages where none were available. They had "redlined" many city neighborhoods. Realizing that laws had to be changed, Gale expanded her battlegrounds to the State of Illinois and then the United States Congress. Her actions led to passage of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) in 1976 and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) in 1977. Senator William Proxmire (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, called Gale "the godmother of CRA". Barney Frank called CRA "very important addressing the needs". Gale fought hard to make these laws applicable to all mortgage lenders nationwide. Had she succeeded, most of the "toxic" mortgages of the past 20 years could not have been written or sold on the secondary market. And the battles continue... In the words of Mike Dukakis, former Governor of Massachusetts and 1988 Democratic Party Nominee for President: "At a time when hundreds of Americans are wondering what happened to their homes, their bank accounts and their lives, Gale's story is timely and relevant. She bothered a lot of people, and some of them didn't like it, but we have a lot of people in this country that ought to be bothered after the wreckage that they have produced in the lives of so many of our fellow citizens". Gale was one of this country's greatest organizers and activists. This is her story, told in detail by those who knew her best, skillfully woven together and placed in context by Michael Westgate and Ann Vick-Westgate. The story of Gale Cincotta, who had less than a high school education, is an inspiration to those who choose to stand upon her broad shoulders.