How the Rural Poor Got Power: Narrative of a Grass Roots Organizer

by Paul Wellstone

Before he was a senator, before he was a nationally known advocate for the disenfranchised and a tireless supporter of public policies to alleviate poverty, Paul Wellstone devoted his time and legendary energy to grassroots organizing. How the Rural Poor Got Power describes Wellstone's experiences as a political activist in rural Minnesota. Working with senior citizens, struggling farmers, and single mothers, Wellstone created a coalition to address transportation, access to health care, and welfare benefits issues. This narrative features interviews with citizens and shows Wellstone observing and participating in the ideals to which he devoted his helping poor people gain a political voice. Paul Wellstone (1944-2002) was professor of political science at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and worked as a political organizer before being elected to the Senate in 1990. His untimely death in a plane crash during the 2002 election galvanized public interest in his vision for progressive politics. His work, ideas, and beliefs are described in The Conscience of a Liberal, available in paperback from the University of Minnesota Press.

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1978

About the author

Paul David Wellstone was a two-term U.S. Senator from the state of Minnesota and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Before being elected to the Senate in 1990, he was a professor of political science at Carleton College. Wellstone was a liberal and a leading spokesman for the liberal wing of the national Democratic Party. He served in the Senate from 1991 until his death in a plane crash on 25 October 2002, 11 days before the US senate election in which he was running for a third term. His wife, Sheila, and daughter, Marcia, also died in the crash. They had two other grown children, David and Mark, who now co-chair the Wellstone Action nonprofit group.

Reviews

[Polly Trout · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 1978, this is Wellstone's narrative account of his work with the Organization for a Better Rice County (OBRC), a grassroots social justice organization for the rural poor in Minnesota. OBRC did some great stuff and then fell apart, and Wellstone's analysis of what worked and what didn't is interesting. Here's some quotes from the book I liked:

"On evening during a class I taught on "poverty politics" for Headstart mothers and staff, we had a discussion of Saul Alinsky's book, Rules for Radicals. The focus was on applying Alinsky's analysis to rural poverty...The conclusion reached by the class was that the first organizing project should be to get rid of the director of the agency."

Wellstone reprints this anonymous poem:

I was hungry --
And you formed a committee and discussed my hunger
Thank you

I was naked --
And in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance
Thank you

I was sick --
And you knelt and thanked God for your health
Thank you

I was homeless and lonely --
And you preached to me about that spiritual of the love of God
Thank you

You seem so holy, so close to God!
But still I am very hungry and very lonely and very cold.

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I also loved this quote, from Phyllis Hanson, a rural and poor activist that Wellstone interviews in the book:

"It takes time to gain knowledge from books and papers. The rolling wheels of poverty do not allow us this time. Knowledge is the only way to bring social change to the poor peacefully. If we split this learning time, and pass it one to another, we will have change. We will demand it once we know how to demand it. Our fear leaves us as we grow in knowledge and numbers. We are respected because we stand for a just cause, and we have regained our self-respect."

Finally, I loved this statement from Wellstone: "The conclusion I have reached is that successful organizing is built not on "economic rationality" but rather on dignity and a sense of purpose. Poor people dedicated themselves to OBRC out of a sense of purpose. Once they realized their voice could make a difference...they viewed themselves in a different light -- as strong and independent people not afraid to speak up for their rights."

[Timothy Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the birth and death of a community organization. Paul Wellstone's writing style is approachable and conversational, which makes what might otherwise be a sometimes-dull subject a painless read. I would have preferred if he had released an updated edition a decade or two later, because I was left curious as to what happened to the community and the people involved after the demise of the OBRC.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great account of Wellstone's time as a organizer in rural Minnesota (Rice County)